Average Bench: 101% (251st of 1071)

Based on 77,177 user benchmarks.  Models: CT250MX500SSD1, CT250MX5 CT250MX500SSD1

The MX500 is Crucial’s current flagship consumer SATA SSD featuring their latest second generation 64-layer 3D TLC NAND. It’s available in 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB capacities in a 2.5-inch form factor. All but the 2 TB version will also be available in M.2 (2280) form in the future. The MX500 features a Silicon Motion SM2258 controller which is a change from the Marvell 88SS1074 controller featured in the MX300 (it’s nearly two year old predecessor). Performance is around 30% better than on the MX300 which currently retails at the same price. The MX500 has an SLC cache which increases with drive capacity. Consequently, the larger capacities are better able to sustain high sequential write speeds. The 250 GB version has 250MB of SLC cache, the 500 GB has 512 MB, the 1 TB has 1 GB and the 2 TB has 2 GB. Extended sustained write performance tests show that even though speed does drop off after the cache has been exhausted, it is still maintained at very respectable levels. The MX500’s five year warranty is in line with Samsung’s 850 Evo and exceeds it in terms of endurance (just 75 TBW for the 250 GB 850 Evo versus 100 TBW for the 250 GB MX500). It doesn’t quite match up to the Samsung’s 850 Evo’s performance (effective speed 8% slower), however at current prices it is about 20% cheaper, and on balance offers better value for money. [Mar '18 SSDrivePro]

Outstanding average bench

The Crucial MX500 250GB averaged 1.1% higher than the peak scores attained by the group leaders. This is an excellent result which ranks the Crucial MX500 250GB near the top of the comparison list.

Strengths

Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 219MB/s
Avg. 4K Random Mixed IO Speed 45.4MB/s

Below average consistency

The range of scores (95th - 5th percentile) for the Crucial MX500 250GB is 50.6%. This is a relatively wide range which indicates that the Crucial MX500 250GB performs inconsistently under varying real world conditions.

Weaknesses

Avg. Sustained Write Speed 352MB/s
Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 386MB/s
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Average Bench

(Based on 77,177 samples)
Min Avg Max
334 Read 451 514
246 Write 394 466
269 Mixed 386 450
187 SusWrite 352 458
89% 396 MB/s
Min Avg Max
21.5 4K Read 33.7 42.6
45.2 4K Write 83.4 116
28 4K Mixed 45.4 58.3
153% 54.2 MB/s
Min Avg Max
219 DQ Read 329 384
135 DQ Write 294 359
112 DQ Mixed 219 278
190% 281 MB/s
User Benchmarks Bench Sequential Random 4k Deep queue 4k
The fastest SSD (mainstream) averages a speed of 100%
37GB free (System drive)
Firmware: M3CR023
SusWrite @10s intervals: 414 393 379 116 185 152 MB/s
Read 472
Write 411
Mixed 417
SusWrite 273
88% 393 MB/s
4K Read 33
4K Write 71.3
4K Mixed 43
143% 49.1 MB/s
DQ Read 371
DQ Write 309
DQ Mixed 262
218% 314 MB/s
142GB free (System drive)
Firmware: M3CR023
SusWrite @10s intervals: 165 184 181 202 218 82 MB/s
Read 463
Write 395
Mixed 410
SusWrite 172
81% 360 MB/s
4K Read 29.9
4K Write 62.7
4K Mixed 41.6
132% 44.7 MB/s
DQ Read 373
DQ Write 310
DQ Mixed 218
197% 300 MB/s
77,177 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 71,121,373 SSDs tested.

 Prices

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MSRP ≈ $80 @ launch in Dec '17
AmazonUS $2819 mins
EbayUS $332 mins
BHPhotoUS $503 years
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Typical MX500 250GB Builds (Compare 17,347 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings.
Gaming
Gaming 98%
Nuclear submarine
Desktop
Desktop 87%
Aircraft carrier
Workstation
Workstation 92%
Nuclear submarine

Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX (MS-7C02) - $130

EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 85% - Excellent Total price: $668

Popular MX500 250GB compatible motherboards:

How Fast Is Your SSD? (Bench your build) Size up your PC in less than a minute.

Welcome to our freeware 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 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.
Solid State Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) September 2023 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.

 Comments

Controller: Silicon Motion SM2258. Flash Memory: Micron 3D TLC

Fly through everything you do...

Added 5 years ago.

Good

13 months ago.

Good performance/price ssd with ddr cache


Liked

2 years ago.

Deal  samsung.com/...

samsung it's the best


Excellent

8 months ago.

very good performance for price


Excellent

18 months ago.

best budget friendly and work more than its worth


Terrible

1 month ago.

it is trash. has 65percent health after only two years


Good

5 years ago.


Excellent

3 years ago.

I have MX 500 and it is great on day to day basis


Excellent

4 years ago.

One of the better SSDs, especially for the money. Why so many downvotes? People must be too whiny


Good

3 years ago.

This SSD is faster than the Kingston A400 and is usually not much more expensive, a good option for those who want a SATA3 SSD a little faster.


Excellent

3 years ago.

Why spend more on a Samsung SSD?


Your
opinion?
1071 Drives (Compared) Thousands of user benchmarks compiled into one comparison list.

See how consistently different SSDs perform with varying real world conditions. The charts also illustrate overall performance, popularity and rank.

 Frequently Asked Questions

 Best User Rated

The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $310Nvidia RTX 4060 $290Crucial MX500 250GB $28
Intel Core i5-12400F $150Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $397Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $60
Intel Core i5-12600K $205Nvidia RTX 3060-Ti $260Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $50
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $36Corsair 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) $50G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $381SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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