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IntelSSDSC2CW120A3
WDWDS400T2X0E
▲ 531,603 ▼

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

VS
▲ 72554 ▼

Release date: Q3 2022.

Effective Speed 
+605%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 28,120 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: 603rd / 1080
8,772 User Benchmarks
Great bench: 683% 3.5TB free
Poor bench: 288% 2.5TB free (System drive)
Poor: 288% Great: 683%
SPEED RANK: 7th / 1080
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		74 % 522 % Hugely faster effective speed.
+605%
Average Score 
+1,050%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		392 MB/s 3793 MB/s Hugely faster read speed.
+868%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		156 MB/s 3816 MB/s Insanely faster write speed.
+2,346%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		32.1 MB/s 67.2 MB/s Hugely faster random read.
+109%
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		78.9 MB/s 189 MB/s Hugely faster random write.
+140%
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		209 MB/s 2970 MB/s Insanely faster mixed IO speed.
+1,321%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		36.4 MB/s 83.5 MB/s Hugely faster random mixed IO.
+129%
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		133 MB/s 3370 MB/s Insanely faster sustained write speed.
+2,434%
Peak Score 
+1,175%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		446 MB/s 4696 MB/s Hugely faster peak read speed.
+953%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		179 MB/s 4940 MB/s Insanely faster peak write speed.
+2,660%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		39.6 MB/s 84.7 MB/s Hugely faster peak random read.
+114%
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		114 MB/s 315 MB/s Hugely faster peak random write.
+176%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		224 MB/s 3586 MB/s Insanely faster peak mixed IO speed.
+1,501%
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		45.5 MB/s 113 MB/s Hugely faster peak random mixed IO.
+148%
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		168 MB/s 4656 MB/s Insanely faster peak sustained write speed.
+2,671%
Value & Sentiment 
+2,724%
Market Share
Based on 77,407,843 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.02 % 0.25 % Insanely higher market share.
+1,150%
Value
Value For Money 		2.62 % 257 % Insanely better value.
+9,708%
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		53 % 72 % Much more popular.
+36%
Price
Price (score) 		$270 $269 +0%
Nice To Haves 
+810%
Age
Newest 		153 Months 27 Months Hugely more recent.
+82%
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		239 MB/s 2486 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue read.
+940%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		169 MB/s 2073 MB/s Insanely faster peak deep queue write.
+1,127%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		792 Pts 7497 Pts Hugely stronger server IO.
+846%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		191 MB/s 2284 MB/s Insanely faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+1,096%
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		217 MB/s 1787 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue read.
+724%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		150 MB/s 1382 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue write.
+821%
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		164 MB/s 1548 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue mixed IO.
+844%
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		120GB 4TB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 74%
Average Bench 522%

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]

MORE DETAILS

The WD Black SN850X has a superb consumer performance profile. As well as offering solid burst speeds of 5 GB/s, the SN850X also offers respectable out of cache performance. At current prices (1TB $90 USD, 2TB $145 USD and 4TB $290 USD) the WD Black SN850X is our top value pick at every capacity. [Jun '24 SSDrivePro]

MORE DETAILS

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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]

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.
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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.

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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?
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ALL FAQs »

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Marketers operate thousands of reddit accounts. Our benchmarks expose their spiel so they attack our reputation.
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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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We don't pay youtubers, so they don't praise us. Moreover, our data obstructs youtubers who promote overpriced or inferior products.
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The Best
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-12600K $169Nvidia RTX 4060 $295WD Black SN850X M.2 2TB $135
Intel Core i5-12400F $111Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $345WD Black SN850X M.2 1TB $80
Intel Core i5-13600K $225Nvidia RTX 4070 $500Crucial T700 M.2 4TB $350
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