Crucial M550 SSD (512GB) Review – Consistent Performance Never Looked So Good!

CRUCIAL M550 COMPONENTS

The Crucial M550 SSD features a Marvell controller (88SS9189-BLD2), and when we cross-reference this product number through The SSD Database, we can see that this is the first time that we have seen this specific controller.

Across from the Marvell controller, we can find the Micron DRAM memory cache module. Also, It has been listed that the Crucial M550 features Micron’s own custom firmware.

On either side of the PCB, you will find eight of Micron’s 20nm MLC NAND modules, for a total 16 NAND modules. Each modules is 32GB for a total of 512GB RAW NAND flash memory. Each NAND module features Micron’s FBGA code, which we can then take to Micron’s FBGA model number lookup to see what the part number of the memory is. When we search for our FBGA (NW386), are results return with the part number MT29F256G08CECABH6-10:A.

TECHNOLOGY X TEST BENCH AND PROTOCOL

At Technology X, we test our SSD’s slightly different depending upon the drive’s marketed purpose, that of a consumer or an enterprise focused SSD.  For a consumer SSD, our goal is to test in a system that has been optimized with our SSD Optimization Guide, however CPU C State alteration may or may not have occurred depending on the motherboard and BIOS configurations. Benchmarks for our consumer tests are that of fresh drives, so that we can verify that the manufacturer’s specifications match the SSD. Additionally, we also try to include links to the benchmarks used in our report so that you as the reader can replicate our tests to confirm that your SSD is top-notch.

SYSTEM COMPONENTS

This Test Bench build was the result of some great relationships and purchase; our appreciation goes to the below mentioned manufacturers for their support in our project. All of the components we use for testing and evaluation can be easily purchased at a relatively affordable price. The links provided below can assist in pricing, as well as availability for those of you who may find interest in our equipment.

BENCHMARK SOFTWARE

The software used for today’s analysis is typical of many of our reviews and consists of ATTO Disk Benchmark, Crystal Disk Info, Crystal DiskMark, AS SSD, and PCMark Vantage.  In consumer reports, we prefer to test with easily accessible software that the consumer can obtain, and in many cases, we even provide links. Our selection of software allows each to build on the last and to provide validation to results already obtained.