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CrucialCT256M4SSD2
$218
TranscendTS256GSSD370
▲ 521,868 ▼
 $218 

Controller: Marvell 88SS9174-BLD2. Flash Memory: Micron Synchronous 25nm MLC. Release date: Q2 2011.

VS
▲ 532,154 ▼

Controller: Silicon Motion SM2246EN. NAND: Micron 20nm Synchronous MLC. Release date: Q3 2014.

Effective Speed 
+32%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 23,187 user samples
Benchmark your SSD here
17,938 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 74% 168GB free
Worst Bench: 43% 72GB free (System drive)
Poor: 43% Great: 74%
SPEED RANK: 796th / 1072
5,249 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 96% 139GB free
Worst Bench: 54% 14GB free (System drive)
Poor: 54% Great: 96%
SPEED RANK: 487th / 1072
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		60.8 % 80 % Much faster effective speed.
+32%
Average Score 
+28%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		432 MB/s 465 MB/s Slightly faster read speed.
+8%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		240 MB/s 283 MB/s Faster write speed.
+18%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		19.9 MB/s 24.5 MB/s Faster random read.
+23%
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		74.1 MB/s +1% 73.3 MB/s
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		250 MB/s 251 MB/s +0%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		14.6 MB/s 33.2 MB/s Hugely faster random mixed IO.
+127%
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		195 MB/s 231 MB/s Faster sustained write speed.
+18%
Peak Score 
+26%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		494 MB/s 513 MB/s +4%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		268 MB/s 301 MB/s Faster peak write speed.
+12%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		23.4 MB/s 29 MB/s Faster peak random read.
+24%
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		106 MB/s 108 MB/s +2%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		273 MB/s 296 MB/s Slightly faster peak mixed IO speed.
+8%
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		18.9 MB/s 41.3 MB/s Hugely faster peak random mixed IO.
+119%
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		265 MB/s 295 MB/s Faster peak sustained write speed.
+11%
Value & Sentiment 
+∞%
Market Share
Based on 75,668,088 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.01 % Insanely higher market share.
+∞% 		0 %
Value
Value For Money 		4.46 % 9.8 % Hugely better value.
+120%
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		52 % 53 % +2%
Price
Price (score) 		$218 $110 Much cheaper.
+50%
Nice To Haves 
+172%
Age
Newest 		156 Months 116 Months More recent.
+26%
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		184 MB/s 291 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue read.
+58%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		234 MB/s 288 MB/s Faster peak deep queue write.
+23%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		752 Pts 987 Pts Much stronger server IO.
+31%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		33.1 MB/s 193 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+483%
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		133 MB/s 255 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue read.
+92%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		136 MB/s 246 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue write.
+81%
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		23.7 MB/s 161 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue mixed IO.
+579%
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		256GB 256GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 60.8%
Average Bench 80%
ADVERTISEMENT

The Crucial M4 is one of the oldest SSD's to have made it into the group test. When it was released its primary competitors were Sandforce based drives which suffered from two major problems: reliability and weak incompressible data performance. As a result this drive was one of the top drives of its time. That was back in Apr '11. Today the M4 is no longer able to compete and scores below average (377.9 MB/s) on the Real World Speed Index benchmark and way below average (676) on the deep queue depth orientated AS-SSD Total score benchmark. Of course these figures are still far faster than any mechanical hard drive and owners of this drive should feel in no hurry to upgrade. People looking to make a new purchase will find much better value elsewhere. [Apr '13 SSDrivePro]

MORE DETAILS

The 256GB Transcend SSD370 sports a Silicon Motion (SM2246EN) controller coupled with Micron 20nm synchronous MLC NAND. With peak sequential read/write speeds of 520/290 MBps and peak 4k read/write speeds of 29/116 the SSD370 has an effective speed which is amongst the bottom 25% of ~250GB drives. The effective speed is weighed down by a relatively weak sequential write speed of just 290 MBps. The performance highlight for the SSD370 is its ability to deal with mixed 4k IO which is arguably one of the best real world indicators. At current prices the SSD370 can't compete as there are both cheaper and faster alternatives on the market but prices are almost certain to drop at which time the SSD370 will fare far better in terms of value. [Oct '14 SSDrivePro]

MORE DETAILS

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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]

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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.

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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
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