IntelSSDSC2BW120A401
CrucialCT240M500SSD1

Controller: LSI SandForce SF2281. Memory: Intel Synchronous 20nm MLC. Release date: Q3 2013.

Controller: Marvell 88SS9187. Flash Memory: Micron Synchronous 20nm MLC. Release date: Q1 2013.

Real World Speed
Performance profile from 46,794 user samples
15,015 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 79% 60GB free (System drive)
Worst Bench: 51% 82GB free
Poor: 51% Great: 79%
SPEED RANK: 709th / 1072
31,779 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 91% 121GB free
Worst Bench: 57% 90GB free (System drive)
Poor: 57% Great: 91%
SPEED RANK: 543rd / 1072
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed
67.4 % 76.6 % Faster effective speed.
+14%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed
376 MB/s 413 MB/s Slightly faster read speed.
+10%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed
130 MB/s 256 MB/s Hugely faster write speed.
+97%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed
29.7 MB/s Faster random read.
+30%
22.9 MB/s
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed
75.2 MB/s 81.1 MB/s Slightly faster random write.
+8%
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed
178 MB/s 291 MB/s Much faster mixed IO speed.
+63%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed
32.4 MB/s +2% 31.9 MB/s
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed
113 MB/s 194 MB/s Much faster sustained write speed.
+72%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed
424 MB/s 442 MB/s +4%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed
145 MB/s 276 MB/s Hugely faster peak write speed.
+90%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed
36.3 MB/s Much faster peak random read.
+37%
26.5 MB/s
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed
104 MB/s 116 MB/s Faster peak random write.
+12%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed
196 MB/s 310 MB/s Much faster peak mixed IO speed.
+58%
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed
40.6 MB/s Slightly faster peak random mixed IO.
+6%
38.4 MB/s
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average
127 MB/s 272 MB/s Hugely faster peak sustained write speed.
+114%
Market Share
Based on 75,786,087 SSDs tested
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days)
0.02 % 0.02 %
Value
Value For Money
6 % 12.2 % Hugely better value.
+103%
User Rating
UBM User Rating
53 % 54 % +2%
Price
Price (score)
$79 $73 Slightly cheaper.
+8%
Age
Newest
128 Months +4% 134 Months
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed
205 MB/s 328 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue read.
+60%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed
143 MB/s 264 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue write.
+85%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score
691 Pts 1,011 Pts Much stronger server IO.
+46%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed
128 MB/s 188 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+47%
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed
187 MB/s 296 MB/s Much faster deep queue read.
+58%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed
124 MB/s 238 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue write.
+92%
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed
107 MB/s 166 MB/s Much faster deep queue mixed IO.
+55%
Capacity
Capacity
120GB 240GB
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At just 5 months old the Intel 530 Series SSD is the newest SSD in the group test. Unfortunately the 530 uses the same basic formula we have seen going back two and a half years. Sporting a Sandforce 2281 controller coupled with 20nm NAND flash the performance profile struggles with incompressible data and predictably favours reads over writes as with all the other Sandforce 2281 drives we have seen. With peak and average sequential read/write speeds of 498/154 and 454/131 MB/s the 120GB Intel 530 lags the group leaders by 50%. Small file 4K peak and average performance clocked in at 34/101 and 26/76 MB/s which is slightly above average for a leading 120GB SSD. There are faster and cheaper alternatives available in the group test[Feb '14 SSDrivePro]

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We had high expectations for the Crucial M500. Crucial have a long history of producing outstanding Solid State drives. Both the RealSSD 300 and the M4, three and two years old, were almost legendary in terms of reliability and performance. The M500 falls far short of our expectations. The drive is relatively cheap and as such we were expecting to compromise on performance but the M500 just falls too far short. With a Real World Performance of 377.5 MBps which is in the bottom 40% and an AS-SSD score of 901 points (50th percentile) the M500 demonstrates relatively weak real world and average server performance. The M500 is competing with the Sandisk Ultra which manages to squeeze out significantly more performance despite sitting in the same price bracket. [Jun '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

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

 Best User Rated

The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $254Nvidia RTX 4060 $300Crucial MX500 250GB $39
Intel Core i5-12400F $133Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $385Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $80
Intel Core i5-12600K $163Nvidia RTX 4070 $539Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $52
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $39Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $40SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $37Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $37SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $79G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $351SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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