Crucial/Micron MX500 2.5-Inch and M.2 SSD

Crucial, brand of memory and storage upgrades and trademark of Micron Technology, Inc., launched the MX500 SSD.

This drive features second generation Micron 3D NAND technology and is 45 times more energy efficient than a typical HDD. ⁽⁴⁾ Available in capacities up to 2TB⁽²⁾ in the 2.5-inch form factor and up to 1TB in the M.2 form factor, the MX500 has sequential reads/writes up to 560/510 MB/s and random reads/writes up to 95K/90K IO/s. ⁽¹⁾

“This next generation MX500 SSD features a stackable 64-layer, 256-gigabit component. Micron’s floating gate NAND is designed with CMOS Under the Array (CUA), which allows us to minimise the footprint of the die. At 59 square mms, it’s among the world’s smallest 256-gigabit die,” said Jon Tanguy, senior SSD product engineer, Crucial. “Our engineering team has incorporated this NAND technology in an SSD that includes all the advanced features Crucial customers have come to expect to keep their data safe.“

The company also directly addresses two of the scariest issues for first-time SSD buyers: moving files and installation. Upgrading from a traditional HDD is easy with the MX500 thanks to the data migration and cloning software included with each drive. And the company’s SSD Install Guide helps installers with directions for every step of the process.

“We’re excited about our next generation of SSD drives and the near-instant performance and lasting reliability that comes with them,” said Jonathan Weech, senior SSD product manager, Crucial. “Users can rest assured that their data, family videos, travel photos, music, and other important documents are stored safely on the MX500.“

MX500 advanced features include:

Dynamic Write Acceleration for faster saves and file transfers.
Hardware-based encryption to keep personal files and confidential data secure.
Integrated power loss immunity to avoid unintended data loss when the power unexpectedly goes out.
Exclusive Data Defence to prevent files from becoming corrupted and unusable.
Redundant array of independent NAND to protect data at the component level.

The company’s SSDs have been established, proven, and tested for over seven generations of drives. The MX500 is backed by a five-year limited warranty ⁽³⁾ and supported by the firm’s Storage Executive software tool for drive maintenance.

The 2.5-inch version of the MX500 is available for purchase at the company’s website or through their global channel partners, while the MX500 M.2 version will be available in 1Q18.

Click to enlarge

Resources:
MX500 video reviewer’s guide

⁽¹⁾ Based on the published specs of the 1TB model. Speeds based on internal testing. Actual performance may vary.
⁽²⁾ 1GB equals one billion bytes. Actual usable capacity may vary.
⁽³⁾ Five years or before reaching the maximum total bytes written (TBW) on the product’s datasheet.
⁽⁴⁾ Active average power use comparison based on published specs of the 1TB Crucial MX500 SSD and the 1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EZEX internal HDD, which, as of November 2017, is one of the industry’s top-selling internal HDDs. All other capacities of the MX500 SSD have comparable active average power consumption specs.