SPECworkstation 3.0.2 Storage Benchmark
SPECworstation benchmark is an excellent benchmark to test systems using workstation type workloads. In this test, we only ran the Storage component, which is 15 separate tests.
Unfortunately, the Crucial P5 1TB does not do nearly as well on SPECworkstation, all the way down at the bottom of our graph. In reality, it is not quite as bad as this chart makes it seem. We are drawing the chart order based on the Product Development category where the P5 is indeed the last place performer, but in some of the other subtests, performance is not quite as poor. This is just a function of keeping the charts consistent on how we sort so please keep that in mind.
Temperatures
We monitored the idle and maximum temperature during testing with HWMonitor to get some idea of the thermal performance and requirements of the drive. Please keep in mind that our test bench is an open frame chassis in a 22C room, and is thus not representative of a cramped low-airflow case.
The Crucial P5 does fine in terms of temperatures, peaking at 65C during our testing.
Final Words
The Crucial P5 1TB is priced as a premium PCIe 3.0 SSD at $150. That price point does not do it any favors; Both the SK hynix Gold P31 and the ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro were $135 at the time of review, and the WD Blue SN550 1TB is only $105. In my opinion, that price premium is not justified by the benchmark results. While the P5 trades blows with the WD and ADATA drives, it loses every benchmark compared to the SK hynix drive.
Compared to those other PCIe 3.0 1TB SSDs we have reviewed, the Crucial P5 1TB is very middle-of-the-pack. This is not necessarily bad but combined with the higher price point than its peers the middle performance is not what buyers may expect. Again, this is acceptable performance, it is just when we take it into the context of other drives in the market and their pricing do we feel this is a bit higher than we would like to see.
Much like the ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro I recently reviewed, I consider the Crucial P5 1TB a solid drive. My only major objection is only the price in context with its peers. Buyers who still need a good PCIe 3.0 SSD should be satisfied with this drive, but as it currently stands, I recommend buying it when it is on discount.
So, balanced read/write performance, tolerates a wide variety of data sizes, and doesn’t degrade with multiple threads. Sounds like the controller was being built for general server use. If a similar drive were built with higher endurance and power protection, how would it fare in that arena?