COMPARE
SSD
RANKINGS
TEST
YOUR SSD
ADD TO PC
BUILD
CrucialCT120BX300SSD1
IntelSSDSC2CW120A3
▲ 5234 ▼

Controller: Silicon Motion SM2258. Flash Memory: Micron 3D MLC. Release date: Q3 2017.

VS
▲ 531,602 ▼

Controller: LSI SandForce SF2281. Flash Memory: Intel Synchronous 25nm MLC. Release date: Q1 2012.

Effective Speed 
+17%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 26,538 user samples
Benchmark your SSD here
7,190 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 115% 105GB free
Worst Bench: 59% 45GB free (System drive)
Poor: 59% Great: 115%
SPEED RANK: 380th / 1072
19,348 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 88% 17GB free
Worst Bench: 57% 37GB free (System drive)
Poor: 57% Great: 88%
SPEED RANK: 594th / 1072
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		86.5 % Faster effective speed.
+17% 		74 %
Average Score 
+40%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		467 MB/s Faster read speed.
+19% 		392 MB/s
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		327 MB/s Hugely faster write speed.
+110% 		156 MB/s
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		29.3 MB/s 32.1 MB/s Slightly faster random read.
+10%
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		79.9 MB/s +1% 78.9 MB/s
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		330 MB/s Much faster mixed IO speed.
+58% 		209 MB/s
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		39.5 MB/s Slightly faster random mixed IO.
+9% 		36.4 MB/s
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		253 MB/s Hugely faster sustained write speed.
+90% 		133 MB/s
Peak Score 
+64%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		514 MB/s Faster peak read speed.
+15% 		446 MB/s
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		454 MB/s Hugely faster peak write speed.
+154% 		179 MB/s
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		42 MB/s Slightly faster peak random read.
+6% 		39.6 MB/s
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		122 MB/s Slightly faster peak random write.
+7% 		114 MB/s
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		440 MB/s Hugely faster peak mixed IO speed.
+96% 		224 MB/s
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		56 MB/s Faster peak random mixed IO.
+23% 		45.5 MB/s
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		420 MB/s Hugely faster peak sustained write speed.
+150% 		168 MB/s
Value & Sentiment 
+47%
Market Share
Based on 75,665,264 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.02 % 0.02 %
Value
Value For Money 		7.62 % Hugely better value.
+132% 		3.29 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		52 % 53 % +2%
Price
Price (score) 		$80 Much cheaper.
+60% 		$199
Nice To Haves 
+37%
Age
Newest 		80 Months Much more recent.
+45% 		146 Months
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		276 MB/s Faster peak deep queue read.
+15% 		239 MB/s
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		354 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue write.
+109% 		169 MB/s
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		1,094 Pts Much stronger server IO.
+38% 		792 Pts
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		239 MB/s Faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+25% 		191 MB/s
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		183 MB/s 217 MB/s Faster deep queue read.
+19%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		254 MB/s Much faster deep queue write.
+69% 		150 MB/s
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		179 MB/s Slightly faster deep queue mixed IO.
+9% 		164 MB/s
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		120GB 120GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 86.5%
Average Bench 74%
ADVERTISEMENT

The Intel 520 Series was Intel's first SSD to feature a Sandforce 2281 controller. This controller has powered countless SSDs over the last three years but is now dated and is known to be limited in the area of incompressible write speed. The 120GB Intel 520 scored peak and average sequential read/write speeds of 514/157 and 421/133. These read speeds are good but the peak write of 157 MB/s lags the group leaders average of 313 MB/s by nearly 100%. This relative inability to write lowers the 520's overall effective speed to 403 MB/s or 15% lower than the 459 MB/s achieved by the group leaders. At two years of age the Intel 520 can no longer compete with newer drives, there is far better value available amongst the group leaders. [Feb '14 SSDrivePro]

MORE DETAILS

User Builds 
7,190
19,348
Custom PC Builder (Start a new build) Build your perfect PC: compare component prices, popularity, speed and value for money

CHOOSE A COMPONENT:

CPU GPU SSD HDD RAM MBD
Solid State Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) April 2024 SSD Rankings

Welcome to our 2.5" and M.2 SSD comparison. We calculate effective speed for both SATA and NVMe drives based on real world performance then adjust by current prices per GB to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top SSDs. [SSDrivePro]

ADVERTISEMENT

Group Test Results

  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
  • Best value for money - Value for money is based on real world performance.
  • Fastest real world speed - Real World Speed measures performance for typical consumers.
How Fast Is Your SSD? (Bench your build) Size up your PC in less than a minute

Welcome to our PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best value for money upgrades.

UserBenchmark of the month

Gaming Desktop ProGaming

How it works

  • - Download and run UserBenchmark
  • - CPU tests include: integer, floating and string
  • - GPU tests include: six 3D game simulations
  • - Drive tests include: read, write, sustained write and mixed IO
  • - RAM tests include: single/multi core bandwidth and latency
  • - SkillBench (space shooter) tests user input accuracy
  • - Reports are generated and presented on userbenchmark.com
  • - Identify the strongest components in your PC
  • - See speed test results from other users
  • - Compare your components to the current market leaders
  • - Explore your best upgrade options with a virtual PC build
  • - Compare your in-game FPS to other users with your hardware

 Frequently Asked Questions

Storage Devices FAQ
What is sustained sequential write speed?
What’s the difference between SLC, MLC and TLC?
What is 3D XPoint and how fast is it?
What’s the difference between SATA, PCIe and NVMe?
What’s the difference between NAND and V-NAND?
What is sequential write speed?
What is sequential read speed?
What is incompressible data?
What is queue depth?
Solid State Drives
What is the SSD value for money rating?
What is 4K 64 thread write speed?
Can CPU power saving states (C1,C2,C3) impact SSD speed?
What is the effective SSD speed index?
How is the AS SSD write score calculated?
How is the AS SSD read score calculated?
How is the AS SSD total score calculated?
ALL FAQs »

 Best User Rated
The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $279Nvidia RTX 4060 $300Crucial MX500 250GB $40
Intel Core i5-12400F $133Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $385Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $80
Intel Core i5-12600K $182Nvidia RTX 4070 $409Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $52
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $39Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $40SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $30Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $43SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $51G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $351SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
If you make a purchase via one of these links, our site may earn a commission
Today's hottest
Amazon Ebay
deals
CPU GPU SSD HDD USB RAM MBD
Build Test EFps
Can You Run It?
►
YouTube
*NEW*
About  •  User Guide  •  FAQs  •  Email  •  Privacy  •  Developer  •  YouTube Feedback