The P510 has a surprising feature for anyone used to choosing the larger SSD for higher speed. Crucial rates its 1 TB model higher than its 2 TB model for sequential reads and writes. Capacity still matters more if a project will not fit, but the largest number on a family listing needs a second look.
In depth
Crucial P510 review
Published
Best forDesktop builders with a Gen 5 slot and a workload that moves large files onto fast local storage.
At a glance
- Capacity
- 1TB2TB
- Interface
- PCIe 5.0 ×4 NVMe
- Form factor
- M.2 2280
- Sequential read
- 1TBUp to 11,000 MB/s2TBUp to 10,000 MB/s
- Sequential write
- 1TBUp to 9,500 MB/s2TBUp to 8,700 MB/s
Pros
- Gen 5 transfer ratings and a choice of two capacities.
- Standard and factory-heatsink versions suit different installations.
Cons
- The 2 TB drive has lower published peak rates.
- A Gen 4 slot limits the benefit of the faster interface.
Performance
- 1 TB: up to 11,000 / 9,500 MB/s
- 2 TB: up to 10,000 / 8,700 MB/s
Those pairs are sequential read and write ceilings. Tom’s Hardware found a relatively small fast-write cache but consistent performance once it filled on its 2 TB sample. That distinction matters more for a long video ingest than for installing one small application. 1
Installation
- M.2 2280
- PCIe 5.0 ×4
- Optional factory heatsink
Check which motherboard socket actually offers four Gen 5 lanes. Two M.2 connectors that look identical can have different wiring. If the board has its own SSD heat spreader, choose the standard drive or follow the board instructions for a drive with a factory heatsink. Check vertical clearance in a notebook.
Capacity & Endurance
- 600 TBW at 1 TB
- 1,200 TBW at 2 TB
The larger model doubles both the storage and the published write allowance. Those figures set warranty conditions. They do not predict a particular failure date. A video project still needs a second copy on another device.
Alternatives
A good Gen 4 drive is the better comparison for a machine without a Gen 5 socket. Even in a Gen 5 system, a buyer mainly expanding a game library may get more use from the extra terabyte than the smaller P510’s higher headline rate.
Verdict
Pick capacity first and cooling second. The P510 is an attractive fast-storage choice when the host, source drive and workload can all make use of it.
About this review
This is a research-based review. The Fasit has not physically tested this product.
Sources & Research
1 reference
Independent sources cited in this article.
- Tom’s HardwareThe Crucial P510 2TB SSD Review: A budget PCIe 5.0 SSD that's good but not great (opens in a new tab)https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ssds/the-crucial-p510-2tb-ssd-review
Cache size and consistency after cache exhaustion on the tested 2 TB P510.