Crucial v4 (256GB) Review
by Kristian Vättö on November 22, 2012 1:01 PM ESTThe Crucial v4
Overall the drive shares a design similar to the m4, though the two are not alike. Even though the v4 is a budget SSD, the case is made out of metal.
The v4 packaging doesn't include any fancy add-ons: There is the drive and mounting screws.
Since Crucial is a subsidiary of Micron, it’s not surprising to find Micron’s NAND inside the v4. What is a bit surprising is that Crucial has opted to use only eight NAND packages in the 256GB model, even though there are sixteen NAND sockets on the PCB. Each package works out to be 32GB (4x 8GB die) and are manufactured using IMFT’s 25nm process. As the v4 is a budget and “stock cleaning” model, I wouldn’t be surprised to see varying NAND configurations even among the same capacities. If there is more demand for 32GB packages, Micron may opt for sixteen 16GB packages instead to be able to clear 25nm NAND stocks as efficiently as possible.
The Phison PS3105 is an 8-channel SATA 3Gbps controller, similar to most consumer grade controllers. It's fabricated using a 90nm process and comes in a 324-pin BGA package but further specifics about the controller are unkown. TRIM and Native Command Queuing (NCQ) are, however, supported. There is also 128MB of LPDDR-333 acting as a cache, which is the minimum for the PS3105. Those unfamiliar with the Phison name might find it interesting to hear that their controllers are often found in budget USB flash memory devices (where performance is often a minor concern).
Test System
| CPU |
Intel Core i5-2500K running at 3.3GHz (Turbo and EIST enabled) |
| Motherboard |
AsRock Z68 Pro3 |
| Chipset |
Intel Z68 |
| Chipset Drivers |
Intel 9.1.1.1015 + Intel RST 10.2 |
| Memory | G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3-1600 2 x 4GB (9-9-9-24) |
| Video Card |
XFX AMD Radeon HD 6850 XXX (800MHz core clock; 4.2GHz GDDR5 effective) |
| Video Drivers | AMD Catalyst 10.1 |
| Desktop Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| OS | Windows 7 x64 |
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andrejg - Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - link
For my HP635 notebook with AMD E450 chipset/platform. It turned out, that it is incompatible with notebook. Tried all kinds of tricks, from FW updates/upgrades... SSD just sometimes , not allways, didn't work properly at boot, showing boot sector problems and errors. The same SSD works very good in a desktop. Anyway, it is priced too high to be worth considering, since you can get Intel 330 or Samsung 830 for couple of euros more, but with much much higher speeds and with latest SATA speed.Oh, and before giving up I really spent many days in front of google, forums, support pages from HP and Crucial etc. What is funny is, that this very HP635 is stated as supportedfor a v4 128 on a Crucial web site...
jack.fxx - Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - link
The SSD you bought is probably faulty and you should ask for replacement. Even if it's not faulty, it still doesn't work as specified.batguiide - Sunday, December 9, 2012 - link
Sharea website with you ,
( socanpower. ca)
Believe you will love it.
laptop battery,CPU fan,AC power adapters.DC power adapters and laptop keyboard.
I bought two. Cheap, good quality, you can
go and ship with there.
legalsuit - Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - link
So I bought a Crucial v4 128gb to use in my PC laptop. It was slower than the hdd, so I moved it to a desktop... still too slow... then finally as a last ditch effort, I threw into an old 2006 Mac Book Pro (A1150). Wow, it worked perfectly.Just goes to show. Old tech and old tech make a happy marriage. And don't get this if you have anything newer, just won't work right.