Score a 4TB Crucial P310 SSD for Just 5 Cents/GB
▼ Summary
– The Crucial P310 PCIe Gen4 SSD is recommended for PC builds or storage expansion and is currently discounted on Amazon.
– The 2TB model costs $112 (down from $150), and the 4TB model is $202 (down from $283), both including a heatsink to prevent thermal throttling.
– It features sequential read/write speeds up to 7,100/6,000 MB/s and uses a Phison E27T controller with Micron 232-layer QLC NAND flash memory.
– The SSD performs well for everyday tasks and as a boot drive but experiences slower write speeds (around 337 MB/s) after sustained writes fill its cache.
– It is power-efficient with controlled thermals, suitable for portable devices, and comes with a five-year limited warranty.
For anyone building a new computer or expanding their current setup, securing a high-capacity SSD like the Crucial P310 PCIe Gen4 model means never having to delete files to make room for new games, media, or creative work. This drive is currently available at a significant discount on Amazon, making it an excellent value for the storage it provides.
The 2TB version has been reduced to $112 from its original $150 price tag. For users who need even more room, the 4TB model is an incredible deal at just $202, a steep drop from its usual $283. This particular model uses the common 2280 form factor and includes an integrated heatsink, which is crucial for maintaining consistent performance by preventing the drive from overheating and slowing down during intensive tasks.
Inside the Crucial P310, you’ll find a Phison E27T controller paired with advanced 232-layer Micron QLC NAND-flash memory. This hardware combination enables impressive sequential read and write speeds rated at up to 7,100 MB/s and 6,000 MB/s, respectively. It also delivers strong input/output performance with 1,000K/1,200K IOPS and carries a 220TB endurance rating (TBW). In practical testing, the drive has shown it can outperform many older QLC and even some budget-friendly TLC SSDs in synthetic benchmarks, offering snappy responsiveness that makes it a great choice for a primary boot drive and everyday computing.
It’s important to understand the drive’s behavior under heavy, sustained workloads. Once the drive’s pSLC cache is exhausted after writing roughly 400GB of data, the write speed does decrease to approximately 337 MB/s. While this is a typical characteristic of QLC-based storage and is not terrible for the category, it is slower than what many TLC SSDs can maintain under similar continuous load. On a positive note, the P310 is quite power-efficient and manages heat effectively, making it a solid option for thinner laptops and compact systems where airflow is limited. Crucial supports this SSD with a five-year limited warranty, providing buyers with long-term confidence despite the performance trade-offs inherent to its QLC architecture.
All things considered, this discounted Crucial P310 represents a compelling opportunity for shoppers seeking a fast, spacious solid-state drive. The combination of high speed, large capacity, and a bundled heatsink at this price point is difficult to find elsewhere.
(Source: Tom’s Hardware)