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The rumors are true - Crucial is launching a sequel to its first PCIe Gen 5 SSD which launched in May of last year. The Crucial T705 touts even faster speeds, firmware optimization, and bizarrely, PS5 compatibility.
The T705 has sequential read speeds of up to 14,500MB/s and sequential writes of 12,700MB/s. These speeds are no short of ludicrous, even in the emerging Gen 5 market. Compared with last year's T700 model, the new T705 has 18% faster sequential reads and 8% faster writes. To put these numbers into context, most of the best PS5 SSDs top out at 7,000MB/s, and a basic external HDD can struggle to reach 200MB/s.
This is sure to gun for a top spot on our best SSD for gaming list, although you'll need a compatible motherboard and a fairly beefy gaming PC to get the most out of those advertised speeds. Interestingly though, you don't need a Gen 5-compatible motherboard to use this new drive. I mentioned that the T705 will be PS5 compatible, and that's because it uses a hybrid architecture that makes it backward compatible with Gen 4 and Gen 3 systems.
The Crucial T705 will be available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB versions, both with and without an integrated heatsink. If you buy the heatsink version in 2TB form, there's even a limited edition white model up for grabs. We don't have access to prices at present, but Crucial does note that these may vary - a trend we see all too often with SSDs these days.
It remains to be seen what speeds this blazing-fast drive will reach when scaled back to older expressways, however. This isn't something we've seen a whole lot of so far, and besides Samsung's first Gen 5 SSD which scales back speeds entirely, it's a first.
Until now, inserting a Gen 5 SSD into Sony's flagship console has been an almighty failure. To be clear, its M.2 port uses PCIe Gen 4, and drives like the Samsung 990 Pro have all but tapped out what that generation can do. Every now and then we do get a drive claiming it can push the ceiling further, but in truth, they're a bit wasted on the PS5. Unlike a gaming PC, the console can't pull more power to an additional NVMe SSD, meaning it almost always falls short of advertised speeds.
Still, when you consider how quick a Gen 4 SSD is, the Crucial T705 will put an end to loading times pretty much entirely - especially if a game you're playing uses Microsoft® DirectStorage technology.
Micron's homegrown Micron 232-layer 3D NAND is used in the T705 and can reach up to 2.4GB/s. This might be a great sign of value for money since SSD prices have been on the rise lately, and according to some reports, that may be due to a shortage of NAND supply.
I will warn you that an SSD like this will need a heatsink, regardless of whether you're plugging it into a PC or PS5. The heatsink of this drive is a mix of copper and aluminum which, for a Gen 5 option, is actually pretty scaled back. We've seen other options from PNY and Adata utilize tiny fans that don't just add noise, but can often fail and aren't removable. I haven't gone hands-on with the T705 yet, so it's hard to say how it will fit inside Sony's console. Having struggled to fit the T700 inside my ITX (small form-factor) gaming PC however, I'd guess you'd be better off grabbing one of the non-heatsink models and buying one of the best PS5 heatsinks separately. Your other option is removing the M.2 tray's lid.
Even though we've been unable to test Gen 5 SSDs until now, the T700 is first on our list and will finally be tested this week. For a verdict on that drive, and our thoughts on how the new T705 performs both in the PS5 and one of the best gaming PCs, stay tuned.
Want to stick with portable storage for now? Take a look at the best external hard drives for gaming, the best PS5 external hard drives, and the best Xbox Series X hard drives.
