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CrucialCT512M550SSD1
CrucialCT256M4SSD2
$218
▲ 506 ▼

Controller: Marvell 88SS9189. Flash Memory: Micron Synchronous 20nm MLC. Release date ≤ Q2 2014.

VS
▲ 521,868 ▼
 $218 

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

Effective Speed 
+52%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 23,621 user samples
Benchmark your SSD here
5,683 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 111% 167GB free
Worst Bench: 65% 6GB free (System drive)
Poor: 65% Great: 111%
SPEED RANK: 310th / 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 		92.5 % Much faster effective speed.
+52% 		60.8 %
Average Score 
+53%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		421 MB/s 432 MB/s +3%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		422 MB/s Much faster write speed.
+76% 		240 MB/s
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		26.3 MB/s Much faster random read.
+32% 		19.9 MB/s
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		86.6 MB/s Faster random write.
+17% 		74.1 MB/s
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		295 MB/s Faster mixed IO speed.
+18% 		250 MB/s
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		36.9 MB/s Hugely faster random mixed IO.
+153% 		14.6 MB/s
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		343 MB/s Much faster sustained write speed.
+76% 		195 MB/s
Peak Score 
+48%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		464 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 		30.3 MB/s Faster peak random read.
+29% 		23.4 MB/s
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		120 MB/s Faster peak random write.
+13% 		106 MB/s
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		322 MB/s Faster peak mixed IO speed.
+18% 		273 MB/s
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		44.4 MB/s Hugely faster peak random mixed IO.
+135% 		18.9 MB/s
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		463 MB/s Much faster peak sustained write speed.
+75% 		265 MB/s
Value & Sentiment 
+∞%
Market Share
Based on 77,536,940 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0 % 0.02 % Insanely higher market share.
+∞%
Value
Value For Money 		9.36 % Hugely better value.
+110% 		4.46 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		50 % 52 % +4%
Price
Price (score) 		$283 $218 Cheaper.
+23%
Nice To Haves 
+233%
Age
Newest 		127+ Months More recent.
+22% 		163 Months
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		384 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue read.
+109% 		184 MB/s
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		362 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue write.
+55% 		234 MB/s
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		1,236 Pts Much stronger server IO.
+64% 		752 Pts
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		232 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+601% 		33.1 MB/s
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		320 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue read.
+141% 		133 MB/s
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		295 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue write.
+117% 		136 MB/s
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		203 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue mixed IO.
+757% 		23.7 MB/s
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		512GB 256GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 92.5%
Average Bench 60.8%

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]

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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]

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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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