You probably don’t need a PCIE 5.0 solid-state drive. At current prices, and the modest speed improvements they give for most people (even gamers) just aren’t worth it unless you’re moving big chunks of data around regularly. That being said, I feel and understand the desire to be on the bleeding edge of tech. If that’s you, then check out this deal on a 2TB, gen 5 M.2 SSD. Today you can get a Crucial T710 for $229.99 on Amazon, $130 off the retail price.
PCWorld reviewed the T710 less than a month ago, and Jon Jacobi found it to be a great pick if you’re looking for a decent value with low power draw. It isn’t the fastest gen 5 drive on the market, but it’s up there with most of the pack for PCIe 5.0 drives, so it’s a great pick if you need a good mix between blazing speed and manageable thermals. With a compatible laptop or motherboard — which are still pretty rare even now — this 80mm drive can hit write speeds of over 14,000 megabytes per second.
At $230, Crucial’s T710 only commands a small premium over similar 2TB gen 4 drives that are half as fast. Again, the actual difference is probably only going to matter to you if you’re dealing with absolutely massive amounts of data on a very regular basis. We’re talking 8K video editing, huge amounts of AI data, that sort of thing. So I stress, this simply is not a cost-effective upgrade if you want better PC gaming performance. Your money would be better put towards a new GPU, CPU, or saved up for a comprehensive upgrade. And keep in mind that this is an 80mm M.2 drive, so many laptops (and devices like the Steam Deck) won’t be able to use it.
But if you really want much, much faster storage on a budget, this is the deal you’ve been waiting for. For other options, check out PCWorld’s roundup of the best SSDs out there.
Get a 2TB Crucial Gen 5 SSD for $230
