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IntelSSDSC2CW180A3
CrucialCT256M4SSD2
$218
▲ 5172 ▼

Controller: LSI SandForce SF2281. Flash Memory: Intel Synchronous 25nm MLC. Release date ≤ Q4 2013.

VS
▲ 521,868 ▼
 $218 

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

Effective Speed 
+18%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 32,196 user samples
Benchmark your SSD here
14,258 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 88% 60GB free (System drive)
Worst Bench: 54% 72GB free (System drive)
Poor: 54% Great: 88%
SPEED RANK: 639th / 1071
17,938 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 74% 168GB free
Worst Bench: 43% 72GB free (System drive)
Poor: 43% Great: 74%
SPEED RANK: 795th / 1071
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		71.5 % Faster effective speed.
+18% 		60.8 %
Average Score 
+13%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		337 MB/s 432 MB/s Faster read speed.
+28%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		199 MB/s 240 MB/s Faster write speed.
+21%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		28.9 MB/s Much faster random read.
+45% 		19.9 MB/s
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		72.9 MB/s 74.1 MB/s +2%
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		231 MB/s 250 MB/s Slightly faster mixed IO speed.
+8%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		33.2 MB/s Hugely faster random mixed IO.
+127% 		14.6 MB/s
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		156 MB/s 195 MB/s Faster sustained write speed.
+25%
Peak Score 
+19%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		387 MB/s 494 MB/s Faster peak read speed.
+28%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		234 MB/s 268 MB/s Faster peak write speed.
+15%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		38.6 MB/s Much faster peak random read.
+65% 		23.4 MB/s
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		113 MB/s Slightly faster peak random write.
+7% 		106 MB/s
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		253 MB/s 273 MB/s Slightly faster peak mixed IO speed.
+8%
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		43.7 MB/s Hugely faster peak random mixed IO.
+131% 		18.9 MB/s
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		221 MB/s 265 MB/s Faster peak sustained write speed.
+20%
Value & Sentiment 
+42%
Market Share
Based on 75,899,839 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 		5.85 % Much better value.
+31% 		4.46 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		51 % 52 % +2%
Price
Price (score) 		$132 Much cheaper.
+39% 		$218
Nice To Haves 
+199%
Age
Newest 		125+ Months More recent.
+20% 		157 Months
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		300 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue read.
+63% 		184 MB/s
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		219 MB/s 234 MB/s Slightly faster peak deep queue write.
+7%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		933 Pts Stronger server IO.
+24% 		752 Pts
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		236 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+613% 		33.1 MB/s
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		269 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue read.
+102% 		133 MB/s
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		191 MB/s Much faster deep queue write.
+40% 		136 MB/s
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		199 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue mixed IO.
+740% 		23.7 MB/s
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		180GB 256GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 71.5%
Average Bench 60.8%
ADVERTISEMENT

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) May 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

Gaming Desktop ProGaming

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 $273Nvidia RTX 4060 $280Crucial MX500 250GB $39
Intel Core i5-12400F $128Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $385Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $80
Intel Core i5-12600K $165Nvidia RTX 4070 $550Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $52
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $39Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $39SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $32Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $45SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $62G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $351SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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