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KingstonSKC300S37A/480G
CrucialCT256M550SSD1
$152
▲ 503 ▼

Controller: SandForce SF2281. Flash Memory: Toshiba 19nm Toggle Mode. Release date ≈ Q3 2014.

VS
▲ 527,484 ▼
 $152 

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

Effective Speed 
+57%
Real World Speed
Performance profile from 9,045 user samples
Benchmark your SSD here
712 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 68% 447GB free
Worst Bench: 44% 111GB free (System drive)
Poor: 44% Great: 68%
SPEED RANK: 834th / 1080
8,333 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 113% 106GB free
Worst Bench: 60% 231GB free
Poor: 60% Great: 113%
SPEED RANK: 328th / 1080
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed 		57.7 % 90.5 % Much faster effective speed.
+57%
Average Score 
+79%
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 		382 MB/s 418 MB/s Slightly faster read speed.
+9%
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 		248 MB/s 416 MB/s Much faster write speed.
+68%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 		24.4 MB/s 27.1 MB/s Faster random read.
+11%
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 		19.7 MB/s 85 MB/s Hugely faster random write.
+331%
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		279 MB/s 299 MB/s Slightly faster mixed IO speed.
+7%
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		22.2 MB/s 37.9 MB/s Much faster random mixed IO.
+71%
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed 		198 MB/s 311 MB/s Much faster sustained write speed.
+57%
Peak Score 
+81%
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed 		460 MB/s 466 MB/s +1%
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed 		300 MB/s 470 MB/s Much faster peak write speed.
+57%
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed 		32.8 MB/s +3% 31.9 MB/s
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed 		25 MB/s 118 MB/s Hugely faster peak random write.
+372%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed 		345 MB/s +4% 333 MB/s
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 		28.3 MB/s 46.4 MB/s Much faster peak random mixed IO.
+64%
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average 		254 MB/s 459 MB/s Hugely faster peak sustained write speed.
+81%
Value & Sentiment 
+25%
Market Share
Based on 76,181,455 SSDs tested
See market share leaders
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days) 		0.01 % 0.03 % Hugely higher market share.
+200%
Value
Value For Money 		13.7 % Much better value.
+58% 		8.68 %
User Rating
UBM User Rating 		50 % 52 % +4%
Price
Price (score) 		$85 Much cheaper.
+44% 		$152
Nice To Haves 
+94%
Age
Newest 		118+ Months +3% 122 Months
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		232 MB/s 387 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue read.
+67%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		113 MB/s 361 MB/s Hugely faster peak deep queue write.
+219%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score 		643 Pts 1,240 Pts Hugely stronger server IO.
+93%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		147 MB/s 240 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+63%
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 		217 MB/s 311 MB/s Much faster deep queue read.
+43%
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed 		95.3 MB/s 282 MB/s Hugely faster deep queue write.
+196%
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 		118 MB/s 201 MB/s Much faster deep queue mixed IO.
+70%
Specifications 
Capacity
Capacity 		480GB 256GB
Conclusion 
Average Bench 57.7%
Average Bench 90.5%
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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]

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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]

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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?
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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?
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