COMPARE
SSD
RANKINGS
TEST
YOUR SSD
ADD TO PC
BUILD
KingstonSH103S3/240G
CrucialCT256M550SSD1
$152
▲ 532,729 ▼

Controller: LSI SandForce SF2281VB1-SDC. NAND Memory: Intel Synchronous 25nm MLC. Release date: Q2 2012.

VS
▲ 527,484 ▼
 $152 

Controller: Marvell 88SS9189. Flash Memory: Micron Synchronous 20nm MLC. Release date: Q1 2014.

Effective Speed 
+12%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 35,828 user samples
Benchmark your SSD here
27,495 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 94% 1TB free
Worst Bench: 59% 25GB free (System drive)
Poor: 59% Great: 94%
SPEED RANK: 479th / 1074
8,333 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 113% 106GB free
Worst Bench: 60% 231GB free
Poor: 60% Great: 113%
SPEED RANK: 322nd / 1074
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		80.6 % 90.5 % Faster effective speed.
+12%
Average Score 
+21%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		375 MB/s 418 MB/s Faster read speed.
+11%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		243 MB/s 416 MB/s Much faster write speed.
+71%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		31.2 MB/s Faster random read.
+15% 		27.1 MB/s
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		82.3 MB/s 85 MB/s +3%
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		274 MB/s 299 MB/s Slightly faster mixed IO speed.
+9%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		40.2 MB/s Slightly faster random mixed IO.
+6% 		37.9 MB/s
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		183 MB/s 311 MB/s Much faster sustained write speed.
+70%
Peak Score 
+24%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		442 MB/s 466 MB/s Slightly faster peak read speed.
+5%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		281 MB/s 470 MB/s Much faster peak write speed.
+67%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		37.8 MB/s Faster peak random read.
+18% 		31.9 MB/s
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		112 MB/s 118 MB/s Slightly faster peak random write.
+5%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		312 MB/s 333 MB/s Slightly faster peak mixed IO speed.
+7%
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		49.6 MB/s Slightly faster peak random mixed IO.
+7% 		46.4 MB/s
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		221 MB/s 459 MB/s Hugely faster peak sustained write speed.
+108%
Value & Sentiment 
+∞%
Market Share
Based on 76,060,223 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.02 % Insanely higher market share.
+∞% 		0 %
Value
Value For Money 		13.2 % Much better value.
+52% 		8.68 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		53 % +2% 52 %
Price
Price (score) 		$70 Much cheaper.
+54% 		$152
Nice To Haves 
+17%
Age
Newest 		146 Months 122 Months More recent.
+16%
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		298 MB/s 387 MB/s Faster peak deep queue read.
+30%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		264 MB/s 361 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue write.
+37%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		985 Pts 1,240 Pts Stronger server IO.
+26%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		289 MB/s Faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+20% 		240 MB/s
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		258 MB/s 311 MB/s Faster deep queue read.
+21%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		209 MB/s 282 MB/s Much faster deep queue write.
+35%
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		223 MB/s Faster deep queue mixed IO.
+11% 		201 MB/s
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		240GB 256GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 80.6%
Average Bench 90.5%
ADVERTISEMENT

The HyperX 3K is an updated version of the regular HyperX, the only difference between the two SSDs is the grade of NAND flash. The regular HyperX's NAND flash is rated at 5,000 erase cycles vs 3,000 on the 3K version so broadly speaking the number of erase cycles before drive failure on the newer drive is approximately 40% less than on the original HyperX. The distinction is largely irrelevant for consumer users because even after 10 years neither of the drives are likely to come even close to their maximum number of erase cycles. As expected both HyperX's have very similar performance profiles which can be seen in this direct comparison of the two drives. Although the HyperX SSDs were strong contenders on release they are showing their age now and can no longer compete amongst the newer drives from Samsung and Plextor which are both cheaper and faster. [Jan '14 SSDrivePro]

MORE DETAILS

The 256GB Crucial M550 is a welcome improvement over the 240GB M500. The new Marvel 88SS9189 controller has addressed our primary concern with the M500 which was poor sequential write speed. With sequential read/write speeds of 510/478 MB/s the M550 has a healthy core performance profile. Comparing the M550 and M500 shows that the new M550 leads on nearly every single performance metric. Unfortunately the M550 is priced significantly higher than the M500 but prices will likely drop as retailers build up stocks of the new M550. A key comparable for the M550 is the similarly priced market leading Samsung Evo. Comparing the Evo and M550 shows that the Evo is around 11% slower in terms of effective speed. [Mar '14 SSDrivePro]

MORE DETAILS

User Builds 
27,495
8,333
Custom PC Builder (Start a new build) Build your perfect PC: compare component prices, popularity, speed and value for money

CHOOSE A COMPONENT:

CPU GPU SSD HDD RAM MBD
Solid State Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) June 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]

ADVERTISEMENT

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
Why does UserBenchmark have a bad reputation on reddit?
Marketers operate countless reddit accounts. UserBenchmark’s data exposes their marketing spiel so they systematically attack our reputation.
Why don’t large PC brands support UserBenchmark?
PC brands profit greatly from flagship hardware like the 4090, 14900KS, and 7950X3D. We help users get similar real-world performance for less money.
Why don’t any youtubers promote UserBenchmark?
We don't sponsor youtubers, so they have no incentive to praise us. Moreover, brands pay youtubers extra to promote inferior products but UserBenchmark’s data exposes them.
Why does UserBenchmark have so many negative trustpilot reviews?
Trustpilot hosts user-generated online reviews. It's obvious that the 200+ UserBenchmark reviews, are mostly written by virgin marketing accounts. Real users aren't interested in promoting billon-dollar brands.
Why is UserBenchmark so popular with users?
Instead of pursuing lucrative sponsorships with billion-dollar PC brands, we have dedicated 13 years to publishing accurate real-world data. As a result, our users save millions every year and they keep returning.
The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-12600K $170Nvidia RTX 4060 $293Crucial MX500 250GB $39
Intel Core i5-12400F $122Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $385Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $80
Intel Core i5-13600K $260Nvidia RTX 4070 $550Samsung 870 Evo 250GB $45
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $37Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $40SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $28Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $48SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $62G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $351SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
If you make a purchase via one of these links, our site may earn a commission
Today's hottest
Amazon Ebay
deals
Build Test EFps
Can You Run It?
►
YouTube
*NEW*
About  •  User Guide  •  FAQs  •  Email  •  Privacy  •  Developer  •  YouTube Feedback