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IntelSSDSC2BW120A401
IntelSSDSC2CW120A3
▲ 533,537 ▼

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

VS
▲ 531,602 ▼

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

Effective Speed 
+10%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 34,363 user samples
Benchmark your SSD here
15,015 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 79% 60GB free (System drive)
Worst Bench: 51% 82GB free
Poor: 51% Great: 79%
SPEED RANK: 709th / 1072
19,348 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 88% 17GB free
Worst Bench: 57% 37GB free (System drive)
Poor: 57% Great: 88%
SPEED RANK: 594th / 1072
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		67.4 % 74 % Slightly faster effective speed.
+10%
Average Score 
+12%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		376 MB/s 392 MB/s +4%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		130 MB/s 156 MB/s Faster write speed.
+20%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		29.7 MB/s 32.1 MB/s Slightly faster random read.
+8%
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		75.2 MB/s 78.9 MB/s +5%
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		178 MB/s 209 MB/s Faster mixed IO speed.
+17%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		32.4 MB/s 36.4 MB/s Faster random mixed IO.
+12%
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		113 MB/s 133 MB/s Faster sustained write speed.
+18%
Peak Score 
+15%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		424 MB/s 446 MB/s Slightly faster peak read speed.
+5%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		145 MB/s 179 MB/s Faster peak write speed.
+23%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		36.3 MB/s 39.6 MB/s Slightly faster peak random read.
+9%
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		104 MB/s 114 MB/s Slightly faster peak random write.
+10%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		196 MB/s 224 MB/s Faster peak mixed IO speed.
+14%
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		40.6 MB/s 45.5 MB/s Faster peak random mixed IO.
+12%
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		127 MB/s 168 MB/s Much faster peak sustained write speed.
+32%
Value & Sentiment 
+36%
Market Share
Based on 75,665,121 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.02 % 0.02 %
Value
Value For Money 		6 % Hugely better value.
+82% 		3.29 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		53 % 53 %
Price
Price (score) 		$79 Much cheaper.
+60% 		$199
Nice To Haves 
+22%
Age
Newest 		127 Months More recent.
+13% 		146 Months
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		205 MB/s 239 MB/s Faster peak deep queue read.
+17%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		143 MB/s 169 MB/s Faster peak deep queue write.
+18%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		691 Pts 792 Pts Stronger server IO.
+15%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		128 MB/s 191 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+49%
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		187 MB/s 217 MB/s Faster deep queue read.
+16%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		124 MB/s 150 MB/s Faster deep queue write.
+21%
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		107 MB/s 164 MB/s Much faster deep queue mixed IO.
+53%
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		120GB 120GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 67.4%
Average Bench 74%
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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]

MORE DETAILS

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

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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.

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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?
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ALL FAQs »

 Best User Rated
The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $279Nvidia RTX 4060 $300Crucial MX500 250GB $40
Intel Core i5-12400F $133Nvidia 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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