Crucial 256GB M4 Review

Overclockers.com · 11-28-11, 09:46 AM

Quote:

With prices falling, SSDs are rapidly becoming mainstream and are included in a vast number of new builds. The Crucial RealSSD M4 series of SSDs are the newest drives from Crucial, available in 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB models. Crucial have kindly supplied a 256 GB unit for review, along with a data transfer kit.

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Janus67 · 11-28-11, 12:05 PM

Nice review, David.

I don't think I saw it mentioned, but I believe that the [write] performance gains from the Sandforce 22** series really show up when using compressible data vs non-compressible, and with non-compressible they are about the same. Do you know if/which of the different benchmarks use which type of data?

Sentential · 11-28-11, 12:21 PM

Any word of long-term reliability? Only reason I didnt buy an SF drive is how poorly my agility II did and since returned. In spite of the obvious performance benefits I went with a pair of intel drives instead.

deathman20 · 11-28-11, 02:57 PM

Got to ask is the transfer cable that comes with it now just USB 2.0 or USB 3.0?

It does come in handy if you need a fast portable drive (SSD that is) to carry around if it comes with a USB 3.0 interface. I know the one I got sadly was just a USB 2.0 interface a while back with my 128Gig drive. Still nice for those situations where you need an adaptor though wish it was of the faster type that is out there.

Storageguy2000 · 11-28-11, 06:39 PM

David,

Nice summary on the M4. Great work translating all the test runs to the visual graphs for comparison. It makes looking at your two separate reviews easier to compare.

Do you have an error in your final graph that shows the results for the Iometer 4K runs? It says sequential reads and writes, but I think the 4K tests are random. Therefore I assume the graph shows the random reads are significantly lower for the M4 compared to the OCZ Vertex 3. Am I somehow reading that wrong?

David · 11-29-11, 07:15 AM

Thanks for the comments guys . Just a quick reply for now as I'm on a phone.
I'll check which benchmarks use compressable data - I suspect those where the Vertex is clearly better.
I think the cable is usb2 unfortunately, but I'll check when i get home. My desktop has USB 3.
Not sure about reliability from first hand experience - only had it a few weeks. I've heard no complaints thus far, lookking on the web.

The graph axis has a mistake - it's 4k random. I'll fix it tonight or tomorrow .

Cheers,
D

EarthDog · 11-29-11, 07:41 AM

Excellent review David!

Im not sure off the top of my head but my V3 240GB review does mention which is which I believe.

krag · 11-29-11, 12:40 PM

Very nice review David. I take it that the OCZ Veritex has the Indilix controller? Which is faster?

Janus67 · 11-29-11, 02:03 PM

I believe only the new OCZ (Octane) drives have the Indilix controller

BossBorot · 11-29-11, 02:10 PM

Vertex 3, Vertex 3 Max IOPS, and Agility 3 are all sandforce 2281 with the difference between them being the type of NAND used. They use sync, toggle, and async in the order previously mentioned.

The new octane used the first new indilix controller to see retail in something like three years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sentential

Any word of long-term reliability? Only reason I didnt buy an SF drive is how poorly my agility II did and since returned. In spite of the obvious performance benefits I went with a pair of intel drives instead.

Many buy the M4 specifically due to its reliability vs the faster sandforce 2281 drives that have a few issues.

krag · 11-29-11, 03:43 PM

Excellent and useful information in the featured article and this thread. Thanks guys.

macklin01 · 12-06-11, 06:06 PM

Very nice review, David! Looks like a very solid offering! Thanks for bringing up the point that different sizes will get different performances due to number of chips. As I recall, for fixed drive sizes, performance can go down between generations due to the decreased number of chips.

Reliability concerns have also sent me to an Intel 320 (120gb), like Sentential. Thanks for the extra info, BossBorot!

ratbuddy · 12-06-11, 08:22 PM

Lookin' good.

One minor concern, the Crucial M4 is just that - Crucial M4. The RealSSD brand was for the C300 drives

I.M.O.G. · 12-06-11, 08:55 PM

Fixed the article title some time ago, the title of the comments never got fixed - good catch however.

