Crucial P3 500GB PCIe Gen3 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD, up to 3500MB/s - CT500P3SSD8

If you're looking for a budget-friendly NVMe SSD with solid performance and generous capacity, the Crucial P3 2TB is a compelling option. Designed for PCIe 3.0 systems, it delivers fast read/write speeds and efficient operation, making it ideal for general use, gaming, and storage expansion.The Crucial P3 2TB is a smart pick for users upgrading older systems or adding a secondary drive for games and media. While it’s not built for heavy-duty write tasks, its speed, efficiency, and affordability make it a standout in the PCIe 3.0 category. If you're not constantly writing large files and just need fast, reliable storage, this drive hits the sweet spot.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐The Crucial P3 500GB PCIe Gen3 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (CT500P3SSD8) has transformed my computing experience, and I am ecstatic to award it a well-deserved five-star review. This SSD is nothing short of a powerhouse, combining exceptional speed and unbeatable value.The first thing that struck me was the remarkable speed of this SSD. Boot times are lightning fast, applications load in the blink of an eye, and file transfers are done in the blink of an eye. The advertised speed of up to 3500MB/s is no exaggeration, and it has breathed new life into my computer. Whether you're a gamer, content creator, or just an everyday user, the performance boost this SSD provides is truly game-changing.Installation was a breeze; the M.2 form factor makes it incredibly simple to slot into compatible motherboards. It's compact, requires no additional cables, and leaves your system looking neat and tidy.The 3D NAND technology ensures reliable performance and durability. It's evident that Crucial has put a great deal of care into engineering this SSD to last. I've been using it for months, and it hasn't shown a hint of slowdown or degradation in speed.One of the standout features is the value it offers. In terms of performance-to-price ratio, the Crucial P3 SSD is truly unmatched. You're getting premium SSD speeds without breaking the bank. This SSD proves that you don't need to sacrifice your savings for top-tier performance.I also appreciate the reliability and warranty. Crucial has a great track record in this regard, and the peace of mind knowing your investment is protected is invaluable.In summary, the Crucial P3 500GB PCIe Gen3 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (CT500P3SSD8) is an incredible addition to any computer setup. The speed and reliability it offers are second to none, and the value for the price is unbeatable. Whether you're upgrading an aging system or building a new one from scratch, this SSD should be at the top of your list. I couldn't be more satisfied with my purchase, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone in need of a performance boost. Five stars, no doubt!

I got this 4TB Crucial P3 NVMe SSD as an upgrade to the original 512GB Apple-OEM SSD in my 2013 Mac Pro (otherwise known as the "trash can" Mac Pro). Using a Sintech NGFF M.2 NVMe SSD Adapter Card, I was able to connect this Crucial P3 directly to the 2013 Mac Pro's NVMe slot without any fuss. After formatting the Crucial P3 to APFS in Disk Utility and installing a fresh copy of macOS Monterey, I was in business. The Crucial P3 was very easy and pleasant to install.(Note that for anyone wanting to use a Crucial P3 in their 2013 Mac Pro, you MUST install and run macOS Monterey prior to installing the Crucial P3 due to the NVMe-related firmware that macOS Monterey installs. The reported firmware version after installing macOS Monterey on the 2013 Mac Pro is 481.0.0.0.0.)Blackmagic Disk Speed Test reports 1280 MB/s write and 1350 MB/s for this Crucial P3, which is the expected result given the 2013 Mac Pro's PCIe 2.0 bottleneck. This is still a major improvement over the OEM Apple SSD, which only achieves around 900 MB/s write and 940 MB/s read, respectively.For older machines that are stuck with PCIe 2.0 or 3.0, the Crucial P3 is an excellent value for the capacity. Just don't expect to run it in a professional setting -- the P3 is really meant for casual users that want good storage per dollar without the expectation of slinging terabytes of data around on a daily basis. The Crucial P3 doesn't have any DRAM cache, nor does it have a heatsink. While the Crucial P3 doesn't run too hot unto itself, you may still want to consider thermal management in the case where you do want to run sustained loads on the SSD through PCIe 3.0 or Thunderbolt 3/4. However, if you are running PCIe 2.0 or are just using the Crucial P3 casually, then you can safely get away without using any thermal management since the Crucial P3 will run cool enough by itself.If you are running PCIe 3.0 or Thunderbolt 3/4, then don't expect the P3 to perform at its best on large sustained data transfers. But if you are running PCIe 2.0 like I am with my 2013 Mac Pro, then these weaknesses are mitigated due to the PCIe 2.0 bottleneck.If you do decide to use the Crucial P3 in an NVMe enclosure, be sure to use an aluminum enclosure that can act as the Crucial P3's heatsink. I used an ACASIS TBU405 Pro 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3/4 NVMe enclosure for my initial testing with the Crucial P3, and it works like a charm. Running the Crucial P3 in the ACASIS TBU405 Pro enclosure connected to my 2019 MacBook Pro i9, Blackmagic Disk Speed Test reports 2300 MB/s write and 2240 MB/s read. These numbers are on the slower side compared to the more expensive PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 NVMe SSD drives, which clearly demonstrates the budget performance of the Crucial P3. You get what you pay for.But for the casual use case, the low cost per gigabyte of the P3 backed by the support of Crucial, a respectable brand that I have bought plenty of RAM and SSDs from in the past, is why I am giving the 4TB Crucial P3 a 5-star rating. It does what it needs to do, which is to provide big storage for an affordable price, all within a convenient NVMe package. And if you can get the Crucial P3 on sale like I did, then it easily becomes a no-brainer purchase. As long as you keep your performance expectations within reason, the Crucial P3 will serve you well. My 2013 Mac Pro has never felt better!

NVMe is the fastest type of drive for consumer computers. I bought this drive based on a balance of storage size, speed and price. It's not the fastest nor the cheapest but it strikes that balance of being really fast for not a lot of money. If you have an NVMe slot and you are looking to install this drive, do it.Works with all Windows and Linux machines. Some older Intel Apples too.