SamsungMZ-7PD256BW
CrucialCT256M550SSD1
$152

Controller: Samsung 3-core MDX. Flash Memory: Samsung 21nm Toggle Mode MLC. Release date: Q4 2012.

 $152 

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

Real World Speed
Performance profile from 81,452 user samples
73,119 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 116% 238GB free
Worst Bench: 68% 11GB free (System drive)
Poor: 68% Great: 116%
SPEED RANK: 279th / 1072
8,333 User Benchmarks
Best Bench: 113% 106GB free
Worst Bench: 60% 231GB free
Poor: 60% Great: 113%
SPEED RANK: 320th / 1072
Effective Speed
Effective SSD Speed
95 % +5% 90.5 %
Read
Avg. Sequential Read Speed
459 MB/s Slightly faster read speed.
+10%
418 MB/s
Write
Avg. Sequential Write Speed
367 MB/s 416 MB/s Faster write speed.
+13%
4K Read
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed
31 MB/s Faster random read.
+14%
27.1 MB/s
4K Write
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed
85.6 MB/s +1% 85 MB/s
Mixed
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed
303 MB/s +1% 299 MB/s
4K Mixed
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed
39.5 MB/s +4% 37.9 MB/s
SusWrite
Avg. Sustained Write Speed
312 MB/s +0% 311 MB/s
Read
Peak Sequential Read Speed
510 MB/s Slightly faster peak read speed.
+9%
466 MB/s
Write
Peak Sequential Write Speed
480 MB/s +2% 470 MB/s
4K Read
Peak 4K Random Read Speed
36.1 MB/s Faster peak random read.
+13%
31.9 MB/s
4K Write
Peak 4K Random Write Speed
114 MB/s 118 MB/s +4%
Mixed
Peak Sequential Mixed IO Speed
368 MB/s Faster peak mixed IO speed.
+11%
333 MB/s
4K Mixed
Peak 4K Random Mixed IO Speed
47.6 MB/s +3% 46.4 MB/s
SusWrite
Peak Sequential Sustained Write 60s Average
477 MB/s +4% 459 MB/s
Market Share
Based on 75,653,597 SSDs tested
Market Share
Market Share (trailing 30 days)
0.03 % Insanely higher market share.
+∞%
0 %
Value
Value For Money
7.72 % 8.68 % Better value.
+12%
User Rating
UBM User Rating
54 % +4% 52 %
Price
Price (score)
$190 $152 Cheaper.
+20%
Age
Newest
138 Months 121 Months More recent.
+12%
DQ Read
Peak 4K-64Thread Read Speed
385 MB/s 387 MB/s +1%
DQ Write
Peak 4K-64Thread Write Speed
334 MB/s 361 MB/s Slightly faster peak deep queue write.
+8%
AS-SSD Total
AS-SSD Total Score
1,221 Pts 1,240 Pts +2%
DQ Mixed
Peak 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed
176 MB/s 240 MB/s Much faster peak deep queue mixed IO.
+36%
ADQ Read
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed
346 MB/s Faster deep queue read.
+11%
311 MB/s
ADQ Write
Avg. 4K-64Thread Write Speed
262 MB/s 282 MB/s Slightly faster deep queue write.
+8%
ADQ Mixed
Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed
147 MB/s 201 MB/s Much faster deep queue mixed IO.
+37%
Capacity
Capacity
256GB 256GB
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The 840 Pro is stunning. Samsung have created a completely in-house package including both the controller and their own new 21nm toggle mode NAND. On release (Oct '12) this was the fastest performing deep queue depth consumer grade SSD available. Fast forward six months (Apr '13) and the 840 Pro still holds both the random read/write deep queue depth speed records of 384 MB/s and 326 MB/s, impressive considering how fast the SSD space tends to move. There are no obvious weaknesses, in-fact the 840 pro takes first place in nearly all of the speed categories and is only seriously rivalled by one drive, the OCZ Vector. To conclude, in terms of both outright performance, particularly server orientated, and value for money the 256GB and 128GB 840 Pros are amongst the top handful of drives currently available. [Jun '13 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

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.

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 $279Nvidia RTX 4060 $300Crucial MX500 250GB $40
Intel Core i5-12400F $134Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $385Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $80
Intel Core i5-12600K $184Nvidia 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) $35Corsair 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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