Crucial P310 2000GB

The Crucial P310 uses the Phison PS5027-E27T controller paired with Micron 232-layer QLC NAND in a DRAM-less design that relies on Host Memory Buffer (HMB). The 4-channel controller is capable of near-saturation of the PCIe 4.0 interface, and the newer 12nm controller node improves power efficiency and thermal management. In practical use the drive achieves Gen4 saturation burst speeds but is heavily reliant on a dynamic SLC cache; when that cache is exhausted during sustained, high-volume writes (typically exceeding 25-30% of total capacity) write speeds fall to native QLC levels (often below 400 MB/s). The drive is thermally efficient and well suited to read-heavy consumer workloads and gaming (DirectStorage ready) but shows higher latency in filled-drive states compared to TLC-based alternatives.

Key Specifications

• Interface: PCIe 4.0 x4 (NVMe 2.0)
• Max Sequential Speeds: 7100 MB/s Read, 6000 MB/s Write
• Controller: Phison PS5027-E27T (4-channel, DRAM-less)
• NAND Type: Micron 232-Layer 3D QLC
• Cache Architecture: HMB (Host Memory Buffer) + Dynamic SLC Caching
• Physical Layout: Single-sided PCB (M.2 2280)

Hardware Alternatives

• Corsair MP600 MINI 2000GB: shares the core controller architecture and similar underlying logic and throughput to the P310 2280 variant.
• Sabrent Rocket 2230: similar underlying logic and throughput in a 2230 form factor for handhelds, though marketed for different device sizes.
• Western Digital WD_BLACK SN770 2000GB: uses a proprietary SanDisk controller and TLC NAND, offering superior sustained write speeds compared to the P310's QLC while trading off peak sequential numbers.
• Lexar NM790 2000GB: uses the Maxio MAP1602 controller with 232-layer TLC NAND, and often outperforms the P310 in heavy write endurance tasks due to the differences between TLC and QLC media.