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CrucialCT256M4SSD2
$218
CrucialCT500MX500SSD1
▲ 521,868 ▼
 $218 

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

VS
▲ 58495 ▼

Controller: Silicon Motion SM2258. Flash Memory: Micron 3D TLC. Release date ≈ Q1 2018.

Effective Speed 
+75%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 255,179 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
237,241 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 125% 254GB free
Worst Bench: 78% 378GB free (System drive)
Poor: 78% Great: 125%
SPEED RANK: 229th / 1072
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		60.8 % 106 % Much faster effective speed.
+75%
Average Score 
+80%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		432 MB/s 451 MB/s +4%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		240 MB/s 425 MB/s Much faster write speed.
+77%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		19.9 MB/s 34.4 MB/s Much faster random read.
+73%
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		74.1 MB/s 85.2 MB/s Faster random write.
+15%
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		250 MB/s 401 MB/s Much faster mixed IO speed.
+60%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		14.6 MB/s 47.2 MB/s Hugely faster random mixed IO.
+223%
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		195 MB/s 400 MB/s Hugely faster sustained write speed.
+105%
Peak Score 
+76%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		494 MB/s 514 MB/s +4%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		268 MB/s 474 MB/s Much faster peak write speed.
+77%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		23.4 MB/s 43.6 MB/s Hugely faster peak random read.
+86%
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		106 MB/s 116 MB/s Slightly faster peak random write.
+9%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		273 MB/s 449 MB/s Much faster peak mixed IO speed.
+64%
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		18.9 MB/s 59.3 MB/s Hugely faster peak random mixed IO.
+214%
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		265 MB/s 467 MB/s Much faster peak sustained write speed.
+76%
Value & Sentiment 
+1,227%
Market Share
Based on 75,704,772 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.01 % 0.42 % Insanely higher market share.
+4,100%
Value
Value For Money 		4.46 % 36.7 % Hugely better value.
+722%
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		52 % 58 % More popular.
+12%
Price
Price (score) 		$218 $54 Much cheaper.
+75%
Nice To Haves 
+286%
Age
Newest 		156 Months 75+ Months Much more recent.
+52%
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		184 MB/s 390 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue read.
+112%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		234 MB/s 364 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue write.
+56%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		752 Pts 1,275 Pts Much stronger server IO.
+69%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		33.1 MB/s 298 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+800%
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		133 MB/s 350 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue read.
+163%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		136 MB/s 308 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue write.
+126%
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		23.7 MB/s 240 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue mixed IO.
+913%
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		256GB 500GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 60.8%
Average Bench 106%
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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

Probably the best SATA III SSD you can buy for 60 US Dollar. Offered excellent performance (albeit it won't match any NVMe ones!) and suitable amount of capacity for that price. Overall a reliable all around SSD for nearly every computers unless if the computer has no support for SATA which means your computer is too old! [Nov '19 ColdSpy]

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.

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 $273Nvidia RTX 4060 $295Crucial MX500 250GB $40
Intel Core i5-12400F $133Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $385Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $80
Intel Core i5-12600K $178Nvidia RTX 4070 $539Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $52
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $39Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $40SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $37Corsair 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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