Crucial launches T500 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs for gaming

Happy Halloween for memory nerds. Crucial has launched its T500 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs for gaming and high-performance applications.

Crucial, a storage provider that is a division of memory chip maker Micron, said the T500 Gen4 SSD is a cutting-edge PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD designed to deliver exceptional performance for gaming, photo/video editing, and high workload applications.

As the latest addition to Crucial’s internal SSD Pro series lineup, the T500 sets a new standard in premium storage technology, boasting impressive features built on Micron’s 232-layer 3D TLC NAND.

The Crucial T500 has Gen4 speeds for reading data that go up to 7,400MB/s and write speeds of up to 7,000MB/s. These speeds are more than twice as fast as the previous generation, Gen3, providing gamerswith a significant boost in performance. Not only is the T500 faster, but it also demonstrates an up to 40% higher performance-to-power ratio, ensuring optimal efficiency.

Tailored specifically for gaming and content creation, the Crucial T500 is designed to deliver the highest performance. Gamers can expect games to load up to 16% faster, while also enjoying faster texture renders and reduced CPU utilization thanks to Microsoft DirectStorage optimization. I’ve received some SSDs from Crucial but haven’t yet tried them out.

Content creators, on the other hand, will benefit from up to 42% faster performance in content creation applications, allowing for quicker rendering of photos and videos, and seamless handling of heavy workloads.

The Crucial T500 is available with or without an integrated heatsink, providing flexibility to users based on their specific needs. The T500 is offered in capacities of 500GB (non-heatsink only), 1TB, and 2TB (both heatsink and non-heatsink SKU). Additionally, Crucial has announced plans to release a 4TB option in 2024, further expanding the storage options for users. The prices range from $140 to $180.

The Crucial T500 Gen4 SSD is targeted towards gamers, creators, and professionals who require high-performance storage solutions to gain a competitive edge. It is designed for compatibility with various platforms including laptops, desktops, workstations, and even the PlayStation 5 console (heatsink SKU only).

With its specs, including sequential read/write speeds of up to 7,400/7,000MB/s, random read/write speeds of up to 1.18/1.44M IOPs, and PCIe 4.0 NVMe 2280 M.2 form factor, the T500 is poised to deliver exceptional performance across a range of devices, Crucial said.

Crucial has incorporated advanced features into the T500 Gen4 SSD to enhance its functionality and reliability. These features include static and dynamic SLC caching for optimized performance, redundant array of independent NAND (RAIN) for enhanced data protection, multi-layer data integrity algorithms, adaptive thermal protection, data protection for power loss events, active garbage collection, TRIM support, self-monitoring and reporting technology (SMART), error correction code (ECC), and NVMe autonomous power state transition (APST) support.