Model: Crucial MX100 256GB Solid State Drive
Manufacturer: Crucial
Provided By: Crucial

Crucial is a global brand of Micron Technology, Inc., one of the largest memory and flash storage manufacturers in the world. The company's product lineup includes award-winning solid state drives (SSDs) and computer memory upgrades (DRAM) for more than 50,000 systems. These products have been qualified and approved by major original equipment manufacturers and every single module has been rigorously tested at the component and module level. Each SSD also undergoes over a thousand hours of prerelease validation testing and hundreds of qualification tests to ensure optimal reliability and performance.

One of the latest additions to Crucial's line of solid state drives is the MX100. Available in capacities ranging from 128GB to 512GB, this consumer-oriented drive offers powerful speeds and advanced features at a low cost per gigabyte. The MX100 combines Marvell's 88SS9189 controller with a custom firmware and Micron's new 16nm 128gb NAND to deliver up to 550MB/s read and 500MB/s write speeds. The MX100 also offers a long list of features including AES 256-bit encryption, thermal and power loss protection, TRIM support and active garbage collection. Additionally, it uses Native Write Acceleration to deliver consistent throughput by spreading the drive’s workload across several elements. It also employs technologies like Data Defense and Redundant Array of Independent NAND (RAIN) to increase security and protection of data to a level that’s rarely found in consumer-class SSDs.

For this review, Crucial sent us the 256GB version of the MX100. This SSD is capable of delivering up to 550MB/s sequential read and 330MB/s sequential write speeds as well as up to 85,000 random read and 70,000 random write IOPS.

Crucial MX100 256GB Solid State Drive
General Specifications
Part Number CT256MX100SSD1
Capacity 256GB
Flash Type Micron 16nm 128Gbit MLC NAND
Controller Marvell 88SS9189
Form Factor 2.5-inch, Ultra-slim 7mm
Interface SATA III 6Gb/s

Performance
Sequential Read 550 MB/s Max
Sequential Write 330 MB/s Max
Random Read 85,000 IOPS
Random Write 70,000 IOPS

Reliability
MTBF 1.5 million hours
Endurance (TBW) 72TB

Environmental
Temperature (Operating) 0 ºC to 70 ºC

Dimensions and Weight
Dimensions 100.45 x 69.85 x 7.0 mm
Weight 70g

Other Features
Native Write Acceleration
Redundant Array of Independent NAND (RAIN)
Exclusive Data Defense
Adaptive Thermal Protection
Power Loss Protection
Data Path Protection
Active Garbage Collection
TRIM Support
Self Monitoring and Reporting Technology (SMART)
Error Correction Code (ECC)
AES 256-bit encryption
TCG Opal 2.0 and IEEE-1667 compliant
Compatible with Microsoft eDrive
Includes mounting spacer for 9.5mm applications
Three year warranty

Needless to say, this is only a taste of what the MX100 has to offer. To give you an idea of what to expect, we'll take a closer look at Crucial's new SSD and then see how well it performs. Does the MX100 have what it takes? Is it the best bang for your buck? Keep reading as we find out.


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