Crucial MX100 (256GB & 512GB) Review
by Kristian Vättö on June 2, 2014 3:00 PM ESTFinal Words
Shortly put, the MX100's task is to replace the M500 and it does that brilliantly. While the MX100's main goal is to lower the price by using smaller lithography NAND, it also provides a minor increase in performance over the M500 and offers the same industry-leading set of features. Given the success of the M500, Crucial had no reason to do a major overhaul with the MX100 and to be completely honest, there isn't really anything left to be desired. The performance and features are already present, so I really can't see how Crucial could make the MX100 significantly better. Sure the performance isn't record breaking but the MX100 isn't aimed at the enthusiast and professional segment where that is a concern.
My only criticism is towards the M550 and how it's positioned in the market. As I mentioned in the M550 review already, I don't really see where the drive fits in the market. It's not fast enough to compete in the enthusiast/professional space but on the other hand there is no reason for an average user to pay the premium for it, especially as the MX100 provides equivalent performance in nearly all scenarios. The 1TB M550 is the only model that makes sense but that is only because the MX100 tops out at 512GB; to be honest I would rather have a 1TB MX100 with the M550 being discontinued. I think the M550 as it currently stands doesn't really contribute anything to Crucial's SSD portfolio and all it does is cause confusion among potential buyers.
| NewEgg Price Comparison (6/2/2014) | ||||
| 120/128GB | 240/256GB | 480/512GB | ||
| Crucial MX100 (MSRP) | $80 | $110 | $225 | |
| Crucial M550 | $100 | $165 | $305 | |
| Crucial M500 | $72 | $110 | $230 | |
| Plextor M6S (MSRP) | $130 | $165 | $400 | |
| Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme | $200 | $230 | $459 | |
| ADATA Premier Pro SP920 | $90 | $150 | - | |
| Intel SSD 730 | - | $205 | $440 | |
| Intel SSD 530 | $110 | $165 | - | |
| OCZ Vector 150 | $115 | $200 | $339 | |
| OCZ Vertex 460 | $114 | $400 | $280 | |
| Samsung SSD 840 EVO | $110 | $181 | $280 | |
| Samsung SSD 840 Pro | $144 | $250 | $400 | |
| SanDisk Extreme II | $98 | $180 | $420 | |
| Seagate SSD 600 | $105 | $136 | $314 | |
And here's where the other shoe drops. The MSRPs (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Prices) are just insane; none of the big brands even come close to the prices of the MX100. You are basically getting a 256GB MX100 for the price of a 120/128GB SSD, which is awesome. Obviously these are not final prices but in my experience the MSRPs tend to be more conservative than aggressive, so final retail prices may end up being even lower. I wonder how Samsung in particular is going to respond because the 840 EVO should have a cost advantage due to the use of TLC NAND, but right now the EVO is priced $30 to $70 higher while not providing any substantial added value.
All in all, I have nothing negative to say about the MX100. With the performance and feature set, combined with pricing that basically doubles the amount of storage you get for your dollar, it's an absolute no-brainer. Unless you are an enthusiast or professional with a heavy IO workload, the MX100 is currently the drive with the best bang for the buck in the market by far.
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juhatus - Wednesday, June 4, 2014 - link
Does the Samsung XP941 use Samsung's 3D NAND? Availability at least would fit as the first drive's where seen last Q3/13 on OEM machines..juhatus - Wednesday, June 4, 2014 - link
To answer for my own question: Yes and that also explains XP941's rarityhttp://english.etnews.com/device/2963105_1304.html
Kristian Vättö - Wednesday, June 4, 2014 - link
So far Samsung has only been sampling 3D NAND SSDs to enterprise OEMs, although they have just started providing some to the PC OEMs with the new 32-layer NAND. The XP941 is still regular MLC but Samsung it's only available for OEMs.Samus - Thursday, June 5, 2014 - link
I've installed over 100 M500's and have personally been using a C300 since 2010 in my daily driver laptop. Rock solid drives. Who cares if they're 10% "slower" than a Sandforce drive.Onyx2291 - Thursday, June 5, 2014 - link
Just ordered a 512GB for $199.99. Such good value.beatsbyden - Thursday, August 21, 2014 - link
Great bargain for the price. I heard the 256GB drive is in fact a 320 GB drive with 20% overprovisioning...that would even be more a bargain. Performance decrades less than with all other brands that only have 7%. I also like the protection and encryption on the mx 100. Still have to chose between the samsung 840 evo 250gb and the mx100. Would chose the mx100 if had better writing performance...but now i have doubts...Gonna use it for audioproduction...so lots of reads and writes that would make the samsung evo 840 a better choice right....i have a Samsung 830 128GB now and i'm satisfied with it, never failed me, but need a bigger one. Should i stick with Samsung or get the MX 100?SpartanTech - Wednesday, September 17, 2014 - link
Get the 512GB MX100, should satisfy your needs and provides even more storage....PS: Don't think you'll notice any difference tbh
Canadaram - Wednesday, October 22, 2014 - link
Because Crucial is a direct seller as well as a wholesaler, they can set the MSRP much closer to wholesale/street pricing levels, so don't expect as large of a discount from MSRP to street as you would on retail brands.akin1231 - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 - link
This drive is not a steal, it's a massive rip off because it doesn't work reliably. There's a massive issue with it falling off intermittently but frequently. There's no fix for it yet. Check the Crucial forum:http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Crucial-SSDs/MX100-wil...
I bought 3 of these... I'm a sucker
fossxplorer - Friday, April 10, 2015 - link
Good and very important info.