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IntelSSDSC2CW120A3
SamsungMZ-7KE512BW
▲ 531,602 ▼

Controller: LSI SandForce SF2281. Flash Memory: Intel Synchronous 25nm MLC. Release date: Q1 2012.

VS
▲ 566,203 ▼

Controller: Samsung Triple Core MEX. Memory: Samsung 40nm MLC V-NAND. Release date: Q3 2014.

Effective Speed 
+37%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 88,197 user samples
Benchmark your SSD here
19,348 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 88% 17GB free
Worst Bench: 57% 37GB free (System drive)
Poor: 57% Great: 88%
SPEED RANK: 594th / 1072
68,849 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 124% 397GB free
Worst Bench: 71% 267GB free (System drive)
Poor: 71% Great: 124%
SPEED RANK: 249th / 1072
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		74 % 102 % Much faster effective speed.
+37%
Average Score 
+65%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		392 MB/s 465 MB/s Faster read speed.
+19%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		156 MB/s 408 MB/s Hugely faster write speed.
+162%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		32.1 MB/s 33.1 MB/s +3%
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		78.9 MB/s 86.9 MB/s Faster random write.
+10%
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		209 MB/s 349 MB/s Much faster mixed IO speed.
+67%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		36.4 MB/s 43.7 MB/s Faster random mixed IO.
+20%
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		133 MB/s 364 MB/s Hugely faster sustained write speed.
+174%
Peak Score 
+71%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		446 MB/s 515 MB/s Faster peak read speed.
+15%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		179 MB/s 486 MB/s Hugely faster peak write speed.
+172%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		39.6 MB/s 42.7 MB/s Slightly faster peak random read.
+8%
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		114 MB/s 122 MB/s Slightly faster peak random write.
+7%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		224 MB/s 399 MB/s Much faster peak mixed IO speed.
+78%
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		45.5 MB/s 57.4 MB/s Faster peak random mixed IO.
+26%
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		168 MB/s 487 MB/s Hugely faster peak sustained write speed.
+190%
Value & Sentiment 
+161%
Market Share
Based on 75,663,775 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.02 % 0.09 % Hugely higher market share.
+350%
Value
Value For Money 		3.29 % 12.9 % Hugely better value.
+292%
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		53 % 56 % Slightly more popular.
+6%
Price
Price (score) 		$199 Slightly cheaper.
+5% 		$210
Nice To Haves 
+71%
Age
Newest 		146 Months 117 Months More recent.
+20%
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		239 MB/s 388 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue read.
+62%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		169 MB/s 360 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue write.
+113%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		792 Pts 1,274 Pts Much stronger server IO.
+61%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		191 MB/s 365 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+91%
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		217 MB/s 337 MB/s Much faster deep queue read.
+55%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		150 MB/s 279 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue write.
+86%
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		164 MB/s 295 MB/s Much faster deep queue mixed IO.
+80%
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		120GB 512GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 74%
Average Bench 102%
ADVERTISEMENT

The Intel 520 Series was Intel's first SSD to feature a Sandforce 2281 controller. This controller has powered countless SSDs over the last three years but is now dated and is known to be limited in the area of incompressible write speed. The 120GB Intel 520 scored peak and average sequential read/write speeds of 514/157 and 421/133. These read speeds are good but the peak write of 157 MB/s lags the group leaders average of 313 MB/s by nearly 100%. This relative inability to write lowers the 520's overall effective speed to 403 MB/s or 15% lower than the 459 MB/s achieved by the group leaders. At two years of age the Intel 520 can no longer compete with newer drives, there is far better value available amongst the group leaders. [Feb '14 SSDrivePro]

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Solid State Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) April 2024 SSD Rankings

Welcome to our 2.5" and M.2 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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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

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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
The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $279Nvidia RTX 4060 $300Crucial MX500 250GB $40
Intel Core i5-12400F $134Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $385Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $80
Intel Core i5-12600K $182Nvidia RTX 4070 $409Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $52
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $39Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $40SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $30Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $43SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $51G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $351SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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