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CrucialCT480M500SSD1
CrucialCT256M550SSD1
$152
▲ 502 ▼

Controller: Marvell 88SS9187. Flash Memory: Micron Synchronous 20nm MLC. Release date ≤ Q1 2014.

VS
▲ 527,484 ▼
 $152 

Controller: Marvell 88SS9189. Flash Memory: Micron Synchronous 20nm MLC. Release date: Q1 2014.

Effective Speed 
+9%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 17,501 user samples
Benchmark your SSD here
9,168 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 100% 447GB free
Worst Bench: 59% 71GB free (System drive)
Poor: 59% Great: 100%
SPEED RANK: 447th / 1080
8,333 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 113% 106GB free
Worst Bench: 60% 231GB free
Poor: 60% Great: 113%
SPEED RANK: 328th / 1080
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		83 % 90.5 % Slightly faster effective speed.
+9%
Average Score 
+9%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		396 MB/s 418 MB/s Slightly faster read speed.
+6%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		376 MB/s 416 MB/s Faster write speed.
+11%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		22.3 MB/s 27.1 MB/s Faster random read.
+22%
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		78.5 MB/s 85 MB/s Slightly faster random write.
+8%
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		321 MB/s Slightly faster mixed IO speed.
+7% 		299 MB/s
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		31.1 MB/s 37.9 MB/s Faster random mixed IO.
+22%
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		306 MB/s 311 MB/s +2%
Peak Score 
+10%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		432 MB/s 466 MB/s Slightly faster peak read speed.
+8%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		417 MB/s 470 MB/s Faster peak write speed.
+13%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		26.3 MB/s 31.9 MB/s Faster peak random read.
+21%
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		115 MB/s 118 MB/s +3%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		347 MB/s +4% 333 MB/s
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		38.2 MB/s 46.4 MB/s Faster peak random mixed IO.
+21%
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		415 MB/s 459 MB/s Faster peak sustained write speed.
+11%
Value & Sentiment 
+∞%
Market Share
Based on 77,537,154 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0 % 0.02 % Insanely higher market share.
+∞%
Value
Value For Money 		20.5 % Hugely better value.
+136% 		8.68 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		50 % 52 % +4%
Price
Price (score) 		$81 Much cheaper.
+47% 		$152
Nice To Haves 
+10%
Age
Newest 		130+ Months 127 Months +2%
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		340 MB/s 387 MB/s Faster peak deep queue read.
+14%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		336 MB/s 361 MB/s Slightly faster peak deep queue write.
+7%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		1,119 Pts 1,240 Pts Stronger server IO.
+11%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		189 MB/s 240 MB/s Faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+27%
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		305 MB/s 311 MB/s +2%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		283 MB/s +0% 282 MB/s
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		172 MB/s 201 MB/s Faster deep queue mixed IO.
+17%
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		480GB 256GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 83%
Average Bench 90.5%

The 256GB Crucial M550 is a welcome improvement over the 240GB M500. The new Marvel 88SS9189 controller has addressed our primary concern with the M500 which was poor sequential write speed. With sequential read/write speeds of 510/478 MB/s the M550 has a healthy core performance profile. Comparing the M550 and M500 shows that the new M550 leads on nearly every single performance metric. Unfortunately the M550 is priced significantly higher than the M500 but prices will likely drop as retailers build up stocks of the new M550. A key comparable for the M550 is the similarly priced market leading Samsung Evo. Comparing the Evo and M550 shows that the Evo is around 11% slower in terms of effective speed. [Mar '14 SSDrivePro]

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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]

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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?
How is the AS SSD read score calculated?
How is the AS SSD total score calculated?
ALL FAQs »

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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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The Best
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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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