Crucial T500 4TB SSD Review - World's Best Performing 4-Channel SSD

TweakTown's Rating: 98%

The Bottom Line

Crucial's T500 4TB is the best PCIe Gen4 gaming SSD we've ever encountered.

Pros

• Gaming performance
• Capacity
• User experience performance
• Pricing

Cons

• None

Should you buy it?

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Buy at Newegg for $436.41 USD

Introduction & Drive Details

Almost a year ago, Crucial dropped its groundbreaking T500 Series SSDs. What makes the T500 remarkable is that it is 4-channel controlled yet still capable of beating 99.9% of all 8-channel controlled PCIe Gen4 SSDs in terms of real-world performance or, as we call it, performance that matters. The lone exception is the 990 Pro, and then only if the 990 Pro is running in special full-power mode.

The T500 is a bit different than any other SSD currently in circulation in that is 4-channel controlled with onboard DRAM. To date it is the only 4-channel, PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe SSD to employ onboard DRAM to increase and sustain performance. Being 4-channel, the T500 series SSDs are more power efficient than their 8-channel counterparts. They run cool in comparison, and they tend to be more affordable. All major wins for the consumer as we see it.

We see the T500 Series as the pinnacle of PCIe Gen4 solid-state storage, giving us the best overall performance/efficiency package in all of consumer DIY storage. Till now, there was only one wish that the T500 Series did not grant us - more, as in more capacity. Well today Crucial has granted us our wish with a 4TB capacity point T500.

The 4TB T500 is spec'd as a little bit slower than the 2TB model at 7,000 MB/s throughput vs. 7,400 MB/s and 1,050K random read IOPS vs. 1,180K IOPS. However, as most of our readers know, neither of those performance metrics accurately indicates which SSD is more powerful. Throughput and superior real-world performance are many times independently variable, and the subject of today's review is the perfect example of this fact.

Slightly slower throughput but more capacious and powerful than ever before is what the 4TB T500 is all about. Turns out that it is indeed the best performing 4-channel SSD we've ever encountered, even slightly more powerful than the Phison E31T PCIe Gen5 x4 SSD we recently tested. Impressive.

Now, let's get into this review so we can show you what Crucial's T500 4TB SSD can do for you by the numbers.

Drive Details

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As it is with most Crucial products, Crucial offers for free its excellent toolbox software - Crucial Storage Executive as well as Acronis True Image for Crucial for drive cloning, backup and imaging.

Jon's Test System Specifications

Intel Test System

• Motherboard: GIGABYTE AORUS Z790 Xtreme X
• CPU: Intel Core i9-14900KS - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Alphacool Eissturm Hurricane Copper 45 - Buy from Amazon
• RAM: Patriot Viper Xtreme 5 8000 48GB - Buy from Amazon
• Graphics Card: MSI SUPRIM X RTX 3080 12GB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: PrimoChill's Praxis Wetbench - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1200W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit - Buy from Amazon

AMD Test System

• Motherboard: GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Alphacool Eissturm Hurricane Copper 45 - Buy from Amazon
• RAM: Sabrent Rocket DDR5 32GB - Buy from Amazon
• Graphics Card: MSI SUPRIM X RTX 3080 12GB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: PrimoChill's Praxis Wetbench - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1200W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit - Buy from Amazon

Because we at TweakTown like to be first at everything whenever we can, we will present our storage performance results for the test subject on both 14th Gen Intel and 7000 Series AMD platforms going forward for the foreseeable future. Because Intel still delivers the best real-world storage performance, (Look Here), our running chart will continue to be Intel-based until AMD can deliver better real-world storage performance than its rival.

Best Deals: Crucial T500 4TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 SSD

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Sony PlayStation 5 - M.2 Storage Expansion

PS5 Read Performance

With Sony's wildly popular PlayStation 5 console now enabled for M.2 NVMe SSDs to be used as fast storage expansion, we are including results for PS5 compatible SSDs we test as a part of our reviews going forward.

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For SSDs that don't have an adequately sized PS5 compatible heatsink or other SSDs where the heatsink provided doesn't fit right and can be removed, we both use and recommend Sabrent's unparalleled PS5 heatsink available HERE.

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We only chart SSDs that can deliver a minimum of 5,500 MB/s read, which is Sony's original recommendation.

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The result here of 6,559 MB/s is the best result of all-time. Impressive, and significantly better than the 2TB model. Like we said - more powerful in the real-world, even though it's spec'd as slower.

Synthetic Benchmarks: CDM, Anvil, ATTO

CrystalDiskMark

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We employ CDM as our standard measurement for sequential throughput and Q1T1 random read. In terms of sequential throughput, we find our test subject fully capable of exceeding quoted up to factory throughput specifications. Across the board, synthetically, a bit slower than the 2TB model.

