CONCLUSION

   After wrapping up all our tests it’s very clear that the new BX500 240GB SATA III SSD by Crucial is nothing to get excited over since its entry-level performance is inferior not only to that of its predecessor the BX300 series but also older models. Of course this was to be expected due to the lack of a DRAM module but another factor may have come into play and we're of course talking about the plastic enclosure which could increase the chances of thermal throttling (as opposed to the aluminum enclosure of previous models). Unfortunately since Crucial was unable to send us the 480GB model like they did with most of their past lines (we will try to get it in order to deliver a more accurate comparison) we can't directly compare the BX500 240GB model to the BX300 480GB model but regardless it's easy to see that the BX500 line is actually a step backwards in terms of performance (and reliability for the 120/480GB models since they feature a lower TBW compared to the models of the BX300 line).

   Crucial had to cut some corners in order to reduce the price of the BX500 series and since currently the 240GB model retails for just USD49.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 39.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) they obviously succeeded. Still although demanding users (even owners of the BX300 series) will steer clear of the BX500 series by Crucial casual users on very tight budgets will most likely have zero issues with its performance levels and that’s why we strongly recommend them to check it out.

PROS

- Performance (Compared To HDDs)
- Features (NANDXtend / SLC Write Caching / DevSleep)
- Crucial Storage Executive Software
- 3 Year Warranty
- Price

CONS

- Overall Performance Levels (DRAM-Less Design)
- Plastic Enclosure (Temperatures)
- Available Capacities (120/240/480GB)
- Not Available In The M.2 Form Factor