The 1TB Crucial P510 offers gamers a fast PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe SSD at a reasonable price. It will run on any motherboard equipped with an NVMe-compatible 2280 M.2 slot.

However, to achieve the stated 11,000 MB/s maximum data transfer speed, the motherboard needs to support PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 drives. Most mid-to-high-end gaming motherboards now support PCIe 5.0 x4 SDDs, but you really need to check to avoid wasting your money.

Solid-state non-volatile memory has now become the standard method of data storage in desktop PCs, laptops and even game consoles. These small components, no bigger than a stick of chewing gum (or even a postage stamp), have largely replaced the comparatively huge mechanical hard disk drives that we once entrusted with our data for so many years.

For gamers, M.2 NVMe SDDs have now become virtually essential. The likes of Assassin’s Creed Shadows will not run on a standard hard disk drive. To run even the five-year-old Cyberpunk 2077, an SSD is recommended. With SSDs now standard in consoles, developers are leveraging streaming technology that would be impossible without the speed of an SSD.

With a max read speed of 11,000 MB/s, the P510 SSD is not the fastest PCIe Gen5 SSD. But compared to my regular old 8TB Seagate Barracuda HDD, with a max read speed of 165 MB/s, that’s quite the boost. Even compared to a WD_Black SN850 PCIe 4.0 x4 6964 MB/s, it’s a sizable bump in data transfer speed.

The P510 unit provided did not include a heatsink, although some variants of the SSD are available with factory-installed heatsinks. Given the significant heat generated by PCIe Gen5 SSDs, a dedicated heatsink is strongly recommended.

Many motherboards equipped with PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 sockets feature integrated heatsinks designed to manage thermals while preserving the board’s visual appeal. However, if you opt for an SSD with a built-in heatsink, you’ll likely need to remove the motherboard’s heatsink, potentially compromising the system’s overall aesthetic.

Fitting the P510 is a breeze. Most of the time, all you will need to do is push the end with the pins into the M.2 socket and fasten it down with either a screw, or more commonly by rotating a little plastic clip. Unlike traditional hard drives, there’s no mounting or cables to contend with, giving you a clean and tidy build every time.

I tested the Corsair P510 in an MSI MEG Z890 Unify-X motherboard with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K. Using Crystal DiskMark, the SSD achieved a maximum read speed of 10,321 MB/s and a maximum write speed of 8021.96 MB/s. This result was very close to the drive’s stated maximum. Being aimed at everyday gamers, with a lower price to match (AU$176 vs. AU$288 for 1TB of WD_Black SN8100), you are getting better value for money over more enthusiast-level SSDs.

Micron’s Crucial P510 PCIe Gen5 NvMe SSD does exactly what it says on the box. It’s a relatively affordable PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe solution that’ll cope with the data transfer requirements of modern games. The 1TB version offers a reasonable amount of fast data storage for your favourite games. Or, if you are after blisteringly fast start-up times, your Windows operating system. The P510 was no fuss to install and performed just as it should on compatible hardware, making it easy to recommend.