Crucial P3 Plus 2TB M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe Internal SSD – Up
Crucial P3 Plus 2TB M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe Internal SSD – Up to 5000MB/s – CT2000P3PSSD801 (Acronis Edition)
From the brand
| Weight: | 7 g |
| Dimensions: | 50 x 50 x 28 cm; 7 Grams |
| Brand: | Crucial |
| Model: | CT2000P3PSSD801 |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | CRUCIAL |
| Dimensions: | 50 x 50 x 28 cm; 7 Grams |
The drive is not the most performant in the world but if you can get 2TB on sale then you can’t get much better. If you’ve not installed M.2 devices it can be a bit fiddly on your first try. Highly recommended for laptops / gaming PCs if you don’t need the best of the best in terms of reads/writes. I will probably replace the SSD when it dies (hopefully a long long time from now)
As Operating Systems seem to get bigger, in the capacity needed, and the applications seem to follow that trend, it is reasonable now to have a 1TB drive as a boot drive.
This is a perfect drive to do that. The form factor is good, meaning once fitted it takes up so little room and you can fit your own heatsink, if you feel the need to. For me that is provided by my motherboard.
No cables or plugs to attach.
This drive compliments desktop type PC’s and can really improve the performance of a laptop with the appropriate connection.
It does use the cheaper QLC NAND chips, and yet the warranty is 5 years by Crucial – no worries.
I fitted this in April of this year, reviewed at the end of September. Zero issues and showing still at 100%, no wear. The machine is booted a couple of times a day, every day – and used a lot.
The drive runs cools and, of course, is completely silent. I do get to see the quoted 5,000Mb/sec transfer when moving large single files to it from an equally fast drive.
Very happy with the installation and usage. No issues or concerns.
Very much recommended.
My laptop also only has PCIe v3, so I am not getting the most from it but in the future I plan on getting a machine with PCIe v4 and this stick will be making the move into it when that time comes. The speeds I am getting now are consistent with PCIe v3 so not complaining!
Been giving this thing a proper workout since I got it a few months back, so far it has performed really well… In Windows 10 Pro. In Linux Mint, the speeds are “almost” SATA SSD – 550MB/s and 370MB/s read and write. I tried everything to get Mint to bump up the speeds but gave up after wasting a night of sleep on it. Nothing I tried worked and not wanting to bork my installation, I gave up. No fault of the drive, just good ol’ quirky Linux. It might perform better when I get my hands on a more recent kernel.
Was moving a 550GB file to it when I first got it, from an external drive via the USB-C socket. It took just over 2 hours as the external couldn’t keep up…. and the P3’s junction temperature peaked and stayed at around 91 degrees Celsius for most of that time. That is what we call SUPER hot for a drive and I have probably mullered a year off its life with that blast haha. Fast forward a few months and the drive is still running as well as it did the first day I installed it. Hopefully I won’t have melted it before I get to plug it into a faster M.2 socket 🙂
Design and Build Quality
As with most M.2 NVMe drives, the Crucial P3 Plus features a slim, compact form factor, designed to fit seamlessly into laptops, desktops, and even gaming consoles that support M.2 slots. It follows the standard 2280 form factor (22mm wide, 80mm long), which ensures compatibility with a wide range of motherboards.
While the design is simple, it’s worth noting that the P3 Plus doesn’t come with an integrated heatsink. If you’re planning to use this drive in a high-performance gaming rig or workstation, additional cooling
Performance
Powered by the PCIe Gen4 interface, the Crucial P3 Plus SSD promises faster speeds than its Gen3 predecessors. However, it’s important to note that the P3 Plus is a more budget-oriented Gen4 drive, so it doesn’t quite hit the top-tier speeds of premium drives like Crucial’s P5 Plus or other high-end models.
Crucial advertises sequential read speeds of up to 5000 MB/s and write speeds of up to 4200 MB/s. In real-world testing, the P3 Plus holds up well, delivering reliable performance for most common tasks, such as gaming, video editing, and large file transfers. For everyday users and gamers, these speeds are more than sufficient, providing fast boot times, quick load times for applications and games, and smooth overall system responsiveness.
While it’s not the fastest Gen4 SSD on the market, the P3 Plus still takes full advantage of PCIe 4.0, offering significantly faster speeds than any PCIe 3.0 drives. This makes it an excellent upgrade for those moving from a SATA or older NVMe drive.
Capacity and Use Cases
With 4TB of storage, the Crucial P3 Plus is an ideal solution for users who need plenty of space for large files, such as video editors, photographers, or gamers with extensive game libraries. The large capacity is perfect for managing high-resolution media files, 4K videos, or large game installations without worrying about running out of space.
Reliability and Durability
Crucial has a solid reputation for producing reliable and durable SSDs, and the P3 Plus is no exception. It uses QLC (Quad-Level Cell) NAND flash, which typically offers a good balance between affordability and performance, though it might not match the endurance levels of higher-end TLC-based SSDs.
The drive offers 800 TBW (terabytes written) endurance, which should be more than enough for average consumers. Even with heavy usage, it would take years to reach this limit, making it a good long-term storage solution. Crucial backs the P3 Plus with a 5-year warranty, further reinforcing its reliability.
