INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   When i first started testing SSDs (Solid State Drives) roughly 5/6 years ago even the cheapest 60GB model cost more than a 2TB HDD and although SSDs had a very large and clear advantage in read/write/access speeds over regular HDDs it wasn't until a couple of years later that consumers actually got interested. Fast forward to today and things have changed quite a bit not only because current SSD models are twice as fast but also because prices have taken a significant dive so as we speak 120/128GB models cost roughly the same as 1TB HDDs. However due to the fact that many more manufacturers have also jumped on the SSD wagon since then there are numerous SSD models available in the market currently with different performance levels and bundles something that's more than enough to confuse most consumers. Crucial/Micron is amongst the very few manufacturers that have been manufacturing commercial SSDs almost right from the start and since their M500 line of SSDs is considered to be one of the best in the market we decided to take a closer look on the 480GB model.

 

   Crucial.com is a leading online retailer specializing in computer memory (RAM) and solid state drives (SSD), and is operated by a subsidiary of Micron Technology, Inc., one of the world's leading manufacturers of computer memory products. Crucial.com offers more than 250,000 compatible products for nearly every computer system: home and business, old and new, PC and Mac® computers. Utilizing a suite of easy-to-use, free online tools, including the Crucial® System Scanner and the Crucial Memory Advisor™ tool, crucial.com makes it easy to find a compatible upgrade to improve computer performance and restore system reliability. For more information, visit www.crucial.com.

 

   Much like with their previous SSD model the award winning M4 Crucial/Micron has once again decided to base their newest SSD on a Marvell controller and more specifically the 88SS8197-BLD2 one we've seen with the M5 Pro by Plextor. However unlike the M4 this time over the controller used in the M500 supports DDR3 memory (512MB for the 480GB model), 256 bit AES encryption, RAIN (Redundant Array of Independent NAND), TCG Opal 2.0, IEEE-1667 (these two standards make the M500 compatible with Microsoft’s eDrive feature used in Windows 8 allowing Bitlocker to use the drives' hardware encryption instead of the usual software one) and also wears the latest 128Gbit 20nm MLC NAND die featuring ONFI 3.0 support for reduced power requirements and higher interface speeds (up to 400MB/s). All these seem nice on paper but if we've learned one thing over the years that's that from paper and up to real world performance things may change quite a bit so let's see what the M500 480GB is capable of.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crucial packs the M500 inside a small blue/white box with a product image at the front, the company logo and the model capacity.

 

 

The main features of the M500 are listed on the left side.

 

 

At the rear we see a picture of the bundle contents, several barcodes and the Crucial support URL.

 

 

Opening the box reveals a piece of plastic which is used to keep the drive safe.

 

 

Along with the M500 you will also get a 7mm to 9.5mm spacer.

 

 

THE M500 480GB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We've seen a large number of SSDs over the years and the 7mm thick aluminum body of the M500 is not something new (although we hardly ever see the SATA power and data connectors facing upwards).

 

 

The product model, serial number, barcode, connectivity type, available capacity, factory location, electrical requirements and installed firmware can all be seen on a large sticker placed at the rear.

 

 

As expected at the rear of the drive we find the usual SATA power and data connectors (luckily no pins are present which means that you can update the FW without any effort).

 

 

Opening the drive is very easy although that means voiding the 3 year warranty.

 

 

The M500 480GB comes with a grant total of 16 32GB Micron 20nm MLC NAND Flash Modules on both sides of the PCB.

 

 

The 88SS8197-BLD2 controller by Marvell features eight channels and wears a brand new custom firmware by Crucial/Micron (next to the controller we see the 512MB DDR3 cache).

 

 

TEST BED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TESTING METHODOLOGY

 

   After roughly 5 years of testing sold state drives i have concluded that it's almost impossible for any single benchmark suite to accurately measure their performance and that's why in certain benchmark suites we see amazing read/write performance numbers with some drives while in others things are quite different. The reason behind this is that some benchmarking suites are configured to read and write random chunks of data while others read and write constant (sequential) ones. So that's why i always use a very wide selection of benchmarking suites including AIDA64, HD Tach RW, HD Tune Pro, Crystal Disk Mark, Sisoftware Sandra Pro, AS SSD, IOmeter and ATTO. To get the most accurate results each test gets repeated a total of 6 times with the average performance numbers recorded into our charts.

 

   Many people made inquiries about the charts ever since the last comparison so once again please do keep in mind that the Charts have the average performance numbers of each drive recorded and not the peak (highest) ones. Also although every single one of these programs can help potential buyers choose the right drive for their needs you should also remember that from any kind of benchmark up to real world usage the gap is not small (and usually most differences will go unnoticed by most people). All tests were performed in a fresh Windows 7 Ultimate x64 installation with every update installed up to February 22nd 2014.

 

 

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEST RESULTS - HD TUNE PRO / HD TACH RW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEST RESULTS - AS SSD / IOMETER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   The previous M4 model by Crucial/Micron was launched back in 2011 and although it offered very good read speeds (up to 500MB/s) it did lack the punch needed in write speeds (up to 260MB/s) and 4KB random IOPS performance (read 45k/write 50k) to compete with the top models by other manufacturers so it was really just a matter of time before Crucial/Micron made a comeback to correct that. Well with the M500 series they have obviously solved that issue by offering almost twice as fast write speeds and IOPS performance but still after just almost a year in stores it seems that this Marvell based SSD is no longer enough to surpass some of the newer performance oriented models. Of course that doesn't mean that it's not a very good SSD especially since Crucial/Micron has packed a good number of features in it (most importantly RAIN and eDrive compatibility) but since price is also a very significant factor when judging storage media we also need to see how well it does there too.

 

   Well it seems that Crucial/Micron know very well the ways of how to tempt consumers into purchasing their products since with a current price tag set at USD260.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 238Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the M500 480GB is just slightly more expensive than many 240GB SSD models. Now it's somewhat clear just by looking at our charts and the price tag of the M500 480GB that it's not aimed towards the most demanding consumers out in the market looking for the top possible performance (professionals mostly) but rather for people who are looking to get their hands on the best possible bargain between performance, durability and price and right now i just can't think of a better deal than this which is why it walks away with our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Very Good Overall Performance
- Features (RAIN & eDrive Support)
- 3 Year Warranty
- Available In 960GB
- Price (For Some)

 

CONS

- Bundle