Corsair MP700 PRO
M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen 5
Introduction
The Corsair MP700 PRO represents a significant leap forward in consumer storage technology as one of the first PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSDs designed for high-performance computing. Targeting enthusiasts and professionals who demand cutting-edge speed, this drive leverages the NVMe 2.0 protocol and advanced thermal management to redefine storage benchmarks. Its release aligns with the growing adoption of PCIe 5.0 motherboards, positioning it as a future-proof solution for workloads requiring sustained data throughput.
Product Overview
The Corsair MP700 PRO is a PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe SSD available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities. Built on Phison’s E26 controller and Micron’s 232-layer 3D TLC NAND flash, it caters to users building high-end desktops, workstations, or gaming rigs with compatible Gen5 motherboards. The drive ships in three configurations: bare drive, air-cooled variant with an active fan heatsink, or Hydro X water-block edition for custom liquid-cooled systems.
Key Features
Turbocharged Gen5 Performance
With sequential read/write speeds up to 14,000/12,000 MB/s, the MP700 PRO delivers 75% faster throughput than PCIe 4.0 drives and 20x the speed of SATA SSDs. This is enabled by the NVMe 2.0 interface’s improved command queuing and parallel processing capabilities.
Active Thermal Management
The included air cooler features a SATA-powered fan that reduces operating temperatures by 15–20°C compared to passive heatsinks. This prevents thermal throttling during extended workloads, ensuring consistent performance in data-intensive tasks like 8K video editing or large-scale game asset streaming.
Enterprise-Grade Endurance
Rated for 700–1,400 TBW (terabytes written) depending on capacity, the drive employs advanced wear-leveling algorithms and over-provisioning to maintain longevity. The five-year warranty underscores Corsair’s confidence in its 3D TLC NAND’s durability under heavy write cycles.
Performance Analysis
Sequential Speeds
In optimal conditions, the MP700 PRO achieves:
14,123 MB/s read and 12,299 MB/s write (4TB SE model)
12,400 MB/s read and 11,800 MB/s write (2TB base model)
These figures surpass PCIe 4.0 flagships like the Samsung 990 Pro (7,450/6,900 MB/s) and approach enterprise-grade U.2 drives.
Random Performance
The Phison E26 controller enables:
1.7M read IOPS and 1.6M write IOPS (4KB QD32)
This random performance benefits database applications, multiplayer game servers, and virtual machines requiring low-latency access to small files.
Thermal Management
Without cooling, the drive throttles to 8,000 MB/s within 90 seconds under sustained loads. The active cooler maintains sub-70°C temperatures, allowing full-speed operation indefinitely. Users opting for the water-block variant can achieve even lower temps (50–55°C) in custom loops.
Compatibility
Desktops and Laptops
The MP700 PRO requires:
PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 slot (backward compatible with PCIe 4.0 at reduced speeds)
Motherboard clearance for 2280-form-factor drives with attached cooler
Windows 10/11 or macOS (with APFS formatting)
Notably, the air-cooled variant may conflict with some motherboard heatsinks like the ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero. In such cases, the bare drive paired with third-party cooling is recommended.
Advantages and Limitations
Strengths
Unmatched Throughput: Doubles the real-world performance of previous-gen SSDs in content creation and game-loading scenarios.
Scalable Cooling: Multiple cooling options cater to air and liquid-cooled builds.
Constraints
Platform Requirements: Requires expensive PCIe 5.0 motherboards (Intel 700-series or AMD X670/B650).
Power Draw: Active cooling adds a SATA power cable, complicating cable management in compact cases.
Conclusion
The Corsair MP700 PRO sets a new standard for consumer SSDs, delivering enterprise-level speeds with robust thermal solutions. While its platform requirements limit adoption to early PCIe 5.0 adopters, it remains the definitive choice for users building high-end PCs in 2025. Content creators, competitive gamers, and data engineers will benefit most from its combination of throughput, endurance, and cooling flexibility.
Works Cited
Corsair. "MP700 PRO 2TB with Air Cooler PCIe Gen5 x4 NVMe 2.0 M.2 SSD." Corsair, corsair.com/us/en/p/data-storage/cssd-f2000gbmp700pro/mp700-pro-2tb-with-air-cooler-pcie-gen5-x4-nvme-2-0-m-2-ssd-cssd-f2000gbmp700pro
McCarthy, Jason. "Corsair MP700 Pro Gen 5 2TB SSD Review." The SSD Review, thessdreview.com/our-reviews/nvme/corsair-mp700-pro-gen-5-2tb-ssd-review-fast-ssd-with-an-active-heatsink/
PCMag Staff. "Corsair MP700 Pro Review." PCMag, pcmag.com/reviews/corsair-mp700-pro