11-28-11, 12:05 PM	#2
Janus67 Benching Team Leader Wannabe Admin Senior Join Date: May 2005 Location: Ohio State	Nice review, David. I don't think I saw it mentioned, but I believe that the [write] performance gains from the Sandforce 22 series really show up when using compressible data vs non-compressible, and with non-compressible they are about the same. Do you know if/which of the different benchmarks use which type of data? __________________ Ivy Bridge Benching and Gaming: Asus Maximus V Extreme 0010 BIOS : Intel i7 3770k w/ Phanteks PH-TC14 : 8GB 2x4GB G.Skill TridentX DDR3-2666 : MSI 7970 Lightning Edition Other Benched Hardware: GA-EX58a-UD3R; Rampage Extreme; Rampage Formula; GA-EP45-UD3R; P5K-Deluxe; MIVE -- 2500k; 2600k; 920; E6300; E6550; E6600; E8400; Q6600 -- 6950; 4870; 8800GTS Other Components: Crucial M4 128GB SSD : 2x1TB Samsung F3 in Raid0 : Silverstone Strider Gold 1250W : Auria EQ276W 27'' & Dell 2407FPW : KPC Tek9 Fat and Gemini LN2 Pots Benchmark, Win Prizes - In the Overclocktagon!**
	QUOTE Thanks

11-28-11, 12:21 PM	#3
Sentential Contributing Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Jacksonville, FL	Any word of long-term reliability? Only reason I didnt buy an SF drive is how poorly my agility II did and since returned. In spite of the obvious performance benefits I went with a pair of intel drives instead. __________________ Coolermaster 690II Advanced \| Corsair 1000W Creative X-FI Titanium Fatal1ty Pro Intel i5 2500K (4.5ghz @ 1.33v)Corsair H100 PNY GTX 470 SLI SLi Asus P8Z68-V Pro Intel 320 SSD SATAII 2 X 120GB Raid 0 Kingston HyperX (4x4096MB)(8-8-9-28 @ 1600mhz @ 1.5v) Heatware: 13-0-0
	QUOTE Thanks

11-28-11, 02:57 PM	#4
deathman20 High Speed Senior Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Where the Cheese Heads Live	Got to ask is the transfer cable that comes with it now just USB 2.0 or USB 3.0? It does come in handy if you need a fast portable drive (SSD that is) to carry around if it comes with a USB 3.0 interface. I know the one I got sadly was just a USB 2.0 interface a while back with my 128Gig drive. Still nice for those situations where you need an adaptor though wish it was of the faster type that is out there. __________________ -=The Gamer=- MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3) \| i5 2500k @ 4.5Ghz \| 1.3875V \| 28C Idle / 65C Load (LinX) 8Gig G.Skill Ripjaw PC3-12800 9-9-9-24 @ 1600Mhz w/ 1.5V \| TR Ultra eXtreme 120 w/ 2 Fans Sapphire 7950 VaporX 1150/1500 w/ 1.2V/1.5V \| 32C Idle / 64C Load \| 2x 128Gig Crucial M4 SSD's BitFenix Shinobi Window Case \| SilverStone DA750 \| Dell 2405FPW 24" Screen -=The Server=- Synology DS1511+ \| Dual Core 1.8Ghz CPU \| 30C Idle / 38C Load 3 Gig PC2-6400 \| 3x Samsung F4 2TB Raid5 \| 2x Samsung F4 2TB Heat
	QUOTE Thanks

11-28-11, 06:39 PM	#5
Storageguy2000 New Member Join Date: Nov 2011	Nice review, but something looks wrong on the 4K Iometer graph David, Nice summary on the M4. Great work translating all the test runs to the visual graphs for comparison. It makes looking at your two separate reviews easier to compare. Do you have an error in your final graph that shows the results for the Iometer 4K runs? It says sequential reads and writes, but I think the 4K tests are random. Therefore I assume the graph shows the random reads are significantly lower for the M4 compared to the OCZ Vertex 3. Am I somehow reading that wrong?
	QUOTE Thanks

11-29-11, 07:15 AM	#6
David Forums Super Moderator Overclockers.com Lead Editor Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Hiding from Americans and making pretty colours in a drybox in St Andrews	Thanks for the comments guys . Just a quick reply for now as I'm on a phone. I'll check which benchmarks use compressable data - I suspect those where the Vertex is clearly better. I think the cable is usb2 unfortunately, but I'll check when i get home. My desktop has USB 3. Not sure about reliability from first hand experience - only had it a few weeks. I've heard no complaints thus far, lookking on the web. The graph axis has a mistake - it's 4k random. I'll fix it tonight or tomorrow . Cheers, D __________________ David J. Nelson MChem(Edin) PhD(Strath) AMRSC [Academia Profile] OC Forums Super Moderator // Overclockers.com Editor The Workhorse: [Lenovo W510] Intel Core i7-720QM / 8 GB DDR3 / nVidia Quadro FX880M / Crucial M4 256 GB SSD / Windows 7 The HTPC/Server: AMD Phenom X4 9650 / 6 GB DDR2 / nVidia 8300 / 5 TB of HDDs / Antec Solo II Case / Windows 7 The Gaming Rig: AMD Llano A6-3650 / 4 GB DDR3 / nVidia GTX260 / 2x 500 GB HDD in RAID0 / Antec Dark Fleet DF-85 Case / Windows 7 The Benchmarking Setup: Various LGA775 chips / Asus Rampage Formula / 2 GB OCZ 1066 MHz DDR2 / nVidia Quadro NVS 285 / 320 GB HDD / Windows 7 My research fellowship is eating all my time, so I may be slow to reply to emails and private messages.
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11-29-11, 07:41 AM	#7
EarthDog Senior PITA Member Overclockers.com Editor Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Stuck in Maryland...	Excellent review David! Im not sure off the top of my head but my V3 240GB review does mention which is which I believe. __________________ Should I R0 my SSD? / Sandy/Ivybridge Overclocking Guide / Haswell Overclocking Guide / AMD Overclocking Guide / Power Supply Guide SSD Reliability/Write Endurance / JOIN THE BENCHING TEAM! / Bulldozer Overclocking Guide Want to see your writing featured on the overclockers.com Front Page? PM me, I can help! "We have more information and more ways of accessing it than ever, yet seem increasingly less inclined to do so."- Michael Wilbon
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11-29-11, 12:40 PM	#8
krag Classifieds Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Vancouver, Washington	Very nice review David. I take it that the OCZ Veritex has the Indilix controller? Which is faster? __________________ I.M.O.G. "It's a plugin issue," ... 2600k Asus P8P67 Pro 4g Corsair Dominator 667 6970 Crossfire 1t Hitachi Win 7
	QUOTE Thanks

