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