COMPARE
Today's hottest
Amazon Ebay
deals
SSD
RANKINGS
TEST
YOUR SSD
ADD TO PC
BUILD
CrucialCT256M550SSD1
$152
CrucialCT128M4SSD2
$116
▲ 527,484 ▼
 $152 

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

VS
▲ 52407 ▼
 $116 

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

Effective Speed 
+51%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 42,849 user samples
Benchmark your SSD here
8,333 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 113% 106GB free
Worst Bench: 60% 231GB free
Poor: 60% Great: 113%
SPEED RANK: 328th / 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 		90.5 % Much faster effective speed.
+51% 		59.8 %
Average Score 
+65%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		418 MB/s 433 MB/s +4%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		416 MB/s Hugely faster write speed.
+127% 		183 MB/s
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		27.1 MB/s Faster random read.
+12% 		24.2 MB/s
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		85 MB/s Faster random write.
+16% 		73.1 MB/s
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		299 MB/s Much faster mixed IO speed.
+36% 		220 MB/s
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		37.9 MB/s Hugely faster random mixed IO.
+154% 		14.9 MB/s
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		311 MB/s Hugely faster sustained write speed.
+112% 		147 MB/s
Peak Score 
+70%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		466 MB/s 479 MB/s +3%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		470 MB/s Hugely faster peak write speed.
+141% 		195 MB/s
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		31.9 MB/s Faster peak random read.
+12% 		28.5 MB/s
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		118 MB/s Faster peak random write.
+16% 		102 MB/s
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		333 MB/s Much faster peak mixed IO speed.
+41% 		236 MB/s
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		46.4 MB/s Hugely faster peak random mixed IO.
+151% 		18.5 MB/s
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		459 MB/s Hugely faster peak sustained write speed.
+135% 		195 MB/s
Value & Sentiment 
+33%
Market Share
Based on 77,536,083 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 		8.68 % Hugely better value.
+107% 		4.19 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		52 % 52 %
Price
Price (score) 		$152 $116 Cheaper.
+24%
Nice To Haves 
+154%
Age
Newest 		127 Months More recent.
+22% 		163 Months
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		387 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue read.
+31% 		296 MB/s
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		361 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue write.
+106% 		175 MB/s
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		1,240 Pts Much stronger server IO.
+45% 		855 Pts
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		240 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+311% 		58.4 MB/s
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		311 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue read.
+98% 		157 MB/s
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		282 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue write.
+129% 		123 MB/s
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		201 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue mixed IO.
+491% 		34 MB/s
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		256GB 128GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 90.5%
Average Bench 59.8%

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]

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

User Builds 
8,333
34,516
Custom PC Builder (Start a new build) Build your perfect PC: compare component prices, popularity, speed and value for money

CHOOSE A COMPONENT:

CPU GPU SSD HDD RAM MBD
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.
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
Why does UserBenchmark have a bad reputation on reddit?
Marketers operate thousands of reddit accounts. Our benchmarks expose their spiel so they attack our reputation.
Why don’t PC brands endorse UserBenchmark?
Brands make boatloads on flagships like the 4090 and 14900KS. We help users get similar real-world performance for less money.
Why don’t youtubers promote UserBenchmark?
We don't pay youtubers, so they don't praise us. Moreover, our data obstructs youtubers who promote overpriced or inferior products.
Why does UserBenchmark have negative trustpilot reviews?
The 200+ trustpilot reviews are mostly written by virgin marketing accounts. Real users don't give a monkey's about big brands.
Why is UserBenchmark the gold standard for users?
Instead of pursuing brands for sponsorship, we've spent 13 years publishing real-world data for users.
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
Today's hottest
Amazon Ebay
deals
If you buy something via a price link, UserBenchmark may earn a commission
Build Test EFps
Can You Run It?
►
YouTube
*NEW*
About  •  User Guide  •  FAQs  •  Email  •  Privacy  •  Developer  •  YouTube Feedback