Introduction
We’ve reviewed most of Crucial’s SSD product line over the years and it’s given us some good insight into their market placement and development. We have recently reviewed the MX300 1Tb SSD, effectively the third generation of their MX series, and it gave a good score and representation of Crucial. Now we are on to the third generation of the BX series, the BX300, which was released recently.
We have had the BX300 480Gb on the test bench for a while, so we have had a good run of its performance. With 2018 just starting off, we are going to see a lot of offers tempting you into your next SSD upgrade, let’s find out if the Crucial BX300 is going to be one of them.
| Specification | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| BX300 480Gb | BX200 480Gb | BX100 500Gb | |
| Form Factor | 2.5-inch internal SSD | 2.5-inch internal SSD | 2.5-inch internal SSD |
| Controller | Silicon Motion SM2258XT | Silicon Motion SM2256 w/ Custom Firmware | Silicon Motion SM2246EN |
| Sequential Read | 555 MB/s | 540 MB/s | 535 MB/s |
| Sequential Write | 510 MB/s | 490 MB/s | 450 MB/s |
| Encryption | NA | NA | NA |
| NAND | Micron 16nm 256Gbit 32-layer 3D MLC | Micron 16nm 128Gbit TLC | Micron 16nm 128Gbit MLC |
| NAND Packages | 8/64GB | 8/64GB | 8/64GB |
| Onboard DDR3 Cache | 512MB (480GB) | 512MB | 512MB |
| Capacity | 120GB/240GB/480GB | 240GB/480GB/960GB | 120GB/250GB/500GB/1TB |
| Interface | SATA 6Gb/s, compatible with all older SATA interfaces | SATA 6Gb/s, compatible with all older SATA interfaces | SATA 6Gb/s, compatible with all older SATA interfaces |
| Warranty | 3 Years | 3 Years | 3 Years |
The new BX300 uses Micron’s first-generation 3D MLC flash, an entry-level BX series with 3D MLC. Despite supporting features such as encryption, Crucial have not included support for this, not uncommon in lower price point products. Noticeably absent from the BX300 range is a 1TB model, hopefully coming in the near future.
Strangely, the range includes a 120Gb model most likely targeted at the laptop market, for anyone looking for a quick and effective upgrade.
Crucial BX300 480Gb SSD Storage Review
Package - 7.5
Performance - 8.5
Price - 9
Consumer Experience - 8
8.3
It's safe to say the Crucial BX300 is another solid investment from Crucial. SSD's have really come of age, and the third generation of the BX range is more evolution than revolution. There's nothing bad with that at this time, we're only really looking for speed and size, with the former throttled by the SATA bandwidth and the latter on its way slowly, the 480Gb BX300 is as good as you can get just now.