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CrucialCT256M4SSD2
$218
CrucialCT128M4SSD2
$116
▲ 521,868 ▼
 $218 

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

VS
▲ 52407 ▼
 $116 

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

Effective Speed 
+2%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 52,454 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: 804th / 1080
34,516 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 72% 34GB free
Worst Bench: 44% 119GB free
Poor: 44% Great: 72%
SPEED RANK: 811th / 1080
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		60.8 % +2% 59.8 %
Average Score 
+8%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		432 MB/s 433 MB/s +0%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		240 MB/s Much faster write speed.
+31% 		183 MB/s
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		19.9 MB/s 24.2 MB/s Faster random read.
+22%
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		74.1 MB/s +1% 73.1 MB/s
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		250 MB/s Faster mixed IO speed.
+14% 		220 MB/s
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		14.6 MB/s 14.9 MB/s +2%
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		195 MB/s Much faster sustained write speed.
+33% 		147 MB/s
Peak Score 
+11%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		494 MB/s +3% 479 MB/s
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		268 MB/s Much faster peak write speed.
+37% 		195 MB/s
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		23.4 MB/s 28.5 MB/s Faster peak random read.
+22%
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		106 MB/s +4% 102 MB/s
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		273 MB/s Faster peak mixed IO speed.
+16% 		236 MB/s
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		18.9 MB/s +2% 18.5 MB/s
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		265 MB/s Much faster peak sustained write speed.
+36% 		195 MB/s
Value & Sentiment 
+2%
Market Share
Based on 77,532,837 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.03 % Much higher market share.
+50% 		0.02 %
Value
Value For Money 		4.46 % Slightly better value.
+6% 		4.19 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		52 % 52 %
Price
Price (score) 		$218 $116 Much cheaper.
+47%
Nice To Haves 
+21%
Age
Newest 		163 Months 163 Months
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		184 MB/s 296 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue read.
+61%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		234 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue write.
+34% 		175 MB/s
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		752 Pts 855 Pts Stronger server IO.
+14%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		33.1 MB/s 58.4 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+76%
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		133 MB/s 157 MB/s Faster deep queue read.
+18%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		136 MB/s Faster deep queue write.
+11% 		123 MB/s
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		23.7 MB/s 34 MB/s Much faster deep queue mixed IO.
+43%
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		256GB 128GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 60.8%
Average Bench 59.8%

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 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]

MORE DETAILS

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Solid State Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) November 2024 SSD Rankings

Welcome to our 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]

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.
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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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 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?
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ALL FAQs »

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Marketers operate thousands of reddit accounts. Our benchmarks expose their spiel so they attack our reputation.
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Brands make boatloads on flagships like the 4090 and 14900KS. We help users get similar real-world performance for less money.
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We don't pay youtubers, so they don't praise us. Moreover, our data obstructs youtubers who promote overpriced or inferior products.
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The Best
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-12600K $159Nvidia RTX 4060 $280WD Black SN850X M.2 2TB $135
Intel Core i5-13600K $210Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $389WD Black SN850X M.2 1TB $84
Intel Core i5-12400F $111Nvidia RTX 4070 $500Crucial T700 M.2 4TB $370
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