Anvil's Storage Utilities

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Again, it is a bit slower than the 2TB model in terms of synthetic performance.

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We employ Anvil's random read test as our standard for measuring max random read IOPS. This test is very accurate as it at its core is Iometer skinned over. We test at QD128. The drive is spec's for up to 1,050K IOPS here and we are getting 934K IOPS. Good enough considering our more demanding user state. Again, a bit slower than the 2TB model.

ATTO

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ATTO gives us a clear picture of what transfer sizes a particular SSD favors in terms of QD4 sequential throughput. We chart 128K transfers. At a queue depth of four, T500 4TB favors sequential transfers of 64KB or larger when serving data to the host (reading) and 64KB or larger when programming (writing) data. This is epic small-file performance, overall, even better than its older and less capacious siblings.

Real-World Testing: Transfers, 3DMark SSD Gaming Test, PCM10 Storage

Transfer Rates

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Our 100GB data transfer test is not your ordinary 100GB of data, ours is a crushing mix composed of more than 62K files. Write performance random or sequential, is an infrequent operation and such, we do not consider it to be an important performance metric in the consumer space. An example being how many times is a game installed vs. how many times it's played.

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Unlike programming (writing) data, serving data to the host (reading) is typically an important performance metric as it relates to the consumer space. Here we find the 4TB model is roughly 10% slower than the 2TB model.

3DMark SSD Gaming Test

UL's newest 3DMark SSD Gaming Test is the most comprehensive SSD gaming test ever devised. We consider it superior to testing against games themselves because, as a trace, it is much more consistent than variations that will occur between runs on the actual game itself. This test is the same as running the actual game, just without the inconsistencies inherent to application testing. In short, we believe that this is the world's best way to test an SSDs gaming prowess and accurately compare it against competing SSDs. The 3DMark SSD Gaming Test measures and scores the following:

• Loading Battlefield V from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Call of Duty Black Ops 4 from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Overwatch from launch to the main menu.
• Recording a 1080p gameplay video at 60 FPS with OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) while playing Overwatch.
• Installing The Outer Worlds from the Epic Games Launcher.
• Saving game progress in The Outer Worlds.
• Copying the Steam folder for Counter-Strike Global Offensive from an external SSD to the system drive.

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Gaming is a performance metric that matters to most DIY consumers, especially for the enthusiast crowd that TweakTown caters to. Now we've reached the point where results start to matter as they are a direct reflection of user experience.

The 4TB T500 is indeed the most powerful PCIe Gen4 x4 consumer SSD for gaming. The T500 4TB may be technically "slower" than its 2TB predecessor, but it is more powerful, and that is what matters most. Again, our 4-channel capacious contender even manages to outperform the PCIe Gen5 E31T and even more impressively beats the 990 Pro, where it arguably matters most. Outstanding.

PCM10 Storage Tests

PCMark 10 Storage Test is the most advanced and most accurate real-world consumer storage test ever made. There are four different tests you can choose from; we run two of them. The Full System Drive Benchmark and the Quick System Drive Benchmark. The Full System Drive Benchmark writes 204 GB of data over the duration of the test. These tests directly correlate with mainstream user experience.

PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark

This test writes 204GB data and covers a broad range of common consumer tasks, including booting Windows 10, file transfers, Adobe and Office applications, and startup times for games including Battlefield V, COD Black Ops 4, and Overwatch. Unlike synthetic numbers, this is comprehensive real-world data which is why we use it to rank SSDs in terms of user experience.

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Within 10 points of the best we've ever recorded for a PCIe Gen4 SSD and doing so with half the channels. Again, it is more powerful than the 2TB model and, outperforming the E31T PCIe Gen5 SSD. Amazing.

PCMark 10 Quick System Drive Benchmark

The Quick System Drive Benchmark writes 23 GB of data over the duration of the test.

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Of all the benchmarks we run, it can be argued that this one offers the best reflection of a typical consumer use case scenario. Our 4TB contender just edges out its 2TB sibling for the second-best performance delivered by PCIe Gen4 series SSD.

Final Thoughts

Do you want the best real-world and gaming PCIe Gen4 storage performance? Crucial's 4TB stands ready to deliver and does so for a price that cannot be beaten. Additionally, with its huge capacity, power-efficient 4-channel controller, and blazing-fast read speed, it is the best SSD we've encountered for PS5.

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We rank SSDs in terms of overall user experience (performance where it matters most) as expressed by PCMark 10 storage and 3DMark gaming storage tests. Currently, we consider a user experience score of 15K or more to verify an SSD as a TweakTown Elite performer. Whether you are running on Intel or AMD, Crucial's T500 can deliver 15K TT elite performance. Wow, you don't see that every day.

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Whether you are on PC or a PS5 gamer, it's the best of its kind that we've ever encountered and as such is worthy of our highest award. Editor's Choice.