Crucial P510 test: Ahead of its time?

Scope of delivery

The Crucial P510 1 TB is delivered in the manufacturer’s typical blue cardboard packaging. The P510 is enclosed in a transparent plastic sleeve to protect it from possible damage during transportation. In addition, a small brochure or manual is included, which contains further information about the Crucial SSD.

The built-in technology at a glance

Looking at the technical features of the Crucial P510, it is a classic NVMe SSD in the usual M.2 2280 format. With regard to the circuit board, it is generally kept in a dark color scheme. As far as the labeling is concerned, this can be found on both the front and the back. The front mainly features the entire surface with the name of the manufacturer including the model, while the back contains all kinds of technical information about the NVMe SSD.

If we go one level deeper, we notice that the Crucial P510 comes without DRAM. This is a pity, but in view of the low price of the SSD, it’s easy to get over. The P510 is powered by the Phison PS5031-E31T controller and Micron G9 276-layer 3D NAND is used for the NAND memory. However, there is no data encryption, only the Crucial Storage Executive is supplied by the manufacturer as an optional management tool. The PCIe Gen5x4 interface is available for data transfer, which provides read/write speeds of up to 11,000/9,500 MB/s for the SSD. The technical aspects are rounded off by adaptive thermal protection, TRIM and SMART support, adaptive garbage collection and ECC error code detection. Another advantage is the support of hibernation mode, which also reduces power consumption.

Test system

The following components make up our test system:

• AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
• ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-A GAMING WIFI
• Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 32GB 6000MHz CL30 AMD EXPO
• XFX Speedster MERC310 AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX
• Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB
• ENERMAX Revolution D.F.X 1050W
• Thermaltake Ceres 500 TG ARGB Snow

Performance test

To compare the performance of different SSD models, we generally use separate tools. The following applications are used in this context:

• CrystalDiskMark
• ATTO Disk Benchmark
• AS SSD Benchmark
• HD Tune Pro

We use the CrystalDiskInfo tool to display the technical data:

Results of the performance test

The Crucial P510 1 TB can leave a good impression in the benchmarks and, thanks to PCIe 5.0, can be placed quite high up in the table. However, it turns out that even high-end PCIe 4.0 SSDs perform even better in individual tests. The powerful Phison controller does a decent job across the board and the performance values are consistent without thermal outliers.

If we now take a closer look at the AS SSD benchmark, it is noticeable that the Crucial P510 1TB is slightly below the manufacturer’s own T-series in terms of performance. While the Crucial T705 still delivers a massive lead, the P510 is most comparable with a slight gap to the T500. However, things are more uneven in the compression benchmark, which shows fluctuations in write performance even after several test attempts. With CrystalDiskMark, we achieve almost exactly the 11,000 MB/s specified by the manufacturer for sequential reads. When writing with the Crucial P510, we are slightly below the manufacturer’s specification of 9,500 MB/s with around 100 MB/s. In the 4K test, however, the P510, like its sister model Crucial P310, cannot quite shine and definitely loses performance. On the other hand, we landed in the upper midfield with access times of around 0.026. Here too, the Crucial P510 is almost on a par with the T-series, although not quite on a par.

The Crucial P510 is quite unimpressed when it comes to temperatures and is probably one of the few PCIe 5.0 SSDs that can keep its promise of not being a hothead. Accordingly, it should indeed be easy to install in notebooks without overheating. In the test, we were able to measure a peak value of approx. 67°C.

In summary, it can be said that the Crucial P510 1 TB delivers solid results in the performance test and can keep up with renowned competitors in various benchmarks. The detailed charts of the P510 therefore look as follows:

Crucial P510 test: Conclusion

After all these tests, the final question is whether the Crucial P510 is worth a recommendation. Basically, there are more ifs and buts here, because while the P510 hits the mark in terms of price compared to other PCIe 5.0 SSDs (currently 1 TB for around €100 or 2 TB for €190), you have to compromise on performance. One of the disadvantages is clearly the lack of DRAM cache, which also brings the manufacturer’s P310 to its knees to some extent. As a result, performance starts to slow down at times, especially when writing larger files. It is also regrettable that the P510 also has to make do without hardware-side encryption.

What does this mean overall? Basically, the Crucial P510 cuts a good figure all round and is particularly suitable for notebooks or PCs without a dedicated or ample heatsink. This makes it an affordable entry-level SSD in the PCIe 5.0 series, even if it cannot keep up with the company’s own T-series in terms of performance. So if you want to get the most out of your system, you should go for the Crucial T705. However, if you are looking for a balanced middle ground between performance and price, you can also consider the Crucial P510.

PRO

• Inexpensive PCIe 5.0 SSD
• Low heat development
• Power saving

CONTRA

• No DRAM cache
• No hardware encryption
• Fluctuating write speeds

Crucial P510 1 TB

Access times

Transfer rate (read)

Transfer rate (write)

Price-performance ratio

86/100

The Crucial P510 proves to be an attractively priced PCIe 5.0 SSD with solid performance that also requires hardly any cooling. However, compromises have to be made, which is reflected in the lack of a DRAM cache and the fluctuating write performance, among other things.