IntelSSDSC2CT120A3
IntelSSDSC2CW120A3

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

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

Real World Speed
Performance profile from 30,536 user samples
11,188 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 80% 27GB free
Worst Bench: 53% 29GB free (System drive)
Poor: 53% Great: 80%
SPEED RANK: 701st / 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
67.8 % 74 % Slightly faster effective speed.
+9%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed
383 MB/s 392 MB/s +2%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed
131 MB/s 156 MB/s Faster write speed.
+19%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed
28.9 MB/s 32.1 MB/s Faster random read.
+11%
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed
77.2 MB/s 78.9 MB/s +2%
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed
182 MB/s 209 MB/s Faster mixed IO speed.
+15%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed
32.6 MB/s 36.4 MB/s Faster random mixed IO.
+12%
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed
112 MB/s 133 MB/s Faster sustained write speed.
+19%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed
445 MB/s 446 MB/s +0%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed
148 MB/s 179 MB/s Faster peak write speed.
+21%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed
35.2 MB/s 39.6 MB/s Faster peak random read.
+12%
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed
109 MB/s 114 MB/s +5%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed
198 MB/s 224 MB/s Faster peak mixed IO speed.
+13%
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed
40.2 MB/s 45.5 MB/s Faster peak random mixed IO.
+13%
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average
142 MB/s 168 MB/s Faster peak sustained write speed.
+18%
Market Share
Based on 75,883,527 SSDs tested
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days)
0.01 % 0.02 % Hugely higher market share.
+100%
Value
Value For Money
3.14 % 3.29 % +5%
User Rating
UBM User Rating
52 % 53 % +2%
Price
Price (score)
$188 Slightly cheaper.
+5%
$199
Age
Newest
146 Months +1% 147 Months
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed
200 MB/s 239 MB/s Faster peak deep queue read.
+20%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed
145 MB/s 169 MB/s Faster peak deep queue write.
+17%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score
691 Pts 792 Pts Stronger server IO.
+15%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed
164 MB/s 191 MB/s Faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+16%
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed
184 MB/s 217 MB/s Faster deep queue read.
+18%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed
130 MB/s 150 MB/s Faster deep queue write.
+15%
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed
143 MB/s 164 MB/s Faster deep queue mixed IO.
+15%
Capacity
Capacity
120GB 120GB
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The Intel 330 is just under two years old and sports a Sandforce 2281 controller coupled with Intel's own 25nm MLC NAND. This combination typically produces a performance profile that struggles with incompressible data and favours reading over writing. With peak and average sequential read/write speeds of 514/138 and 414/122 the Intel 330 is unable to compete in today's market and falls over 50% short of the group leaders which manage peak sequential read/write speeds in the 500/300 MB/s region. Small file 4K peak and average speeds are better and clocked in at 32/89 and 24/63 MB/s which is 10% below the group leaders. Overall the 330 has an effective speed of 370 MB/s which makes it one of the slowest 128GB SSDs I have seen to date. [Feb '14 SSDrivePro]

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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

Solid State Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) May 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.

UserBenchmark of the month

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

 Best User Rated

The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $254Nvidia RTX 4060 $289Crucial MX500 250GB $39
Intel Core i5-12400F $133Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $385Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $80
Intel Core i5-12600K $175Nvidia RTX 4070 $550Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $52
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $39Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $39SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $32Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $45SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $62G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $351SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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