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CrucialCT256M550SSD1
$152
CrucialCT256M4SSD2
$218
▲ 527,484 ▼
 $152 

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

VS
▲ 521,868 ▼
 $218 

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

Effective Speed 
+49%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 26,271 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
17,938 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 74% 168GB free
Worst Bench: 43% 72GB free (System drive)
Poor: 43% Great: 74%
SPEED RANK: 804th / 1080
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		90.5 % Much faster effective speed.
+49% 		60.8 %
Average Score 
+51%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		418 MB/s 432 MB/s +3%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		416 MB/s Much faster write speed.
+73% 		240 MB/s
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		27.1 MB/s Much faster random read.
+36% 		19.9 MB/s
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		85 MB/s Faster random write.
+15% 		74.1 MB/s
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		299 MB/s Faster mixed IO speed.
+20% 		250 MB/s
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		37.9 MB/s Hugely faster random mixed IO.
+160% 		14.6 MB/s
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		311 MB/s Much faster sustained write speed.
+59% 		195 MB/s
Peak Score 
+51%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		466 MB/s 494 MB/s Slightly faster peak read speed.
+6%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		470 MB/s Much faster peak write speed.
+75% 		268 MB/s
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		31.9 MB/s Much faster peak random read.
+36% 		23.4 MB/s
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		118 MB/s Faster peak random write.
+11% 		106 MB/s
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		333 MB/s Faster peak mixed IO speed.
+22% 		273 MB/s
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		46.4 MB/s Hugely faster peak random mixed IO.
+146% 		18.9 MB/s
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		459 MB/s Much faster peak sustained write speed.
+73% 		265 MB/s
Value & Sentiment 
+31%
Market Share
Based on 77,535,925 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.03 % 0.03 %
Value
Value For Money 		8.68 % Hugely better value.
+95% 		4.46 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		52 % 52 %
Price
Price (score) 		$152 Much cheaper.
+30% 		$218
Nice To Haves 
+233%
Age
Newest 		127 Months More recent.
+22% 		163 Months
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		387 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue read.
+110% 		184 MB/s
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		361 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue write.
+54% 		234 MB/s
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		1,240 Pts Much stronger server IO.
+65% 		752 Pts
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		240 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+625% 		33.1 MB/s
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		311 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue read.
+134% 		133 MB/s
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		282 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue write.
+107% 		136 MB/s
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		201 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue mixed IO.
+748% 		23.7 MB/s
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		256GB 256GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 90.5%
Average Bench 60.8%

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 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

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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?
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Solid State Drives
What is the SSD value for money rating?
What is 4K 64 thread write speed?
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The Best
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