Crucial MX500 is one of the most popular SATA SSD offered by Crucial. At the same time, the Samsung 870 Evo is also a very impressive SATA SSD from Samsung. So, if you are confused between them both, I have tried to solve your problem here. In this article, we will cover all the important aspects which will help you make a perfect decision.
As we all know these both SSDs use the SATA protocol, and the speed would never go beyond 600MB/s. So, whether you are using any of these SSDs, don’t expect anything more than that. However, because the Crucial MX500 and Samsung 870 Evo are competing hard in this domain, various people want to know which one is the best between these both. So, in this article, we are going to reveal the same by doing some straight comparisons. Now, without any further delays, let’s get started.
1. Theoretical Specifications
Let’s see what are the key offerings given by the manufacturers of these SSDs. Comparing them will give you a good idea of what you can expect from them.
| Specification | Crucial MX500 (1TB) | Samsung 870 Evo (1TB) |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential Read Speed | 560 MB/s | 560 MB/s |
| Sequential Write Speed | 510 MB/s | 530 MB/s |
| Random Read (IOPS) | 95K | 98K |
| Random Write (IOPS) | 90K | 88K |
| TBW | 360 TBW | 600 TBW |
| Interface | SATA/AHCI | SATA/AHCI |
| Form Factor | 2.5″ and M.2 SATA | 2.5″ SATA |
| Capacities | 250 GB to 4 TB | 250 GB to 4 TB |
| Warranty | Limited 5-Years | Limited 5-Years |
| Check Availability | Amazon | Amazon |
With these numbers, we can clearly see that the Samsung 870 Evo has some better things to offer. Total endurance, sequential write speed, and random read speed are better in the Samsung 870 Evo. Whereas the Crucial MX500 is winning the other things such as M.2 Form Factor, and random write speed.
2. Benchmark Scores
The theoretical specifications can say anything but we should not trust them before using the product personally. To help you with this, we have done the live benchmarks which will help you understand the core capabilities of these SSDs. The tests were done on an Intel i5 12th generation PC with 16 GB 4200MHz of RAM. All the tests are performed on 1TB variants of both SSDs.
PCMark 10 Benchmark Scores
PassMark Scores
AS SSD Benchmark Scores
Sequential and Random Benchmark Scores
There are no serious differences between these SSDs if we look at their benchmark scores. However, the Samsung 870 EVO is winning over the MX500 in terms of random read and write speeds.
3. Endurace
Both these SSDs are great in terms of reliability as well. They offer a good warranty period along with the TBW limits. Let’s compare them below.
| Specifications | Crucial MX500 | Samsung 870 Evo |
|---|---|---|
| TBW (Terabytes Written) | 250GB: 100 TBW 500GB: 180 TBW 1TB: 360 TBW 2TB: 700 TBW | 250GB: 150 TBW 500GB: 300 TBW 1TB: 600 TBW 2TB: 1,200 TBW 4TB: 2,400 TBW |
| MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) | 1.8 Million Hours | 1.5 Million Hours |
| Warranty | 5-Years | 5-Years |
The reliability factor of both these SSDs is good enough. We are getting what we are paying for. For a normal or even a hardcore computer user, these numbers are just great.
4. NAND Type, DRAM, and Controller
| Specification | Crucial MX500 | Samsung 870 Evo |
|---|---|---|
| NAND Type and Layers | 64/96 Layers 3D TLC NAND | 128 Layers 3D TLC NAND |
| DRAM (Caching) | DDR3 DRAM | Low-Power DDR4 SDRAM |
| Controller | SMI SM2258 | Samsung MKX |
| Controller Configurations | Single-Core, 4-Channels, 8-CE/Channel | Tri-Core, 8-Channels, 8-CE/channel |
In terms of NAND, DRAM, and Controller configurations, the Samsung 870 Evo is way better than the Crucial MX500. This might be the reason why 870 Evo was performing better in random read/write tests.
5. Price
Price is another one of the major factors affecting your decision. So, it becomes important to compare the prices of both these SSDs here because the differences are huge. The Samsung 870 Evo is way pricier than the MX500 even after having slightly similar features.
Generally, you will find all the variants of MX500 way cheaper than the Samsung 870 EVO. So, if you are looking just for an affordable yet effective SSD between the both, the Crucial MX500 is surely the best pick.
Still Confused? Here is the final verdict
In my opinion, the Crucial MX500 is the best pick in terms of price and features. As we saw earlier, there is very little difference in the benchmark scores. Also, the MX500 is a well-known product in this field. However, it was lacking in terms of random read/write speeds.
The Samsung 870 Evo is a perfect option for those who are finding a perfect balance between speed, reliability, and other specifications. However, the Samsung 870 Evo is way pricier than the MX500. So, if you are looking for the best quality product from a company like Samsung, the 870 Evo should be your pick. But, if you ask me to choose between them both, I would go for the MX500 because of its impressive results at a reasonable price.
Thanks for reading!
You addressed the comparison very clear and good. Thank you
Thanks for your kind words.
Excellent comparison to the point and very clear. I knew they were very similar but I needed to know more details.
After reading I decided for the Samsung.
Thank you!
I am happy it helped you. Thanks
Thanks for the article. You’ve clarified the points I wanted to know.
I am glad it helped!
Great reviews! Keep up the good work 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words.
helpful article.
Thank you for your feedback!
You wrote: “In terms of NAND, DRAM, and Controller configurations, the Samsung 870 Evo is way better than the Crucial MX500.” So according to you that performance is not worth the added $20?
Yes! My point is that if you want to pick between the both, the Samsung 870 EVO is a good pick. Otherwise, the MX500 also has DRAM and a TLC NAND. So, both of them are good. But, if you want to choose one, 870 EVO is a good pick.
Excellent comparison.
Thank you John for your kind words!
Samsung is obviously the Superior drive for endurance, but at a Premium price.
Its a Lexus vs Toyota argument, both will get you there, but one is 30-50% more expensive. For most users The Crucial has a far better value proposition for the end user unless they require higher speed constant read write usage out of the drive where Samsung’s differences shine.
Exactly! This is what I have concluded by the end of this article. MX500 is more than enough for most of the users without spending a lot higher on Samsung.
We bought 48 Crucial MX500’s to use as OS drives in 12 backup servers. Cheap disks, not many writes, only used for backup OS (proxmox backup server)
2 1/2 years later we have replaced 29 of those disks. After the 10th failure we started to replace them with Samsung 870 EVO. None of the Samsung have failed… yet!
Hi SteveA, Samsung is a much more reliable brand as compared to Crucial especially when it comes to SSDs. I hope you will be able to use your drives without any issues.
Similar experience, Samsungs SSD are WAY more reliable than crucial