Introduction
Crucial are releasing a lot of MX300 SSD including the recent 525Gb and 2TB versions. There’s also an M.2 version in the range as previously promised. If you can’t stretch to a 2Tb SSD and want a little more than the 525GB then we also have the 1TB model, which we have for review today. The Model is badged 1050MB on the box but it’s the 1TB model.
We’ve seen the MX300 range for most of 2016 now, so there’s nothing new there other than the previously mentioned M.2 models. There’s been a couple of firmware updates for the MX300 and other models in the crucial range, so the Crucial engineers are still hard at work ensuring their current model ranges are optimised and reliable. So, what’s the wow factor? Well it must be the new capacities coming from the MX300 range now, the 1TB and 2TB models. We know what we want, it’s always more, more and more storage, especially from an SSD, but if you are unsure, Crucial have an online help tool/guide to assist with your decision.
You have probably heard it all before, but these sizes for SSD’s are still the stuff of dreams despite a few of them creeping on to the market. We have 4TB WD Red’s in our Home Server in various RAID setups because they were the biggest HDD you could buy at the time. Of course you get the larger sizes now, but it shows that the head start that mechanical storage had over solid state storage is shrinking. We are only about 12 months away from mainstream 4TB SSDs, as every generation of SSD controller and industry advancement seems to be on a yearly cycle.
| Specification | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | MX300 | MX200 | MX100 |
| Form Factor | 2.5-inch internal SSD | 2.5-inch internal SSD | 2.5-inch internal SSD |
| Controller | Marvell 88SS1074-BSW2 | Marvell 88SS9189-BLD2 | Marvell 88SS9189 |
| Sequential Read | 530 MB/s | 555 MB/s | 550 MB/s |
| Sequential Write | 510 MB/s (275GB 500 MB/s) | 500 MB/s | 500 MB/s |
| Encryption | AES 256-bit encryption TCG Opal 2.0-compliant IEEE-1667-compliant Compatible with Microsoft eDrive | AES 256-bit encryption TCG Opal 2.0-compliant IEEE-1667-compliant Compatible with Microsoft eDrive | AES 256-bit encryption TCG Opal 2.0-compliant IEEE-1667-compliant Compatible with Microsoft eDrive |
| NAND | Micron 16nm 384Gbit 32-layer 3D TLC | Micron 16nm 128Gbit MLC | Micron 16nm/20nm 128Gbit MLC |
| NAND Packages | 48GB | 64GB | 16GB |
| Onboard Cache | 512MB LPDDR3 | 512MB LPDDR2 | 512MB LPDDR2 |
| Active Power Consumption | 75mW | 150mW | 150mW |
| Capacity | 275GB/ 525GB/ 1TB/ 2TB | 250GB/ 500GB/ 1TB | 128GB/ 256GB/ 512GB |
| Interface | SATA 6Gb/s, compatible with all older SATA interfaces | SATA 6Gb/s, compatible with all older SATA interfaces | SATA 6Gb/s, compatible with all older SATA interfaces |
| Warranty | Limited 3-year | Limited 3-year | Limited 3-year |
Crucial are using Micron’s new 3D TLC, some of the highest density flash currently available. The MX300 still sports the current standard in encryption, AES 256-bit encryption. It also provides Multistep Data Integrity Algorithm, Dynamic Write Acceleration, Redundant Array of Independent NAND (RAIN) and Device Sleep Support (DEVSLP) features, to name a few.
Crucial MX300 1TB SSD Storage Review
Package - 7.8
Performance - 8.1
Price - 9
Consumer Experience - 8
8.2
The Crucial MX300 1TB conclusion is going to be a bit different. The performance is as marketed by Crucial and that makes it fast. It's right up there in terms of performance with any of the SSDs on test and even the Samsung M.2 drive in application tests. There is no disputing what it can do. The main stumbling point for most will be the price. However, this is going to be the Crucial MX300 1TB main strength. Crucial have priced this as by far the cheapest 1TB drive on the market. For some of their competitors it's almost 50% cheaper, which is astonishing.