11-29-11, 02:03 PM	#9
Janus67 Benching Team Leader Wannabe Admin Senior Join Date: May 2005 Location: Ohio State	I believe only the new OCZ (Octane) drives have the Indilix controller __________________ Ivy Bridge Benching and Gaming: Asus Maximus V Extreme 0010 BIOS : Intel i7 3770k w/ Phanteks PH-TC14 : 8GB 2x4GB G.Skill TridentX DDR3-2666 : MSI 7970 Lightning Edition Other Benched Hardware: GA-EX58a-UD3R; Rampage Extreme; Rampage Formula; GA-EP45-UD3R; P5K-Deluxe; MIVE -- 2500k; 2600k; 920; E6300; E6550; E6600; E8400; Q6600 -- 6950; 4870; 8800GTS Other Components: Crucial M4 128GB SSD : 2x1TB Samsung F3 in Raid0 : Silverstone Strider Gold 1250W : Auria EQ276W 27'' & Dell 2407FPW : KPC Tek9 Fat and Gemini LN2 Pots Benchmark, Win Prizes - In the Overclocktagon!
	QUOTE Thanks

11-29-11, 03:43 PM	#11
krag Classifieds Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Vancouver, Washington	Excellent and useful information in the featured article and this thread. Thanks guys. __________________ I.M.O.G. "It's a plugin issue," ... 2600k Asus P8P67 Pro 4g Corsair Dominator 667 6970 Crossfire 1t Hitachi Win 7
	QUOTE Thanks

12-06-11, 06:06 PM	#12
macklin01 Computational Oncologist / Biomathematician / Moderator on Vacation, Ph.D. Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Pasadena, CA	Very nice review, David! Looks like a very solid offering! Thanks for bringing up the point that different sizes will get different performances due to number of chips. As I recall, for fixed drive sizes, performance can go down between generations due to the decreased number of chips. Reliability concerns have also sent me to an Intel 320 (120gb), like Sentential. Thanks for the extra info, BossBorot! __________________ My heatware (macklin01) Need image I/O for your science apps? Try EasyBMP My biomedical research: Mathematical Cancer Modeling & Simulation I'm on vacation as a moderator as I devote more time to my faculty position. Thank you for your understanding if I don't respond to your PM. -- Paul
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12-06-11, 08:22 PM	#13
ratbuddy Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Hartford, CT	Lookin' good. One minor concern, the Crucial M4 is just that - Crucial M4. The RealSSD brand was for the C300 drives __________________ HTPC - 2500k - 212+ - GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 - 2x4GB G.Skill DDR3-1600 - Vertex 2 90GB, Spinpoint F3 1TB w/M4 64GB ISRT Cache - Gigabyte GTX 460 1GB SLI - Silverstone LC10B-E - Corsair TX750W ----- Main - X3 450 - ASRock A790GMH/128M 790GX - 2x2GB G.Skill 4-4-4-12 - 2xWD Green 1TB - Silverstone TJ08 - Corsair CX400W Nothin' up my sleeve..
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12-06-11, 08:55 PM	#14
I.M.O.G. Glorious Leader Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Rootstown, OH	Fixed the article title some time ago, the title of the comments never got fixed - good catch however. __________________ The OC Forums Way We are a team. We are a community. We are a fellowship made strong by mutual respect and shared dedication to the task of enriching all who come here. The OC Forums Thank You Thread Put your computer to work for our OC Forum Teams! Try out our POST TEMPLATES, they save you time answering common questions! I spend half my money on CPUs, GPUs, and Liquid Nitrogen. The other half I waste.
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