Crucial T710 2TB ($435) vs Crucial T500 2TB ($369). $/TB analysis, performance, and use-case recommendations.
When generations cross paths in a comparison like this one, the older-spec drive almost always wins on value while the newer one wins on benchmarks. Whether that benchmark advantage matters depends entirely on what you do with the drive.
Hardware-wise, the Crucial T710 2TB runs on SMI's SM2508 silicon, which became the default Gen 5 controller for power-conscious flagships. The Crucial T500 2TB pairs the Phison E25 — a refined Gen 4 controller widely used in mid-range NVMe drives.
The cheaper drive — Crucial T500 2TB at $184.50/TB — saves you $33.00 per TB versus the Crucial T710 2TB. Worth it if you're capacity-constrained; either works if you just want one fast drive.
On sequential reads the Crucial T710 2TB pulls ahead by 7,100 MB/s (14,500 MB/s versus 7,400 MB/s). That matters for moving large files but rarely shows up in game loads.
Write speeds skew toward the Crucial T710 2TB: 14,000 MB/s sustained against 7,000 MB/s. Content creators feel this; gamers do not.
For PlayStation 5 builds, the console's internal M.2 slot tops out around 5,500 MB/s sustained, so both Crucial T710 2TB and Crucial T500 2TB hit the same wall — pick whichever is cheaper at the moment you buy. The Gen 5 Crucial T710 2TB pulls ahead on sequential bandwidth, but Gen 5 advantages rarely surface during everyday tasks — most software hasn't been rewritten to exploit 14,000+ MB/s pipelines. Video editors will gravitate toward the Crucial T710 2TB for its write headroom (14,000 MB/s sustained). Project saves and proxies move faster, which compounds across a workday. Heads-up — these are full-length 2280 drives. Steam Deck and most current handhelds require shorter 2230 modules, so check capacity-specific 2230 variants if that's your target platform.
Market context: the Crucial T710 2TB ranks #10 of 11 Gen 5 2 TB drives we track by $/TB, while the Crucial T500 2TB ranks #9 of 11 Gen 4 2 TB drives. Neither cracks the top of the value table, so it's worth glancing at the alternatives below before picking either.
As of July 27, 2026, these tracked drives undercut both the Crucial T710 2TB and Crucial T500 2TB on $/TB:
The Crucial T710 2TB is the right call if meaningfully faster reads (14,500 MB/s), and higher sustained writes (14,000 MB/s) matter to you. Crucial's T-series tends to undercut Samsung and WD on price while using comparable Micron silicon — a value play hiding in a flagship form factor.
The Crucial T500 2TB is the right call if the lower retail price ($369 vs $435), and better $/TB economics ($184.50/TB) matter to you. Crucial drives benefit from being a direct Micron product — the same NAND that powers competitors' drives, but at lower margins.