Corsair has just revealed the MP700 Pro SE, its latest PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSD, and the speeds it advertises are very impressive if not quite the fastest we’ve seen to date. In addition to the high advertised sequential read and write speeds of the Corsair MP700 Pro SE, which are quoted at 14,000MB/s and 12,000MB/s respectively, Corsair also boasts that the MP700 Pro SE has great random access speeds, meaning it should offer fast performance beyond just massive file transfers.
On paper, the Corsair MP700 Pro SE quite simply looks like one of the best SSDs for gaming, but this may change once we have the chance to put it to the test. It’s also worth noting that, despite the impressive numbers, the Crucial T705 advertises higher sequential speeds and is readily available with a heatsink in the box already.
To get the most out of the MP700 Pro SE, you’re going to need a compatible motherboard that supports PCIe 5.0. It’s possible to use a PCIe 5.0 SSD with motherboards only compatible with PCIe 3 and gen 4, but your bandwidth will be capped at 4GB/s or 8GB/s respectively in a traditional x4 lane slot. Furthermore, you’ll also need at least an Intel 12th gen or AMD Ryzen 7000 series CPU.
Corsair also suggests that most integrated cooling systems on motherboards are sufficient, but to guarantee optimal performance, there will be a Hydro X edition of the MP700 Pro SE, ready to integrate into any existing 1/4-inch water cooling system.
This is great for those who have a water cooling system, but leaves those without needing to invest further in a heatsink. A version of the MP700 Pro SE with the standard Corsair heatsink is yet to appear on its web store, which is a shame, as we found it to be really effective in our Corsair MP700 Pro review. Also, given our recent experience when testing the Crucial T705, we suspect this Corsair drive is likely to run hot when it’s loaded, so it’s worth using a powerful cooler to prevent throttling.
Much like the Crucial T705, the MP700 Pro SE also benefits from the native compatibility with Microsoft DirectStorage, meaning your SSD and GPU communicate far more effectively, leading to much faster load times in games that support the feature.
The point where some might shy away from the Corsair MP700 Pro SE however, is when they see the price. The 2TB Hydro X model costs $344.99 (£344.99) and is already out of stock, while the 4TB Hydro X comes in at $639.99 (£639.99).
Currently, there is only a 4TB model non-Hydro model available and it costs $624.99 (£624.99). Comparatively, the 4TB version of the Crucial T705 without a heatsink costs $539 right now, which is still expensive, but nearly $100 cheaper than the new Corsair drive.
If you’re planning on upgrading to one of these new drives, make sure you also check out our full guide on how to install an M.2 SSD, where we take you through every step of the process, including fitting a heatsink.