Recommended Free Tools
The Corsair MP700 Elite is a fast PCIe 5.0 SSD that runs more efficiently than early high-power Gen5 drives, and its bare version can handle everyday use without a heatsink. But its headline speeds show up most clearly in queued sequential tests; PCWorld found random performance and real-world transfers much closer to PCIe 4.0 HMB drives. It is most compelling if you have a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot and workloads that can use the extra bandwidth.
What the MP700 Elite is—and what makes it different
The MP700 Elite is a single-sided M.2 2280 NVMe 2.0 SSD with a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface. It combines Phison’s DRAM-less E31T controller, Host Memory Buffer (HMB) support, and Kioxia 218-layer BiCS8 TLC NAND. Tom’s Hardware identified it as one of the first retail drives pairing the production 7nm E31T controller with BiCS8 flash.
HMB lets the drive use a small portion of system memory for mapping information rather than carrying dedicated DRAM on the SSD. That design, together with the E31T’s 7nm process, helps keep power use and heat below those of early, higher-power PCIe 5.0 designs. It does not, by itself, guarantee faster everyday performance than a good PCIe 4.0 drive.
Specifications and capacity options
The published performance ratings are the same for both capacities. Endurance scales with capacity, while the launch prices below are historical figures reported by Tom’s Hardware in 2024—not current prices.
#1 Best Overall
- Gen5 Storage Performance: The PCIe 5.0 x4 controller delivers up to 10,000MB/sec sequential reads and up to 8,500MB/sec sequential write speeds*, for phenomenal read, write, and response times *Performance and endurance vary by capacity
- Your PC Made Faster: Load games, boot Windows, open and transfer files, all faster than ever
- High-Density 3D TLC NAND: Provides the ideal mix of performance and endurance to keep your drive performing at its best for years
- Microsoft DirectStorage Support**: Enables the MP700 ELITE to communicate directly with your graphics card when playing compatible games, for unbelievably fast load times **DirectStorage requires a DirectX12 GPU with Shader Model 6.0 support
- Outstanding Endurance: Rated for up to 1,200TB Written, the MP700 ELITE’s longevity ensures that it reliably stores your data through many years of use
| Specification | 1TB | 2TB |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential read rating | 10,000 MB/s | 10,000 MB/s |
| Sequential write rating | 8,500 MB/s | 8,500 MB/s |
| Random-read rating | 1,300K IOPS | 1,300K IOPS |
| Random-write rating | 1,400K IOPS | 1,400K IOPS |
| Endurance rating | 600TBW | 1,200TBW |
| Launch price reported by Tom’s Hardware in 2024 | $149.99 | $249.99 |
TBW means terabytes written: it is the manufacturer’s endurance rating, not a prediction of when an individual drive will fail. The available evidence does not establish a current price or the warranty period, so check the specific listing and Corsair’s terms before buying.
How fast is it in real-world use?
Where PCIe 5.0 makes a clear difference
In synthetic sequential tests with high queue depths, the MP700 Elite’s PCIe 5.0 bandwidth produces large gains over PCIe 4.0 drives. Those results matter most for workloads that issue many large, sequential transfers and keep the drive busy—such as some professional file workflows. The 10,000 MB/s read and 8,500 MB/s write numbers are published maximum ratings, not a promise that every application or file transfer will reach those speeds.
Rank #2
- Your PC Made Faster – Load games, boot Windows, open and transfer files, all faster than ever
- Gen5 Storage Performance – The PCIe 5.0 x4 controller delivers up to 10,000MB/sec sequential reads and up to 8,500MB/sec sequential write speeds*, for phenomenal read, write, and response times *Performance and endurance vary by capacity
- High-Density 3D TLC NAND – Provides the ideal mix of performance and endurance to keep your drive performing at its best for years
- Outstanding Endurance – Rated for up to 2,400TB Written, the MP700 ELITE’s longevity ensures that it reliably stores your data through many years of use
- Compact M.2 2280 Form Factor – Fits directly into most motherboards, with no heatsink attached for maximum compatibility
Why ordinary tasks may feel similar
PCWorld’s review found that random 4K performance was not materially better than PCIe 4.0 HMB drives, and its real-world transfer results were mundane or only mildly improved. Operating-system activity, application launches, and many everyday file operations involve smaller or less sequential requests, so they do not necessarily benefit from the bandwidth seen in a queued sequential benchmark.
