Crucial P3
PCIe M.2 · PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.4 · Phison PS5021-E21T
Specifications
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.4 |
|---|---|
| Controller | Phison PS5021-E21T |
| NAND Type | Micron 176-layer 3D QLC |
| DRAM Cache | N/A (HMB) |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Seq Read | 3,500 MB/s |
|---|---|
| Seq Write | 1,900 MB/s |
| Endurance | 110 TBW |
| Part Number | CT500P3SSD8 |
| Seq Read | 3,500 MB/s |
|---|---|
| Seq Write | 3,000 MB/s |
| Endurance | 220 TBW |
| Part Number | CT1000P3SSD8 |
| Seq Read | 3,500 MB/s |
|---|---|
| Seq Write | 3,000 MB/s |
| Endurance | 440 TBW |
| Part Number | CT2000P3SSD8 |
| Seq Read | 3,500 MB/s |
|---|---|
| Seq Write | 3,000 MB/s |
| Endurance | 880 TBW |
| Part Number | CT4000P3SSD8 |
Overview
The Crucial P3 launched in 2022 as a budget NVMe option, replacing the P2 in Crucial's lineup. It uses Micron's 176-layer QLC NAND with a Phison E21T controller and a DRAM-less design that relies on Host Memory Buffer (HMB) when available.
Sequential read peaks at 3,500 MB/s across all capacities. Sequential write is limited to 1,900 MB/s on the 500GB model but reaches 3,000 MB/s on the 1TB and above, from higher parallelism with more NAND dies. Sustained write performance outside the SLC cache drops significantly, as with all QLC drives.
The P3 uses PCIe 3.0, contrasted with the PCIe 4.0 P3 Plus released simultaneously. It is positioned against Kingston NV2 and similar DRAM-less and QLC-based budget drives.
Reviews
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“If capacity is your major criteria, the Crucial P3 delivers it cheaper than anything other NVMe SSD we know of. And the performance is still very, very NVMe-like until you write a whole lot of data to it at once. We do, however, wish that the TBW ratings didn't invoke a feeling of rolling the dice on our investment.”
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“In general use it should be just fine, even at 500GB, although we still think it's best at capacity and preferably as a secondary drive. Crucial has a budget winner on their hands with the right sales pricing, but don't expect it to keep up with high-end drives.”