Which is better for gaming?

The Crucial T705. It has 2TB of space and Gen5 speeds built for game loading, while the HPE drive is a small server part with no gaming specs.

Is the HPE drive really faster on paper?

No. Its listed 76,000 MB/s read and 39,500 MB/s write are not credible for an M.2 drive; the T705's 14,500 MB/s read is already near the top of PCIe Gen5.

The T705 is rated at 700TBW on the 1TB model, so the 2TB version should be rated higher. HPE publishes no endurance figure for this drive.

Is the T705 worth the extra money?

Yes for a desktop build. At $389.99 to $506.11 it costs more than the $363.00 HPE drive but gives about four times the capacity and much faster speeds.

Will the HPE drive work in a normal desktop?

It is an M.2 2280 NVMe drive, so it may fit, but it is sold as an HPE replacement part and its real performance is undocumented.

Do either need a heatsink?

The T705 includes one and should use it under Gen5 loads. The HPE drive ships without one.

Crucial T705 2TB NVMe SSD vs HPE 480GB NVMe M.2 SSD

Buy the Crucial T705 if you want a fast consumer drive for gaming or a new PC build. Its 2TB capacity and PCIe Gen5 speeds are far beyond the HPE drive, and its price has ranged from $389.99 to $506.11 since November 3. The HPE 480GB is a server spare part at $363.00 as of November 3, so it only makes sense if you are replacing a failed drive in an HPE system.

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