Average Bench: 59.8% (803rd of 1072)

Based on 34,516 user benchmarks.  Models: M4-CT128M4SSD2, M4-CT128 M4-CT128M4SSD2, M4-CT128 M4SSD2, M4-CT128M4SSD1, M4-CT128 M4SSD1

The 128GB Crucial M4 is almost three years old, an extremely long time in SSD land. With peak and average sequential read/write speeds of 500/194 and 429/185 the 128GB M4 matches the group leaders at reading but lags by 60% at writing. Comparing the 128GB and 256GB versions of the M4 shows that the two drives have a very similar performance profile. This suggests that both drives have the same number of NAND channels which bodes well for the smaller capacity drive as a lot of other drives exhibit slower writes speeds in the smaller capacity varieties. Small file 4k peak and average read/write speeds measured at 27/87 and 21/52 MB/s which is only 13% below the average of the nine user voted group leaders. Considering its age the M4 is a very impressive drive but there is far better value for money available in today's market[Feb '14 SSDrivePro]

Average average bench

The Crucial M4 128GB averaged 40.1% lower than the peak scores attained by the group leaders. This isn't a great result which indicates that there are much faster alternatives on the comparison list.

Strengths

Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 73.1MB/s
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 24.2MB/s

Good consistency

The range of scores (95th - 5th percentile) for the Crucial M4 128GB is 27.8%. This is a relatively narrow range which indicates that the Crucial M4 128GB performs reasonably consistently under varying real world conditions.

Weaknesses

Avg. Sustained Write Speed 147MB/s
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 183MB/s
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Average Bench

(Based on 34,516 samples)
Min Avg Max
341 Read 433 479
149 Write 183 195
192 Mixed 220 236
67.6 SusWrite 147 195
54.3% 246 MB/s
Min Avg Max
17.7 4K Read 24.2 28.5
32.7 4K Write 73.1 102
11 4K Mixed 14.9 18.5
94.4% 37.4 MB/s
Min Avg Max
95.5 DQ Read 157 296
89 DQ Write 123 175
18.5 DQ Mixed 34 58.4
54.3% 105 MB/s
User Benchmarks BenchSequentialRandom 4kDeep queue 4k
The fastest SSD (mainstream) averages a speed of 100%
119GB free
Firmware: 000F
SusWrite @10s intervals: 190 179 177 181 193 181 MB/s
Read 455
Write 192
Mixed 224
SusWrite 184
58% 264 MB/s
4K Read 26.9
4K Write 91
4K Mixed 16.2
110% 44.7 MB/s
DQ Read 140
DQ Write 121
DQ Mixed 28.3
49% 96.4 MB/s
75GB free
Firmware: 040H
SusWrite @10s intervals: 168 191 175 177 183 180 MB/s
Read 446
Write 187
Mixed 233
SusWrite 179
58% 261 MB/s
4K Read 25.6
4K Write 72.2
4K Mixed 14.8
96% 37.5 MB/s
DQ Read 127
DQ Write 111
DQ Mixed 28.9
46% 89 MB/s
81GB free (System drive)
Firmware: 070H
SusWrite @10s intervals: 150 168 179 185 185 181 MB/s
Read 435
Write 161
Mixed 229
SusWrite 174
55% 250 MB/s
4K Read 27.4
4K Write 69.2
4K Mixed 16.1
99% 37.6 MB/s
DQ Read 118
DQ Write 108
DQ Mixed 30.2
45% 85.2 MB/s
103GB free
Firmware: 070H
SusWrite @10s intervals: 178 184 186 186 185 184 MB/s
Read 453
Write 188
Mixed 218
SusWrite 184
58% 261 MB/s
4K Read 24.4
4K Write 66.2
4K Mixed 14.6
91% 35.1 MB/s
DQ Read 127
DQ Write 111
DQ Mixed 28.8
46% 89.1 MB/s
56GB free
Firmware: 070H
SusWrite @10s intervals: 179 181 128 161 140 122 MB/s
Read 418
Write 185
Mixed 223
SusWrite 152
54% 244 MB/s
4K Read 25.8
4K Write 81.3
4K Mixed 13.6
100% 40.2 MB/s
DQ Read 127
DQ Write 110
DQ Mixed 29.4
46% 88.8 MB/s
20GB free (System drive)
Firmware: 000F
SusWrite @10s intervals: 83 97 90 59 89 83 MB/s
Read 445
Write 194
Mixed 223
SusWrite 83.7
52% 237 MB/s
4K Read 25.2
4K Write 88.4
4K Mixed 14.3
103% 42.6 MB/s
DQ Read 134
DQ Write 120
DQ Mixed 23.6
46% 92.5 MB/s
34,516 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 75,878,985 SSDs tested

Typical M4 128GB Builds (Compare 4,021 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings
Gaming
Gaming 37%
Jet ski
Desktop
Desktop 76%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 29%
Raft

Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme4 - $165

EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 52% - Above average Total price: $617

Popular M4 128GB compatible motherboards:

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
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  • - Compare your in-game FPS to other users with your hardware
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.

 Comments

Controller: Marvell 88SS9174-BLD2. Flash Memory: Micron Synchronous 25nm MLC

Consistently fast speeds. No exceptions and no fine print...

Added 10 years ago.

Poor (edit your comment) Add link

7 years ago.

Upgraded to the M4 on my 9yr. old HHD pc about 2.5 yrs. ago and the slow pc boots in 11 seconds. Newer SSDs are now available at better values. Bottom line, update your HHD to SSD and squeeze more life out of old pcs.


Good

7 years ago.

I have this drive in my PC still going strong after 2 years but am thinking of getting Samsung.


Good

6 years ago.

My one is great. Only con is the 5200-hour bug (you have to upgrade the firmware).


Very poor

10 years ago.


Your
opinion?
1072 Drives (Compared) Thousands of user benchmarks compiled into one comparison list

See how consistently different SSDs perform with varying real world conditions. The charts also illustrate overall performance, popularity and rank.

 Frequently Asked Questions

 Best User Rated

The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $254Nvidia RTX 4060 $290Crucial 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 $48SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $62G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $351SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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