Crucial T700 2000GB

The Crucial T700 2000GB represents the reference standard for the first wave of consumer PCIe 5.0 storage, utilizing the Phison PS5026-E26 controller paired with Micron’s 232-layer (B58R) 3D TLC NAND. This architecture leverages the doubled bandwidth of the Gen5 interface to achieve sequential throughput exceeding 12 GB/s, significantly outpacing the saturation point of the previous PCIe 4.0 generation. The drive utilizes a dedicated LPDDR4 DRAM cache for address mapping, ensuring low latency during random I/O operations and sustained performance during heavy workstation workloads. As a vertical integration product, it serves as a showcase for Micron's ability to maximize the IO throughput of the E26 controller through its native NAND implementation. Field Notes: The T700 is widely characterized by high thermal output, a known trait of the Phison E26 controller running at Gen5 speeds. Community testing indicates the drive will rapidly reach thermal throttle points (typically ~81°C) during sustained writes if operated without a substantial heatsink. While available with a passive stock heatsink, users utilizing the bare drive version must employ high-mass motherboard cooling or active airflow solutions to prevent aggressive speed throttling during large file transfers.

Key Specifications

• Interface: PCIe 5.0 x4 / NVMe 2.0
• Sequential Read/Write: 12,400 MB/s / 11,800 MB/s
• Controller: Phison PS5026-E26 (12nm process)
• NAND: Micron 232-Layer 3D TLC (B58R)
• DRAM Cache: Yes (4GB LPDDR4 - 2GB per 1TB ratio)
• Endurance: 1,200 TBW
• Features: Microsoft DirectStorage optimized; TCG Opal 2.01 encryption support

Hardware Alternatives

• Corsair MP700 PRO SE 2000GB: A direct hardware clone utilizing the same Phison E26 and Micron 232-layer NAND combination
• Gigabyte Aorus Gen5 12000: Shares the exact controller and NAND configuration, offering similar throughput capabilities
• Seagate FireCuda 540: Another E26-based drive; firmware differences may alter sustained write behaviors
• Sabrent Rocket 5: Utilizes the same hardware foundation but features firmware optimizations pushing the E26 controller closer to its theoretical limits (14 GB/s)