Crucial MX100 512GB Solid State Drive Review

A Closer Look

Built in a to a 7mm frame, the MX100, aside from a different sticker, is identical to any other drive that we’ve from Crucial of late. Ok so we don’t have a trendy design, but we have to remember this is a budget drive, and sticking to parts that are already in-hand is part of the process.

On the back of the drive we find a note of the drives capacity and model number along with the serial number (should it be needed) and we can see where the 2.5mm would be positioned if the need arise.

Lifting the lid on the MX100, we see where the controller is positioned, with a heatpad in place to keep the controller and memory cool during operation.

On the upper side of the MX100’s PCB we find an array of eight Micron 16nm MT29F256G08CECCBH6 NAND packages, each with a capacity of 256Gb / 32GB along with the drive controller and memory.

As highlighted on the previous page, Crucial have chosen to use a Marvell 88SS9189 controller as we have previously seen on the M550, with an 8 lane, single core design that runs on a custom firmware revision that is set to optimise the performance of the NAND which is produced in-house. Additionally Crucial have made it possible for the end-user to upgrade the firmware, so when any new revisions are released that can further more improve the drives performance or clear up any bugs, everyone is able to benefit from the update. Beside the Controller is another Micron branded package, this time a DDR2 package, giving the drive 512MB of RAM.

On the other side of the PCB are an additional eight 32GB packages which, along with the other eight ICs, add up to the 512GB storage capacity that the MX100 has to offer. The smaller capacity drives will either use cut back chips to give their respective capacities and / or fewer packages overall.