The Corsair MP700 Pro is an upgraded version of the MP700 that we reviewed a few months ago. Just like the predecessor it is based on the Phison E26 controller, paired with Micron 232-layer TLC NAND. The biggest change is that the NAND chips are rated for 2000 MT/s instead of 1600 MT/s, which means the transfer rates reach up to 12 GB/s (vs 10 GB/s on the original MP700). We've previously tested several other Gen 5 12 GB/s SSDs—these are all identical, both in terms of hardware components and the firmware version (I checked). In my original review of the MP700 I complained that Corsair is not offering a heatsink with their drive. Looks like they've listened and a heatsink option is now a first-class citizen—no need to buy an aftermarket cooling solution. You still have the option of purchasing the MP700 Pro without heatsink, so you can save $20 and use your own heatsink or the one provided by the motherboard.

Synthetic performance results of the MP700 Pro are very impressive, especially when it comes to sequential transfers. We can confirm that Corsair's "up to 12 GB/s" claim is accurate (for sequential writes at QD2 and higher). Compared to the original Corsair MP700 with slightly older firmware, the MP700 Pro does a bit better in mixed IO at high queue depths, all the other results are within margin of error. Marketing materials for Gen 5 all focus on blazing fast sequential transfers. The reason is that random IO performance is virtually identical to the results of PCIe Gen 4 drives, like the Phison E18-based Kingston KC3000.

Phison has a long history of optimizing their controllers for typical synthetic reviewer workloads on an empty drive. That's why it's important to also include real-life testing. We're even running those tests with the drives filled to 80% capacity, not empty. This approach puts additional strain on the various algorithms and the SLC cache, just like in real-life. In this testing the MP700 Pro does very well, too, and comes out as the fastest SSD we've ever tested. Compared to the non-Pro model it has a 1% lead on average, with the biggest gains seen in tests that move lots of data around in a fairly linear fashion. Compared to Gen 4 SSDs, the performance uplift is around 5-10%, which is a repeat of what we've seen from the first Gen 4 drives, when compared to Gen 3 SSDs.

Corsair's drive comes with an SLC cache size of 33% or 200 GB, which is enough to soak up all bursts of write activity, and it has the benefit that sustained rates are much better. The Corsair MP700 non-Pro has a bigger SLC cache of 600 GB, but gets penalized when that cache is full and fills its whole 2 TB capacity at an average of 1.5 GB/s, whereas the new Pro model almost doubles that to 2.8 GB/s—very impressive.

Our power consumption testing shows that the Corsair drive really uses a lot of power. We've measured up to 10 W, which is basically 50% more than what we've seen on Phison's E18 Gen 4 controller. Hitting 10 W is quite rare though, you should rather plan with 5-6 W during typical loads, which is still a lot. Of course you're getting higher performance at the same time, but our numbers show that even when running at only 1 or 2 GB/s, the power consumption is still high. It seems that once the controller goes out of idle, it will always use 4 W at least, no matter how little actual work it does. This suggests that there's still lots of untapped potential in its power optimization. Compared to the original MP700 (which has older firmware), we're definitely seeing some optimizations here. Desktop idle power draw is a bit lower, and the drive can now reach its lowest ASPM idle power state in the mobile scenario.

Gen 5 SSDs need serious cooling, which is why Corsair is now offering a variant with a cooler preinstalled. In our testing, this new cooler achieves excellent temperatures and is not very loud either. It is not "very quiet" though, and definitely not "inaudible". Given the temps I feel like a slightly slower fan speed would have still ensured good temperatures with better noise levels. The MP700 Pro still lacks any sort of automatic fan speed control—the fan is always running at a fixed speed, even when idle. This is definitely not optimal, and I can't imagine that it's so hard to stick a little microcontroller on the PCB that regulates the fan speed automatically. I'm also wondering why we even need an external power cable. The M.2 slot has plenty of power available, not sure why nobody has come up with a solution for that yet. I've reviewed the Team Group Z540 Gen 5 SSD last month and I really like that they are using a standard fan connector instead of a SATA power connector. This lets you connect the cooler to the motherboard, resulting in a much cleaner wiring layout. The biggest advantage of this approach is that you can now easily control the fan speed through your motherboard's BIOS. While you can't control the fan speed by SSD temperature specifically, using a temperature source like "chipset" should be good enough. Even a very low fixed speed will work well.

According to Corsair's Reviewer's Guide, the MP700 Pro 2 TB with heatsink will sell for $340, but it seems the company made some last-minute changes to that. Even before the official launch, the drive is listed on Newegg for $325 (which I've used throughout the review). There's also a version without heatsink for $300. A price increase of $25 for the heatsink is reasonable, even though there's also various other aftermarket heatsinks available, for less than that, which could be an alternative. Paying $325 or $300 for a 2 TB SSD is A LOT of money. You can get great 2 TB Gen 4 SSDs for sub-$150 at the moment. Even though it is the fastest SSD we've ever tested I'm not sure if I'd be willing to spend that much for a little bit of extra performance. Compared to other Gen 5 SSDs, Corsair's offering is similarly priced, but there's some strong competition from the Team Group Cardea Z540, which sells for $260 without heatsink, and supports 12 GB/s, too. The Gigabyte AORUS Gen 5 12 GB/s SSD does include a passive heatsink and sells for $265. Crucial's T700 is $310 with heatsink, $300 without. A good alternative is the various Gen 4 drives, which are extremely affordable right now. For example, the Samsung 990 Pro, the fastest Gen 4 drive we've ever tested sells for just $135—less than half the price of Gen 5 drives. WD Black SN770 is only $100, and the various Phison E18 drives even start sub-$100. While the Reviewer's Guide doesn't mention a 4 TB version, the Corsair Press release confirms that a 4 TB model is planned: "The 4 TB MP700 PRO will be on shelves later this winter." If you absolutely must have the fastest M.2 Gen 5 SSD, then the Corsair MP700 Pro can be a good choice, but consider more affordable alternatives first.