SSD by stefan @ 2016-09-25
The MX300 525GB SSD from Crucial is marketed as a mainstream product and unlike the regular TLC drives where we have experienced high write performance drops (to about 90MB/s) when transferring large files, the 3D TLC NAND is able to deliver higher writes even after the cache is filled. This is Crucial’s first 3D NAND generation in cooperation with Intel and we expect further to see improvements with firmware upgrades.
At first we would like to thank Crucial for sending a sample of their MX300 525GB SSD for testing and reviewing.
“Looking for computer memory or a new storage drive? You've come to the right place!
Crucial is a global brand of Micron Technology, Inc., one of the largest memory and flash storage manufacturers in the world. We make computer memory upgrades (DRAM) and solid state drives (SSDs), and offer more than 250,000 upgrades for over 50,000 systems. For 17 years, we've sought to provide the Crucial Difference — award-winning products, outstanding support, and a team of memory and storage experts who explain complex lingo in everyday terms. We're here to help improve the performance of your system.
Crucial memory and SSDs have been qualified and approved by major original equipment manufacturers, and every single module that leaves our doors has been rigorously tested at the component and module level. That's a big deal in the memory industry, but it's not all. When it comes to our SSDs, each drive undergoes over a thousand hours of prerelease validation testing and hundreds of qualification tests to ensure optimal reliability and performance.
To find upgrades in just a few clicks, our award-winning Crucial System Scanner or Crucial Memory Advisor™ tool will identify compatible upgrades for your system, and if you order on Crucial.com, we guarantee compatibility — or your money back. With fast and free shipping, outstanding tech support, and an exhaustive library of articles, videos, and install guides, we make it easy to find and install the right upgrade for your system.
Let us be your memory and storage experts.”
Instantly improve system performance
The Crucial MX300 reaches read speeds up to 530 MB/s and write speeds up to 510 MB/s1 on all file types so you can boot up almost instantly, reduce load times, and accelerate demanding applications with ease. Plus, our Dynamic Write Acceleration technology uses an adaptable pool of high-speed, single-level cell flash memory to generate blistering speeds throughout the drive’s long life.
Over 90x more energy efficient than a typical hard drive
Extreme Energy Efficiency technology within the Crucial MX300 reduces the amount of active power usage that's consumed by the drive. The Crucial MX300 extends your laptop's battery life by using only 0.075W of power, compared to a typical hard drive which uses 6.8W.
Entrust your files to a drive that lasts
With an endurance rating of up to 220TB total bytes written, the Crucial MX300 is engineered with Micron® 3D NAND to deliver years of fast performance. The 3D NAND leverages larger NAND cells to improve performance and prolong endurance.
Protect your data with AES 256-bit hardware-based encryption, RAIN technology, Exclusive Data Defense technology, and the durability inherent in SSD design.
Keep your system cool
In addition to lower active power usage, Adaptive Thermal Protection technology dynamically adjusts storage component activity. This helps keep your system cool and minimizes the risk of damage caused by overheating.
Boost drive performance by up to 10x with Crucial Storage Executive
This downloadable tool is easy to use and helps monitor and enhance the performance of your Crucial MX300 – update to the latest firmware and enable the Momentum Cache feature in Storage Executive to instantly improve burst performance. Download the latest version here.
The MX300 SSD series from Crucial is featuring the next generation of NAND Flash which is 3D NAND and intends on remaining a mainstream product, which can be also judged by the sale prices. In order to switch to the new generation, Crucial has partnered with Intel and incorporates a floating gate design. While the first showcased model was the 750GB limited edition, the manufacturer is back now with more variants: 525GB and 1050GB but also one 2TB model.
