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CrucialCT256M550SSD1
$152
CrucialCT960M500SSD1
▲ 527,484 ▼
 $152 

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

VS
▲ 504 ▼

Controller: Marvell 88SS9187. Flash Memory: Micron Synchronous 20nm MLC. Release date ≤ Q4 2013.

Effective Speed 
+8%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 12,722 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
4,389 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 101% 550GB free
Worst Bench: 60% 790GB free
Poor: 60% Great: 101%
SPEED RANK: 434th / 1080
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		90.5 % Slightly faster effective speed.
+8% 		83.8 %
Average Score 
+8%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		418 MB/s +4% 403 MB/s
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		416 MB/s Slightly faster write speed.
+8% 		384 MB/s
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		27.1 MB/s Faster random read.
+21% 		22.4 MB/s
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		85 MB/s Slightly faster random write.
+8% 		78.7 MB/s
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		299 MB/s 306 MB/s +2%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		37.9 MB/s Faster random mixed IO.
+21% 		31.2 MB/s
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		311 MB/s 317 MB/s +2%
Peak Score 
+10%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		466 MB/s Slightly faster peak read speed.
+7% 		435 MB/s
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		470 MB/s Faster peak write speed.
+11% 		423 MB/s
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		31.9 MB/s Faster peak random read.
+21% 		26.3 MB/s
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		118 MB/s +1% 117 MB/s
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		333 MB/s +1% 329 MB/s
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		46.4 MB/s Faster peak random mixed IO.
+21% 		38.5 MB/s
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		459 MB/s Slightly faster peak sustained write speed.
+10% 		419 MB/s
Value & Sentiment 
+91%
Market Share
Based on 77,537,623 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.02 % Hugely higher market share.
+100% 		0.01 %
Value
Value For Money 		8.68 % 44.1 % Hugely better value.
+408%
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		52 % +4% 50 %
Price
Price (score) 		$152 $59 Much cheaper.
+61%
Nice To Haves 
+11%
Age
Newest 		127 Months +2% 130+ Months
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		387 MB/s Faster peak deep queue read.
+17% 		332 MB/s
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		361 MB/s Slightly faster peak deep queue write.
+8% 		334 MB/s
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		1,240 Pts Stronger server IO.
+12% 		1,109 Pts
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		240 MB/s Faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+28% 		187 MB/s
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		311 MB/s Slightly faster deep queue read.
+5% 		296 MB/s
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		282 MB/s +1% 280 MB/s
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		201 MB/s Faster deep queue mixed IO.
+18% 		170 MB/s
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		256GB 960GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 90.5%
Average Bench 83.8%

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]

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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?
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How is the AS SSD total score calculated?
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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 $75
Intel Core i5-12400F $111Nvidia RTX 4070 $500Crucial T700 M.2 4TB $370
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