Performance: 37 out of 40
No. The Crucial P5 Plus is not the absolute fastest drive available today. Its newer sibling the Pro T700 arguably (still) holds that title. That however is not a fair comparison. Instead, for its price range the P5 Plus makes typical ‘value oriented’ options look like flaming dumpster fires… and even gives modern (circa 203) mainstream options a real run for their money. To us that is the hallmarks of excellence for its class.
Technological Innovation: 10 out of 20
Yes. ‘For its day’ the P5 Plus was chock full of innovation. Sadly, the controller, the NAND, even the RAM have all been superseded by better/faster/stronger options. The one saving grace, by late 2023 standards, is the fact it comes with an actually good OEM heatsink. One that delicately balances ease of use with cooling performance.
Build Quality & Warranty: 20 out of 20
Crucial have always been known for three things: their conservativism, their commitment to customer service, and their build quality. All of which have garnered Crucial an enviable reputation. With its combination of server grade controller, (still) excellent NAND, and a surprisingly well thought out heatsink the P5 Plus is one robustly built drive. Mix in an excellent warranty and the result is pretty much perfection.
Value: 20 out of 20
With its combination of excellent performance with rock bottom pricing the Crucial P5 Plus 1TB series is a certifiable steal of deal. Such a good deal that only tough question one needs to answer is: nekkid vs heatsink. Either way these unbelievably inexpensive SSDs make excellent ‘D’ drives and very good ‘OS’ drives.
Final Score: 87 out of 100
The Crucial P5 Plus series is an example of why Crucial models are always on experienced buyers’ short list of options. Put bluntly, the P5 Plus is a model with phenomenal staying power, excellent overall value, a great warranty, and even ease of use. When one mixes in the fact that few of the typical mainstream buyer will even notice the ‘missing’ performance (vs. the T700) and even after all this time the P5 Plus is worthy of being included in a wide range of builds.
