Slightly delayed as we received our sample last Friday we review the Corsair MP700 Pro SE, this SSD marks the second generation of Corsair's PCIe 5.0 solid-state drives (SSDs), designed to fully utilize the PCIe 5.0 interface. This latest model significantly advances in speed, achieving up to 14 GB/s, and expands the series to cater to various performance requirements. The progression began with the original MP700, which had transfer speeds of up to 10 GB/s, followed by the MP700 Pro at 12 GB/s. The MP700 Pro Special Edition comes close to maximizing the PCIe 5.0 x16 interface's capabilities. These drives all feature the Phison E26 controller—the only Gen 5 consumer controller currently available—though a new controller from Innogrit is expected to arrive soon.

Performance enhancements in the MP700 Pro SE are driven by Micron’s 232-layer NAND flash technology, which operates at 2400 MT/s. Unlike its competitors, the MP700 Pro SE initially does not include a heatsink, though a version with a Corsair-designed heatsink is anticipated later this quarter. Our test unit arrived without a heatsink, emphasizing the need for effective cooling solutions, such as passive or active systems, to maintain optimal performance. A version with Corsair’s own cooling technology, including a fan, is expected in June 2024. Additionally, Corsair has developed a water-cooled version of this drive, targeting a specialized market segment. The launch of the first-generation PCIe 5.0 SSDs saw moderate excitement, influenced by a market that seemed to have reached a saturation point for ultra-fast storage solutions. Despite their 33% speed increase over the fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs, they didn’t make a significant impact. The SSD leverages a controller we tested before, the Phison E26 controller which runs hot. It is built with the latest 3D TLC NAND technology, featuring a 232-layer structure. This advancement is made possible by employing Micron's 232-layer NAND flash, which now operates at 2400 MT/s, a significant step up from the 1600 MT/s flash found in the initial Gen 5 SSDs and thus responsible for the (slightly) faster-performing product. Unlike some Gen 5 SSDs that come with active cooling solutions, the MSI model opts for a large, passively cooled heatsink.

Performance-wise, our 4TB test model SSD promises impressive read/write speeds of up to 14 GB/s, attributed to its high-end components and cooling technology. These SSDs are equipped with Micron's 232-layer TLC 3D NAND flash, supporting capacities up to 4TB and offering double the performance of Gen4 drives. They are also compatible with Microsoft's DirectStorage API, catering to gaming, content creation, and professional applications. Additionally, the  MP700 Pro SE incorporates a DRAM cache, SLC Cache, LPDC ECC, and end-to-end data protection, enhancing its reliability and endurance. Offered with a 5-year warranty and available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities, the 4TB SSD model is tested in this review. 4TB is sweet in the sense that you get a very high endurance rating with up to 3000 TBW (Terabytes Written), and a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1.6 million hours. MSI provides a comprehensive 5-year warranty for the  MP700 Pro SE Anyways, how will she perform, let's have a peek, shall we?