Pricing and Value
One of the standout features of the Crucial P3 Plus 4TB SSD is its affordable price compared to other Gen4 drives in its class. It delivers strong performance and high capacity at a competitive price point, making it a great option for users looking to expand their storage without paying the premium that comes with top-tier Gen4 models.
While there are faster Gen4 SSDs available, they typically come at a much higher cost, and for many users, the performance difference will be negligible in everyday scenarios. The P3 Plus strikes a great balance between price and performance, making it an excellent value for gamers, content creators, and general users.
Final Verdict
The Crucial P3 Plus 4TB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD is a fantastic option for users looking for large storage capacity, solid Gen4 performance, and great value. While it doesn’t compete with the very fastest Gen4 drives on the market, it provides more than enough speed for most tasks, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious consumers who still want to enjoy the benefits of PCIe 4.0 technology.
Pros:
Large 4TB storage capacity
Good performance for PCIe Gen4, especially at the price
Affordable compared to other Gen4 SSDs
Compact form factor with wide compatibility
5-year warranty and solid reliability
Cons:
No integrated heatsink (may require additional cooling)
QLC NAND may have lower endurance compared to higher-tier drives
Not as fast as premium Gen4 SSDs
Overall, the Crucial P3 Plus offers a great mix of storage capacity, performance, and affordability, making it an excellent choice for those needing a high-capacity SSD for gaming, creative work, or general use.
I had this one for many years and it works so well and is so fast. With this good deal, I couldn’t help myself and got a second one of 4TB. 4800 MB/s is more than enough for anything you can throw at it. No need for the latest PCIe 5.0 NVME non-sense that will just burn in heat. This one stays cool. If you are looking to get a M.2. NVME PCIe 4.0 drive, get this one. I recommend.
Installation of windows 11 was seamless with no problems being detected and formatted successfully by windows setup.
Speed is brilliantly fast, with the installation of Win 11 Pro taking a little under 6 minutes from turning on to first boot into desktop.
Temperature seems to run in the same region as its gen3 predecessor and remains relatively stable even when under heavy reads/writes.
Only time will tell how reliable it is, but based on a few issues I had with my gen3 model, I only hope they have been resolved with this gen4 – I will update this review if I encounter any issues but so far it works flawlessly.
Ideal as a boot drive or even just for running those AAA+ games, highly recommend Crucial/Micron for storage whenever possible.
This M.2 drive is impressively fast and reliable (touch wood). However, it does get quite hot when transferring files. While I don’t believe the temperature affects its usability, it’s something to definitely consider if you will be transferring many files at once. All mechanical and solid-state drives generate heat; I just noticed it more with this particular drive. Because of this, I recommend purchasing an M.2 heatsink for it. Unfortunately, I can’t do this as I’m using the drive in my laptop, which doesn’t have room for a heatsink.
I’m currently using the drive to download my 2TB cloud storage, allowing me to organize and delete unnecessary files to free up space. Once that’s done, I’ll re-upload the retained files back to the cloud. After finishing this cloud storage task, I plan to repurpose the drive as a scratch disk for my RAW photo files to help with my photography storage needs.
I highly recommend this drive! It’s fantastic, and I’m confident it will last a long time. I have another Crucial M.2 drive in my gaming PC, and it has proven to be just as reliable. Both drives offer excellent performance and dependability, making them a great investment for anyone in need of robust storage solutions.
This SSD offers the best value from a known brand.
I have this SSD alongside a 990 Pro from Samsung, they operate identically with no discernible difference in real world speed despite the 990 being 50 bucks more expensive.
used for gaming.
Cant go wrong here
I usually clone the original ssd to the new one. My laptop just would not recognise this ssd in the caddy i was using. Aftr 4 days of trying different methods, i discovered that there was a softwate update for the ssd on the crucial website. After updating, hey presto it all worked. Good performance and nice to have much more storage.
Decent read and write speed. Easy to install and came with a screw, as dell xps 15 does not provide screw for second (empty) ssd space. To top it up price in my opinion was decent.
Performance: The first thing to note is the blazing-fast read and write speeds. Thanks to its PCIe Gen4 interface, this SSD delivers speeds that are a significant step up from its Gen3 predecessors, making it an ideal choice for gamers, content creators, and anyone who values quick data transfer.
Capacity: With 1TB of storage, I’ve found ample space for my operating system, applications, and a hefty library of documents and media. It’s a relief not to worry about running out of space or managing multiple drives.
Reliability: Crucial is known for its reliable memory solutions, and the P3 Plus is no exception. It has been consistently performing without any hiccups, and the included management software provides useful tools for monitoring the health of the drive.
Design: The compact M.2 form factor is perfect for modern motherboards, allowing for a clean build without the clutter of cables. It’s also a great choice for upgrading laptops with compatible slots.
Value: Considering the performance and capacity, the Crucial P3 Plus offers excellent value for money. It’s a cost-effective way to experience Gen4 speeds without breaking the bank.
Final Thoughts: The Crucial P3 Plus 1TB SSD is a robust and speedy storage solution that won’t disappoint. Whether you’re building a new PC or upgrading an existing one, this SSD is a smart choice that combines performance with affordability.