Crucial MX200 250GB Solid State Drive Review

Introduction

Crucial recently launched the MX200 and BX100 series solid state drives and today I’m taking the first of those for a spin on the test bench, the Crucial MX200 250GB.

“We designed the MX200 and BX100 to meet the varied needs of the market, making it easier for anyone to move to an SSD, whether they are a seasoned computer enthusiast or an absolute beginner, all while keeping value top of mind,” said Jonathan Weech, senior worldwide product manager, Crucial. “These drives leverage Micron’s years of heritage in storage technology to deliver advanced features and performance, resulting in an unparalleled SSD experience for our consumers.”

The Crucial MX200 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5-inch client SSD (CT250MX200SSD1) is the next generation of the highly successful and recommended MX100 series with improvements on all fronts, such as the new Dynamic Write Acceleration technology.

The Crucial MX200 can perform sequential reads on both compressible and incompressible data with up to 555 MB/s which in itself is very impressive. Crucial adds to that with an endurance rating that is up to 5 times greater than a typical client SSD. This 250GB model is rated for 80TB total bytes written (TBW), which equals to 43GB per day for 5 years.

Most SSDs rely on a fixed cache of multi-level cell flash memory that in return allows you to write sequential data at the rated speeds, but only for so long. The Dynamic Write Acceleration technology solves this problem by using an adaptable pool of high-speed single-level cell flash memory for consistently fast performance.

Crucial’s RAIN technology protects your data at the component level, similar to how RAID works. This technology increases the security and protection of your data to a level that’s rarely seen in consumer-class SSDs.

Hardware encryption is also supported via AES 256-bit encryption, so all those private files can stay safe from hackers and other bad people. The Adaptive Thermal Protection technology enables the Crucial MX200 to dynamically adjust storage component activity based on how you’re using the drive, thereby allowing your storage to stay cooler.

The Crucial MX200 also features four layers of Exclusive Data Defense to prevent data corruption as well as being backed by a 3-year warranty.

Inside the drive, we find eight Micron NAND chips and a Marvell 88SS9189 Controller paired with Micron Cache chip all on a single side of the PCB.

Features

• Hardware Encryption
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • TCG Opal 2.0-compliant
  • IEEE-1667-compliant
  • Compatible with Microsoft eDrive
• Data Transfer Software – Includes Acronis True Image HD software for free data transfer
• Dynamic 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)