Crucial E100 480GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 internal SSD CT480E100SSD8

E100 480GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD

The Crucial E100 is a 480GB internal solid-state drive built for consumers who want faster boot and load times on desktops, workstations or compatible gaming consoles. It uses the M.2 2280 form factor and connects through a PCI-Express 4.0 x4 lane running the NVMe protocol. The drive has no dedicated DRAM cache and relies on Host Memory Buffer technology instead.

PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe interface limits

The drive delivers up to 4700 MBps sequential read and up to 2500 MBps sequential write when the host can supply a full PCIe 4.0 x4 link. On a PCIe 3.0 slot the same drive will operate at the lower generation's bandwidth ceiling, so peak throughput drops accordingly. The NVMe protocol itself adds command-efficiency benefits over older storage protocols, but the bus generation ultimately caps the maximum transfer rate you can observe.

Check M.2 key and PCIe generation before ordering

Verify that your motherboard or laptop has an M-keyed M.2 slot wired for at least PCIe 3.0 x4, otherwise the drive will not fit or will run at reduced speed. Confirm the system BIOS supports NVMe boot if you plan to use this as the primary operating-system drive. Some older platforms may require a firmware update to recognise the device correctly.