Corsair MP700 Micro 4TB SSD Review - Tiny but Huge

TweakTown Rating: 95%

Our Verdict

Corsair's MP700 Micro 4TB SSD is the best Micro SSD we've ever tested.

Pros

• Throughput performance
• Real-world performance
• Single-sided design
• Cool running

Cons

• None

Should you buy it?

AvoidConsiderShortlistBuy

Introduction & Drive Details

Corsair, as they usually are, is the first of Phison's partners to deliver a retail SSD featuring Phison's latest and greatest innovations. This round, it's yet another SSD powered by Phison's PCIe Gen5 x4 PS5031-E31T DRAMless controller, better known as simply the "E31T" controller. Phison's E31T controller has become world-renowned for its speed, compact footprint, and power efficiency.

43

The NVMe 2.0-compliant E31T controller supports up to 8TB of 3D TLC or QLC NAND flash memory and can be paired with flash from various NAND fabs (Kioxia, Micron, etc.), with compliance up to the Toggle 5.0 and ONFi 5.1 standards. For the MP700 Micro BOM, Corsair is pairing Phison's E31T controller with Kioxia BiCS8 3D TLC NAND. This is the same component configuration as the company's MP700 Elite SSD we reviewed back in December 2024, letting us know beforehand that the Micro version should be something special indeed.

We love the hardware combination chosen, but we like it even better as served up by the new MP700 Micro 4TB. This is because with only 2-flash packages arraying its tiny single-sided PCB, this means we are looking at advanced 16-die packaging, which is something we always love to see because it is more efficient in terms of real estate and even power efficiency.

Being an M.2 2242 form factor, this drive is most obviously targeted at expanding onboard storage of handheld portable gaming devices and notebook computers. The new MP700 Micro is single-sided and cool-running, which are also prerequisites for that arena. However, we want to point out that in our opinion, this micro-SSD is one of the better all-around SSDs ever made, and therefore, we are of the opinion it is also ideally suited for PC and PS5 as well.

Additionally, gamers take notes because the MP700 Micro is fortified with Phison's exclusive gaming firmware - fully optimized for DirectStorage. Microsoft's DirectStorage technology loads high-resolution, detailed game assets faster and maximizes I/O performance. When enabled, a properly equipped device can load up to 60% more gaming data with 99% less CPU utilization. Now that's awesome.

Now, let's get into this review so we can show you firsthand what Corsair's MP700 Micro 4TB SSD can do for you by the numbers.

Drive Details

Further SSD Reading – Our Latest Reviews

• Corsair MP700 PRO XT 2TB SSD Review - World's Most Powerful
• Biwin Black Opal X570 2TB SSD Review - First 8-Channel DRAMless
• Biwin Black Opal NV7400 2TB SSD Review - Mainstream Value Champion

43

43

The drive we have in hand is Phison E31 T-controlled and BiCS8 TLC arrayed. The drive is a preferred single-sided design. Like all Corsair SSDs, its MP700 Micro is supported by free SSD Toolbox software, enabling convenient features such as secure erase, system migration, and firmware updates directly from your desktop. Get it HERE.

Jon's Test System Specifications

Intel Test System

AMD Test System

Please note: We employ an M.2 AIC for testing on our Intel Core Ultra 9 285K platform.

Best Deals: Corsair MP700 PRO SSD

	Today	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$479.99 USD	$479.99 USD	$479.99 USD	Buy
	$739.99 CAD	$739.99 CAD	$739.99 CAD	Buy
	£487.99	£487.99	£487.99	Buy
	$479.99 USD	$479.99 USD	$479.99 USD	Buy
* Prices last scanned 11/11/2025 at 9:31 am CST - prices may be inaccurate. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We earn affiliate commission from any Newegg or PCCG sales.

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.

43

43

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.

43

43

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

43

Although not advertised for PS5 storage expansion, Corsair's MP700 Micro 4TB can be an excellent choice for this role. Not only does it deliver more than enough read throughput to serve competently, but its power efficiency and thermal characteristics bode well for this implementation.

Synthetic Benchmarks: CDM, Max IOPS, ATTO

CrystalDiskMark

43

43

43

43

43

We employ CDM as our standard measurement for both sequential throughput and 4K Q1T1 random read. In terms of sequential throughput, we find our test subject capable of achieving the quoted up-to-factory sequential throughput specifications, even while running in our more demanding user state. Additionally, with 109 MB/s, 4K Q1T1 random read is looking great here as well. This is a powerful synthetic indicator that its real-world performance will be excellent.

Max IOPS

43

43

43

43

Max 4K random performance for the MP700 Micro 4TB is factory spec'd for up to 1,200k random read IOPS and up to 1,400k random write IOPS. We are seeing well in excess of both of these stated figures on both of our testing platforms. Excellent.

ATTO

43

43

43

43

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, our 4TB Corsair SSD favors sequential transfers of 2MB or larger when serving data to the host (reading) and 64KB or larger when programming (writing) data.

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

Transfer Rates

43

43

43

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, as such, we do not consider it to be an important performance metric in the consumer space. An example is how many times a game is installed vs. how many times it's played. Exceptional result here.

43

43

43

Unlike programming (writing) data, serving data to the host (reading) is typically an important performance metric as it relates to the consumer space. This is where transfer rates matter most, and we like what we see from our test subject.

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.

43

43

43

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.

Corsair's MP700 Micro 4TB is among the best DRAMless SSDs for gaming that we've ever tested. This is where this SSD is meant to shine, and Corsair pulled it off in a micro-sized package. 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 of 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 such as 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.

43

43

43

We consider a score here of 5,000 to be a milestone for any DRAMless SSD, and a score of 4,986 is so close we will call it good. Few DRAMless SSDs can achieve this level of real-world performance. Impressive.

PCMark 10 Quick System Drive Benchmark

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

43

43

43

Of all the benchmarks we run, it can be argued that this one offers the best reflection of a typical consumer use case scenario. A score of 5,600 is again among the best for a DRAMless SSD. Excellent.

Final Thoughts

Corsair's MP700 Micro 4TB is one of the highest-performing DRAMless SSDs we've encountered to date, and accomplishing this with a tiny, single-sided PCB is indeed something special. Its compact size and single-sided design mean it can fit perfectly where others cannot and do so without giving up a drop in performance. It delivers PCIe Gen5 throughput without generating an excessive amount of heat. Overall, we see the MP700 Micro 4TB as the best of its kind ever made.

43

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 19K or more to verify an SSD as a TweakTown Elite performer. We no longer consider any flash-based PCIe Gen4 SSD to be a TT Elite performer. Third best ever for a retail DRAMless SSD is plenty good enough for our liking.

43

It's the DRAMless Micro SSD that punches well above its weight. Editor's Choice.