Corsair MP700 Pro XT 2TB SSD Review

1. Introduction2. Corsair MP700 Pro XT 2TB3. Testing Methodology4. CrystalDiskMark5. ATTO Disk Benchmark6. AS SSD7. 128KB Sequential Performance8. 4K Random Read v QD Performance9. 4K Random Write v QD Performance10. 4K 70/30 Mixed Performance11. 4K Random Performance QD1-QD812. Throughput13. PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark14. 3DMark Storage Benchmark 15. Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker Official Benchmark16. Temperatures17. Real Life File Testing18. Closing Thoughts19. View All Pages

Corsair continues to expand its Gen 5 MP700 series with the introduction of the MP700 Pro XT, a new flagship model and the fastest MP700 to date. At launch, the MP700 Pro XT line-up consists of three models: 1TB, 2TB (the model we are reviewing) and a flagship 4TB model. Built around Phison's latest Gen 5 8-channel controller, the PS5028-E28, the MP700 Pro XT is rated at up to 14,900MB/s for Sequential reads and up to 14,500MB/s for writes.

Phison's PS5028-E28 has been designed to replace the venerable PS5026-E26, the first consumer Gen 5 controller. The E28 is built on a 6nm process (the E26 was 12nm), which allows it to perform the neat tricks of not only being faster than the previous controller but also delivering better thermal performance and lower power consumption. In the MP700 Pro XT, it is looking after BiCS8 218-layer 3D TLC NAND. There is also a DRAM cache, sized at 1GB per 1TB, so the 2TB drive has a 2GB Sk Hynix DRAM chip.

As previously mentioned, the MP700 Pro XT is rated as up to 14,900MB/s for sequential reads. This figure is for all three drives in the range. The 2TB drive is rated as up to 14,500MB/s for sequential writes (the 1TB drive gets up to 14,200MB/s, and the 4TB 14,400MB/s). 4K random read performance is quoted as up to 1.5M IOPS for the 1TB drive, while the 2TB and 4TB are up to 2.7M IOPS. Random writes are quoted as a staggering up to 3.3M IOPS across the range.

Using the ATTO 4 benchmark, we couldn't get to the official maximum sequential figures with test results of 13,060MB/s for reads and 13,810MB/s for writes. However, switching over to the latest ATTO V5, we could confirm the official figure with an identical test result of 14,900MB/s. Writes at 14,090MB/s are still shy of the official maximum. Using the default CrystalDiskMark 8 benchmark, the best figures we saw were 14,860MB/s for reads and 14,077MB/s for writes.

As for random performance, using our four threaded tests, we could get nowhere near the official maximums of 2,700,000 IOPS for reads and 3,300,000 IOPS for writes, with test results of 586,722 IOPS for reads with writes at 536,597 IOPS. However, switching over to the Peak Performance profile settings in CrystalDiskMark 8, we could get a bit closer with reads of 2,112,498 IOPS, but writes were still miles away at 1,859,904 IOPS.

The standard MP700 Pro XT doesn't have a heatsink on it (it does have a copper layer in the label, but don't just rely on that), so you will need to use some form of motherboard cooling. However, thanks to the architecture of the PS5028-E28 controller, there's no real need for the huge coolers of previous generations of Gen 5 drives. Sitting under the heatsink of our Gigabyte AORUS X670E Xtreme motherboard the hottest the drive got was 47° C when being pushed hard under the default CrystalDiskMark 8 write tests.

We found the 2TB version of the MP700 Pro XT on Corsair's website for £259.99 HERE

Pros

• Sequential performance.
• Thermal performance.
• Endurance.

Cons

• We couldn’t match the official maximum 4K random figures in all our testing.

KitGuru says: Corsair have regularly been updating the MP700 Gen 5 product line ever since the original MP700 launched. The latest MP700 model, the MP700 Pro XT, is the fastest one yet, making good use of Phison's PS5028-E28 controller. It's not only the fastest MP700 to date – in some of our tests, it's the fastest drive we've seen, full stop.

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