First, the basics. The new range is available in capacities of 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB. That’s a departure from the MX300; due to the odd 384GB capacity of its NAND dies, this was available in 275GB and 525GB versions. The new 64-layer dies have a more conventional 256GB capacity. For a start, its sequential read speeds in both CrystalDiskMark and AS SSD are about as fast as they come for SATA drives, although sequential write speeds are just a smidge behind the fastest drives. Meanwhile, random performance has also been pushed about as high as possible, with the drive surpassing its claimed IOPS performance in Iometer. The MX500 also sees a bump up in the length of its warranty from its predecessor, with the drive now getting five years of cover. Write endurance has also increased slightly, with this 500GB model moving up from 160TB to 180TB. The MX500 also uses TLC NAND, rather than MLC, so its write speed has to be bolstered by a portion of the NAND acting in an SLC manner.

Crucial MX500 250GB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-inch 7mm (with 9.5mm Crucial MX500 250GB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-inch 7mm (with 9.5mm

However, this SLC cache is dynamically managed in a way that means write performance only drops a little. After around 180GB, its write speed drops to 400MB/sec.SSDs can help boost productivity for businesses, due to their high-performance factors. Find out how SSDs can prove beneficial for your company.

Crucial MX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-inch 7mm (with 9.5mm Crucial MX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-inch 7mm (with 9.5mm

Despite the drop in some capacities, the drives essentially offer the same value, with this 500GB model sitting at the bottom end of the price range for 500GB drives. The drives are all rated to run at up to 560MB/sec sequential read and 510MB/sec sequential write speeds, along with 95K IOPS read and 90K IOPS write speeds. So, unlike several other drives, there’s no drop in performance for the lower-capacity models. Part-specific certification of how this product meets the requirements of the current DIRECTIVE 2011/65/EU and 2015/863/EU, a.k.a. Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive (Recast).