I tested the world's fastest SSD and the results will make power users cry (and now you can save over $50)

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

What's the deal?

Get 18% off the Crucial T705 PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD this Black Friday, bringing the price down to $242.

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Crucial T705 PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSDZDNET's key takeaways

Crucial's T705 PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD has a premium price tag of $296.Delivers blazing fast performance, with option of heatsink version or bare SSD.
It's expensive, and not everyone can benefit from the performance it offers.

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Over the years, I've observed a tendency among users to blame their PC's sluggishness on the CPU or RAM. However, more often than not, the real culprit lies in the storage. Many overlook the significant impact that storage performance can have on overall system speed, mistakenly attributing slowdowns to more familiar components like the processor or memory.

The good news is that the performance of modern storage solutions is extraordinary, boasting read and write speeds that -- only a few years ago -- would have been dismissed as sheer fantasy. Today's storage systems are not only faster but also more reliable and offer much greater capacities, transforming what we expect from our devices and how we use them.

Also: This pocket-sized SSD enclosure makes external drives exciting again

This means that storage is now a key component to consider when you're exploring how to upgrade an existing system.

Over the past couple of weeks I've been testing Crucial's new T705 PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD, which the company touts as the world's fastest SSD. And yes, it is blazingly fast -- if you have the hardware to handle it.

Crucial T705 Gen5 SSD specifications and highlights

Micron LPDDR4 DRAM, 1GB per 1TB of NAND flash Sequential reads/writes up to 14,500/12,700MB/s Random read/write speeds up to 1,550K/1,800K IOPs Nearly 2x faster than the fastest PCIe Gen4 SSDs Available in premium fan-less heatsink and non-heatsink options Spacious capacity options: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB Microsoft DirectStorage optimized with Phison I/O+ technology Works with PCIe 5.0 desktops and workstations Backward compatible with PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 Built with Micron 232-layer 3D TLC NAND PCIe 5.0 and NVMe 2.0 M.2 2280, double-sided Phison PS5026-E26 controller Built-in security with AES256 encryption, TCG OPAL 2.01 support, and digitally signed firmware for secure field updates
Limited 5-year warranty Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

Let's cut to the chase and look at what's important -- performance. The specs provided by Crucial suggest blistering performance by the fastest of the drives, which in this case is the 2TB drive. This SSD boasts an astonishing capability, with sequential read speeds that can reach up to 14,500 MB/s, setting a new benchmark for blistering performance.

	1TB	2TB	4TB
Sequential reads (MB/s)	13,600	14,500	14,100
Sequential writes (MB/s)	10,200	12,700	12,600
Random reads (K IOPS)	1,400	1,550	1,500
Random writes (K IOPS)	1,750	1,800	1,800
Endurance (TBW)	600	1,200	2,400

A year ago, Crucial unveiled the T700, boasting sequential read speeds of up to 12GB/s and securing the top spot in performance at the time. Since then, the market has evolved, with SSDs reaching speeds of up to 14GB/s. Despite this progress, the T705 distinguishes itself with a modest but significant boost of 0.5GB/s over its closest competitors, leading it to claim the title of the world's fastest SSD available.

In my real-world testing with a Ryzen 9 7950X system on a Gigabyte B650 motherboard, the T705 delivered speeds that were within 5 percent of its advertised specifications. This performance not only confirms the impressive capabilities of the T705 but also establishes it as the world's fastest SSD.

Also: I found the most secure way to carry data on your keychain

The SSD is offered in three capacities -- 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB -- and is available in three variants to suit different user needs and preferences. These include a bare drive option for those who have their own heatsink; a version equipped with a heatsink for enhanced thermal management; and a limited edition model featuring a white heatsink, which is exclusively available in the 2TB capacity. 

The heatsink is particularly impressive. It's a substantial piece of metal designed to increase the surface area available for heat transfer from the chips, thereby facilitating more efficient heat dissipation and maintaining optimal performance.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET

The heatsink is forged from premium aluminum and copper, and is designed to optimize airflow, eliminating the need for a fan. This design ensures silent operation and reduces the risk of fan-related malfunction. 

If using the non-heatsink version, a third-party heatsink must be installed to keep the drive cool.

Another key difference between the T700 and the T705 is that this new drive is compatible with the PlayStation 5 game console, further broadening its appeal and functionality.

Also: The top cloud storage services you can buy to protect your files

Pricing begins at $240 for the 1TB bare drive version, with the cost rising to $730 for the 4TB model equipped with a heatsink. The special limited edition, featuring a white heatsink and available only in a 2TB capacity, will be priced at $484.

ZDNET's buying advice

There are two types of people who will be looking at the Crucial T705. 

First, professionals working with video and other huge files who want the maximum performance from their systems because time is money.

Second, power users who want the world's fastest drive for bragging rights -- which is also a valid reason. 

Also: The best M.2 SSDs you can buy: Expert tested

Whichever user you are, if you want to get the best out of this drive, you'll need -- at the very least -- an Intel Core 13th or 14th gen or AMD Ryzen 7000 CPU on a compatible motherboard with Gen5 M.2 slot.

If speed is your top priority, this drive is the ultimate choice. It also offers the assurance of a limited 5-year warranty, although if you're truly driven by performance, it's likely you'll upgrade to a newer model well before the warranty period ends.