SSD by stefan @ 2011-11-08
The Crucial 256GB m4 SSD comes now with an improved firmware and we now get read speeds up to 500MB/s sequential. Compared to the SandForce offerings, the m4 comes with a good price/performance ratio, so we could afford getting higher capacity SSDs. The tested model also comes with a Data Transfer Kit composed of hardware (USB to SATA adapter) and software (EZ GIG IV Cloning Software).
At first I would like to thank Lexar Media for offering me samples of their Crucial 256GB m4 2.5'' SSD with Data Transfer Kit for testing and reviewing.
"Crucial Technology is now Lexar Media, a division of Micron Europe Limited. Lexar Media boasts one of the most comprehensive offerings of memory product lines in the industry. We deliver high-quality, award-winning products in every memory category: USB flash drives, all popular form factors of memory cards and card readers, DRAM computer memory for PCs and Mac systems, and solid state drives (SSD). We back our products with outstanding customer support and industry-leading warranties, and we strive to expand our offerings to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers — customers just like you.
Our Crucial brand reflects our status as the only consumer memory upgrade supplier that's part of a major DRAM manufacturer. We sell high-quality memory that has been qualified and approved by most major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The Crucial.com website features innovative online tools and an intuitive design that makes it easy to find compatible memory and recommended upgrades. And because we carry over 250,000 upgrades for more than 40,000 systems, we've got options for nearly every system out there.
The Lexar brand has long been synonymous with reliable, high-performance products, which is reflected in the award-wining memory products and USB flash drives sold under the Lexar name.
Lexar Media has more than 10 years experience in the memory industry. Our strong retail brands, along with our direct online and OEM presence, make Lexar Media a global player in every major customer channel, including value-added resellers, system builders, and e-commerce. And we've built a name synonymous with quality, innovation, and customer service.
Lexar Media. when memory matters."
Product details
Most advanced NAND process technology in the semiconductor industry
Limited three-year warranty
Speed demon
Hungry for more? The Crucial m4 SSD builds on the success of our award-winning, wildly popular Crucial RealSSD C300 solid-state drive by offering mobile and desktop users scorching-fast read and write speeds, groundbreaking SATA SSD computing, and unparalleled performance for the dollar.
Latest and greatest
Designed for client computing, the Crucial m4 SSD delivers faster boot and application load times for mobile and desktop users alike. Low power, lightweight, and durable, it empowers high-speed synchronous MLC NAND, advanced controller technology, optimized NAND management, and the second-generation SATA 6Gb/s interface. Together, that technology dramatically improves data transfers for bandwidth-demanding applications.
Clear advantage
SSDs provide many benefits over traditional hard drives.
Reduced power consumption
Less heat generation
Quiet
Increased portability, lightweight
No moving parts
Rugged and reliable operation in even the most demanding operating environments
Memory Experts
Delivering on the highest quality based upon Micron's leading-edge NAND media, the Crucial brand of memory has long been synonymous with reliability and high-performance. Our expertise in NAND process technology enables us to optimize the performance and durability of Crucial solid-state drives.
Guaranteed Compatible
Crucial m4 series employ a standard hard drive interface and dimensions, so it is an easy storage upgrade for most notebooks. We guarantee compatibility.
Transfer everything in a few easy steps
The Data Transfer Kit makes it simple to copy everything on your hard drive, including operating system, data, email settings and applications, to your Crucial m4. The kit includes the EZ Gig III Cloning and Imaging Software for Windows®, ShirtPocket's SuperDuper! for Mac®, a USB to SATA cable and a Quick Start Guide. Upgrade your notebook drive in just three simple steps.
