It’s that time of year again when high-performance storage gets a serious price cut. Crucial has slashed the prices of its budget-friendly PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs, bringing them down to the cost of previous-generation PCIe 4.0 drives. This makes next-gen storage significantly more accessible for PC builders and upgraders.
Key Takeaways:
- Crucial’s PCIe 5.0 SSDs are now on sale at prices comparable to PCIe 4.0 models.
- The 1TB model is available for $90, and the 2TB version for $140.
- This offers a compelling upgrade path for users seeking faster storage speeds.
Next-Gen Speed at Yesterday’s Prices
The deal is particularly attractive for the Crucial T700, a drive that offers sequential read speeds of up to 11,700 MB/s and write speeds of up to 9,500 MB/s. For context, typical high-end PCIe 4.0 SSDs max out around 7,400 MB/s. This massive leap in performance can translate to quicker game load times, faster file transfers, and a snappier overall system experience, especially for demanding tasks like video editing and large dataset manipulation.
Who Should Upgrade?
While the raw speed of PCIe 5.0 SSDs is impressive, the real-world benefits depend on your system and usage. For the average gamer, the jump from a good PCIe 4.0 drive might not be immediately noticeable in most current titles. However, with the increasing adoption of technologies like DirectStorage, which allows games to leverage faster SSDs for quicker asset streaming, future games could see significant improvements.
This sale is an excellent opportunity for:
- Enthusiast PC Builders: Get the latest storage tech without breaking the bank.
- Content Creators: Speed up workflows involving large files and complex projects.
- Future-Proofing: Invest in storage that will remain relevant for years to come.
Editor’s Take: A Smart Move for the Savvy Buyer
This price parity between PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 4.0 SSDs is a watershed moment for storage technology. For too long, cutting-edge speeds came with a prohibitive premium. Crucial’s aggressive pricing here democratizes access to next-gen performance. While not everyone *needs* PCIe 5.0 right now, the fact that you can get it for the same price as a high-end PCIe 4.0 drive makes it a no-brainer for anyone building a new system or looking to maximize their current rig’s potential. It signals a maturing market where performance bottlenecks are shifting, and storage is becoming less of a compromise.
This article was based on reporting from PC Gamer. A huge shoutout to their team for the original coverage.