That makes the practical question less “Is Gen5 faster?” and more “Does my workload make use of Gen5’s extra sequential throughput?” If most of your use is general desktop work, gaming, or routine file handling, a capable PCIe 4.0 SSD may feel much the same for less money. PCWorld’s November 15, 2024 verdict was that the drive is good, but its premium may buy only a minimal real-world performance boost.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteRank #3
- Gen5 Storage Performance: The PCIe 5.0 x4 controller delivers up to 10,000MB/sec sequential reads and up to 8,500MB/sec sequential write speeds*, for phenomenal read, write, and response times *Performance and endurance vary by capacity
- Your PC Made Faster: Load games, boot Windows, open and transfer files, all faster than ever
- High-Density 3D TLC NAND: Provides the ideal mix of performance and endurance to keep your drive performing at its best for years
- Microsoft DirectStorage Support**: Enables the MP700 ELITE to communicate directly with your graphics card when playing compatible games, for unbelievably fast load times **DirectStorage requires a DirectX12 GPU with Shader Model 6.0 support
- Outstanding Endurance: Rated for up to 1,200TB Written, the MP700 ELITE’s longevity ensures that it reliably stores your data through many years of use
Does the MP700 Elite need a heatsink?
For everyday work, the bare drive is generally fine without an added heatsink. Tom’s Hardware highlighted the Elite’s efficiency, while HotHardware reported 5.9W average and 6.1W peak power in its measurements. HotHardware also reported a 3.5mW PS4 power state; that low-power-state figure is distinct from the drive’s active-workload power. The measurement conditions for the average and peak figures are not stated here, so treat them as review measurements rather than guaranteed consumption in every system.
Long, sustained workloads can heat an SSD more than ordinary use. A heatsink is a sensible choice if you regularly write large volumes, run sustained storage-heavy workloads, or your motherboard’s M.2 area has limited airflow. Tom’s Hardware described the drive as not needing a heatsink for its typical use case, but that should not be read as a claim that temperatures never matter under prolonged load.
Rank #4
- Gen5 Storage Performance: The PCIe 5.0 x4 controller delivers up to 10,000MB/sec sequential reads and up to 8,500MB/sec sequential write speeds*, for phenomenal read, write, and response times *Performance and endurance vary by capacity
- Your PC Made Faster: Load games, boot Windows, open and transfer files, all faster than ever
- High-Density 3D TLC NAND: Provides the ideal mix of performance and endurance to keep your drive performing at its best for years
- Microsoft DirectStorage Support**: Enables the MP700 ELITE to communicate directly with your graphics card when playing compatible games, for unbelievably fast load times **DirectStorage requires a DirectX12 GPU with Shader Model 6.0 support
- Performance Heatsink: A pre-installed aluminum heatsink ensures optimal operating temperatures and reduces performance throttling
Bare and heatsink-equipped versions
Corsair offers the drive bare or with an aluminum heatsink. Tom’s Hardware gives the bare drive’s dimensions as 22 mm wide and 2 mm thick; the heatsink version is 24 mm wide and 9 mm thick. Check the motherboard’s M.2 cover and nearby-component clearance before choosing the thicker version. If your board already has an M.2 heatsink, confirm that it can be installed over the drive without interference.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is the 1TB or 2TB model the better choice?
Both capacities have the same published speed ratings, so the 2TB model is not rated to transfer data faster. Its advantages are twice the capacity and twice the endurance rating. Choose based on how much fast storage you need and the price per terabyte at the time you buy; the 2024 launch prices do not establish which capacity is better value today.
Best Value
- Performance Heatsink – A pre-installed aluminum heatsink ensures optimal operating temperatures and reduces performance throttling
- Your PC Made Faster – Load games, boot Windows, open and transfer files, all faster than ever
- Gen5 Storage Performance – The PCIe 5.0 x4 controller delivers up to 10,000MB/sec sequential reads and up to 8,500MB/sec sequential write speeds*, for phenomenal read, write, and response times *Performance and endurance vary by capacity
- High-Density 3D TLC NAND – Provides the ideal mix of performance and endurance to keep your drive performing at its best for years
- Outstanding Endurance – Rated for up to 2,400TB Written, the MP700 ELITE’s longevity ensures that it reliably stores your data through many years of use
- Choose 1TB if it comfortably fits your intended workloads and costs substantially less in the listing you are considering.
- Choose 2TB if you need more local space or want the higher 1,200TBW endurance rating rather than the 1TB model’s 600TBW rating.
Who should buy the MP700 Elite?
The MP700 Elite makes the most sense for someone with a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot who can use high sequential throughput and values a more power-conscious Gen5 design. It is less persuasive as a routine system-drive upgrade when an affordable PCIe 4.0 HMB SSD already meets the workload.
- Good fit: a PCIe 5.0-capable system, sustained or high-queue sequential work, and a total price that makes sense against PCIe 4.0 alternatives.
- Consider PCIe 4.0 instead: general desktop use, gaming, or ordinary file transfers where the extra sequential bandwidth is unlikely to change the experience much.
- Plan for cooling: everyday use can suit the bare drive, while extended heavy workloads favor a heatsink and adequate M.2 clearance.
In short, this is a more measured PCIe 5.0 SSD than the early high-power designs, but its technology does not remove the usual trade-off: impressive sequential benchmark numbers are useful only when a system and workload can take advantage of them.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
