Crucial P3 1TB PCIe Gen3 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD, up to 3500MB/s - CT1000P3SSD8

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!

I recently upgraded my system with the Crucial P3 1TB PCIe Gen3 NVMe M.2 SSD (CT1000P3SSD8), and it has significantly improved my computer's performance.Performance:This SSD offers sequential read speeds up to 3,500 MB/s and write speeds up to 3,000 MB/s, which is a substantial upgrade over traditional SATA SSDs. While it doesn't match the speeds of PCIe Gen4 drives, it provides excellent value for its price.Build Quality:The P3 is built with Micron's 176-layer 3D NAND and a Phison E21T controller. It's a DRAM-less design, which is common in budget-friendly SSDs, but it still delivers reliable performance for general computing tasks.Capacity Options:Available in capacities ranging from 500GB to 4TB, the 1TB version offers a good balance between price and storage space, suitable for most users.Endurance:The P3 has a Total Bytes Written (TBW) rating of 220TB, which is adequate for everyday use but may be limiting for heavy workloads involving large, sustained writes.Warranty:Crucial provides a 5-year limited warranty, offering peace of mind for the longevity of the drive.Conclusion:The Crucial P3 1TB SSD is an excellent choice for users seeking a cost-effective upgrade from HDDs or SATA SSDs. It delivers solid performance for everyday tasks, gaming, and general computing needs. While it may not be the fastest option available, its price-to-performance ratio makes it a compelling choice for budget-conscious consumers.

Upgrading from a 250GB SSD to the Crucial 1TB NVMe was a game-changer for me. Initially, I ran into a bit of trouble getting it to work, but that was due to my outdated ASRock motherboard (purchased in 2020) not recognizing the drive. Thankfully, a quick BIOS flash update resolved the issue, and my system recognized the SSD right away. I was able to install Windows 10 with no problems afterward.The difference in performance is night and day. I previously had all my games on a hard drive, which caused frequent crashes. Since moving everything over to the SSD, every game has run smoothly without a single crash. Load times are faster, and overall system performance feels much snappier.If you’re a gamer or someone who installs a lot of large programs, I’d even recommend going for the 2TB version if your budget allows—it’ll future-proof your setup a bit more.10/10 – Highly recommend. Reliable, fast, and a massive quality-of-life upgrade.