(click to enlarge)
The Crucial M4 SSD is shipped inside a small cardboard box, which shows us on the frontal side the capacity of the product, but we are also informed that this model contains Disk Cloning software, along with an USB to SATA cable:
Some of the product features can be found on the back of the box, in multiple languages:
The box is fully sealed with a transparent plastic sticker; on it, we can also find the product serial number, along with its code name:
Besides the SSD, which is held inside a plastic frame, we can also find the disk with software and the USB to SATA adapter, which helps in case we want to copy some data to the SSD without the need to open up the computer case, or if we want to clone our current HDD/SSD to the Crucial one:
Documentation can be also found here; one of the papers is the Installation manual and the other show us how to connect the USB adapter and how to use the included software:
Both software and adapter are branded Apricorn; on one side of the cable we can find the Data and Power connectors:
The other side has the USB connector, which is only USB 2.0:
On the back of the adapter, we can find the inscription “SATA WIRE, 2.5''”:
The software CD contains:
-EZ Gig IV Cloning application
-Manuals
-Datasheets
-Acrobat Reader Software
-Technical Support information
Mac users are not forgotten, so the ShirtPocket SuperDuper! Application is also included:
For extra protection, the SSD is wrapped inside an anti-static bag, fully sealed:
The SSD chassis is covered in a gunmetal paint and on one of its sides we can find a sticker with the brand name:
On this side we can also locate the SATA Data and Power contacts:
The other side comes with another sticker which tells us the total capacity of the product, supported SATA standard (6Gb/s), firmware revision (0009), the serial numbers and power rating:
One of the screws from this side is covered with the warranty sticker:
The SSD PCB is covered with a total of 16 Micron 25nm NAND Flash (8 on each side), along with the Marvel controller:
The Marvell SSD Controller chip is type 88SS9174-BLD2:
As mentioned before, the opposite side contains the rest of 8 NAND Flash, along with the buffer RAM (unlike the SandForce SSDs that do not need extra RAM placed on the PCB):
The code name, D9LGQ, of the buffer RAM tells us that it is DDR3, clocked at 1333MHz, with a total capacity of 128MB:
CPU : Intel I5 2500K Retail @ 4.8GHz , 1.3V
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12P
Motherboard : ASRock P67 Extreme6
RAM : G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL8D-4GBRM
Video : Sparkle X460 Calibre 1GB
Power Supply : Cooler Master 850W
HDD : Seagate Barracuda 320GB 7200.10
Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840
As the previously tested SSD, the Crucial m4 256GB SSD has arrived unformatted:
After the SSD has been formated NTFS, here is the total free space as reported by Windows 7:
With the help of AIDA64, we can extract more information regarding the drive:
HDTach Short Test
HDTach Long Test
CrystalMark HDD Test Suite
AIDA64 Disk Test Suite
PCMark05 HDD Test Suite
CrystalDisk Test Suite (Random)
HDTune Test Suite
PCMark Vantage HDD Test Suite
AS SSD Benchmark
AS SSD Benchmark (IOPS)
ATTO Disk Benchmark
HD Tune File Benchmark 64MB
HD Tune File Benchmark 512MB
PCMark 7
As mentioned before, the Crucial m4 SSD can be also shipped with cloning software and an USB to SATA adapter, which aids us when transferring data from the drive we want to replace with the SSD. On the installation disk, we can find the software available to install, when Autorun is launched:
The main software is named EZ GIG IV, which can be ran directly from the disk, or we can also create a bootable drive with it:
This software allows us to make different backup types or to clone the data completely from one drive to another:
The easiest way to backup is of course, cloning, where we have to select the source drive, destination drive and customize the copy options; we can also select which folders we can skip, resize the target partition dimensions or even perform speed tests on the drives to approximate how much the cloning operation would take:
On the Autorun menu, we also have the option to install SyncToy 2.1 from Microsoft (the browser opens at the application download page, it is not included on the disk), which is a simpler way of transferring folders or files from one drive to another:
Next, we have the choice of installing Apricorn SMART-ER v2 software, which helps us monitor the drive health:
The Apricorn adapter brings the Crucial m4 down to USB 2.0 speeds when connected to a spare port; the speed tests results are located below:
As we have seen from the documentation on the Internet and from the test results, the previously reviewed SSD had a SandForce processor in it, which relies on compression techniques and the performance of the drive varies, depending if the data handled is compressible or not.
Lexar Media continues to release better and better firmwares for the m4 SSD, to fix bugs but also for boosting performances.
Compared to the SSDs with SandForce, which needed a lot of fixes after the latest generation was launched, the Crucial m4, even if it has lower write transfer speeds, comes with an attractive price per GB. Thanks to the increased capacity, most of us can start thinking of replacing the mechanical drives inside laptops or netbooks, without the need of using a separate disk drive on USB to store necessary data, which would ruin some of their portability (in case we have a 15'' laptop, which most do not have space for installing a secondary drive).
The Crucial m4 comes in different “flavors”, at the same 256GB storage capacity:
-CT256M4SSD2 which offers only the drive
-CT256M4SSD2BAA which also comes with a 3.5'' adapter bracket
-CT256M4SSD2CCA which comes bundled with the Data Transfer Kit
The model which holds the Data Transfer Kit is the most expensive and can be found at online shops for as low as 326 Euros. If we choose to buy only the drive, the price can go down to 308 Euros.
I would like to thank again to Lexar Media for making this review possible!