The MX300 525GB we have received for testing did arrive in a cardboard enclosure similar to the previous models from the same manufacturer; the top cover has a photo of the actual product and here we will also get the total capacity listed:
On the back, Crucial did list the package contents, but also the web link from where we can access additional resources:
Besides the previously-mentioned cardboard enclosure, the SSD is secured inside a custom black plastic mold:
The product is also accompanied by a 7mm to 9.5mm spacer (compatibility reasons), but also an Acronis True Image HD data migration software free license:
MX300 does come with a solid aluminum chassis and a product sticker is attached on the top:
The bottom area reveals a screw-less design, which are a bit difficult to take apart in order to check out the internal components; the middle area does also house a central sticker with the product code name, serial number, supported interface, power rating but also installed firmware code:
Next we can spot the SATA Data/Power connectors:
Right after taking apart the top cover, we will get to see the drive PCB, which actually takes half of the total free space inside the chassis:
One of the PCB sides does feature two 3D NAND packages with do sport the 6HB22 NW953 inscriptions; to be more exact, this is a 32-layer 384Gbit (48GB) die, one package having a total of 144GB:
The other side reveals the rest of the two packages; if we do have 144GB per package, we do total 576GB. This is quite an odd capacity number and Crucial does leave the user with 525GB, the rest being utilized for over-provisioning:
A 512MB DDR3 cache chip is also present here:
MX300 controller is a Marvell 88SS1074 which is a 4-channel part and comes with LDPC (low-density parity check). We do also get nice features like encryption support, SLC caching but also partial power loss protection (last feature is thanks to the multiple SMD capacitors installed on the drive):
CPU : Intel i5 3570K Retail
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
Motherboard : ASRock Z77 Extreme6
RAM :GeIL PC3-17000 2133MHz 8GB EVO Leggera
Video : Sparkle X560 Calibre
Power Supply : Cooler Master 850W
HDD : OCZ Vector 150
Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840
The drive is shipped unformatted:
Here is the total free space reported by Windows:
With the help of AIDA64, we could extract more information regarding the drive:
In order to access extra information about the drive and to run certain processes, we can always install the Storage Executive software, which Crucial places to our disposal for free; the application opens up in a browser window and the menus are located on the left side; from the System Information tab, we are able to check out PC information, but also some info on the installed drives:
By accessing Drive Details menu, we will be told more information regarding the MX300 like drive usage, current temperature, serial number, total bytes written and more; here we can also check if the latest drive firmware has been installed:
Advanced S.M.A.R.T. details can be looked at from the next menu:
The Firmware Updates menu is in charge of the firmware update process:
Drive sanitization must be made when we intend on discarding the drive in order not to recover data from it or sometimes can be made to bring it to factory settings:
PSID Revert process can be enabled only on encrypted drives:
We can enable Momentum Cache feature from the next menu of Storage Executive. Momentum Cache feature is using some of the system DRAM to buffer random data writes and thanks to this, the storage system’s burst IO will increase up to 10x, having a long-term impact on the SSD endurance:
Finally, we can set the Over Provisioning values:
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The MX300 525GB SSD from Crucial is marketed as a mainstream product and unlike the regular TLC drives where we have experienced high write performance drops (to about 90MB/s) when transferring large files, the 3D TLC NAND is able to deliver higher writes even after the cache is filled. This is Crucial’s first 3D NAND generation in cooperation with Intel and we expect further to see improvements with firmware upgrades.
In order to inspect the write speed behavior, we have also fired up HD Tune Pro and have performed the write speed test on the whole drive surface:
For the first 75GB, the speed remained between 300 and 350MB/s, while the rest of the drive has performed at lower speeds, between 150 and 200MB/s, so the utility has calculated an average of 201.9MB/s.
The drive becomes even more attractive when looking at the sale prices; the 525GB model, as the one we have tested in this article can be had for as low as 117 Euros; the lower capacity one, 275GB can be had for about 65 Euros, 750GB for 161 Euros and the 1TB can be had for about 246 Euros. People which need more storage space can also choose the 2TB version, but it is more expensive than buying two 1TB models, being available for about 522 Euros.
We would like to thank again to Crucial for making this review possible!