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Because of their almost similar nature, Crucial MX500 and WD Blue (3D) play in the same league in the field of Solid State Drives.
Both of them are DRAM SSDs and use the TLC (Triple Level Cells) NAND Flash.
But, if you are confused between the both and trying to choose the best one for your system build or upgrade, I am going to help you pick the right one.
As always, I will divide the comparison into six different parts. We will compare the offerings of all of these and then come to a conclusion. I am doing direct comparisons to help you understand what you get with which SSDs. This is a product-based comparison. But, I am going only the 1TB variants of both. However, the performance results are going to be almost similar to other variants as well.
Because these both are SATA-3 SSDs, you can’t expect more than 600MB/s data read or write speed. But, the SSD reaching the highest speeds limits is always considered as the best one. That is not going to be the case here. We always consider knowing every deeper detail about the SSDs and then give you the right suggestion. Now, without any further delays, let’s get started.
Theoretical Specifications (Comparison)
Both of these SSDs look almost similar in terms of the features shown on their official websites. But, I would like to compare them directly to give you a brief overview of both.
| Specifications | Crucial MX500 | WD Blue (3D) |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential Read Speed | Up to 560MB/s | Up to 560MB/s |
| Sequential Write Speed | Up to 510MB/s | Up to 530MB/s |
| Random Read IOPS | 95K | 95K |
| Random Write IOPS | 90K | 81K |
| Capacity | 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB,4TB | 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB,4TB |
| Available Form Factors | 2.5″ and M.2 2280 | 2.5″ and M.2 2280 |
| TBW | Up to 700 TB | Up to 500 TB |
| NAND Type | Micron’s 3D TLC | Sandisk’s 3D TLC |
| DRAM | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty | Limited 5-Years | Limited 5-Years |
| Availability | Check Amazon | Check Amazon |
With this table, we can say that the Crucial MX500 is good in terms of random write speed and TBW as well. But, the WD Blue is looking better if we look at the sequential write speed. The actual results are going to be revealed further. So, keep reading.
Detailed information about Crucial MX500
Detailed information about WD Blue (3D)
Synthetic Benchmarks (Comparison)
I used my test PC again. For your information, this system has an Intel Core i5 8th Gen processor along with a 3200MHz DDR4 8GB RAM. For this test, I used the CrystalDiskMark 8 software. The results are as follows.
| Parameter | Crucial MX500 2.5″ (1TB) | WD Blue 3D 2.5″(1TB) |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential Read | 489 MB/s | 475 MB/s |
| Sequential Write | 441 MB/s | 449 MB/s |
| Random 4K Read | 37.7 MB/s | 38.6 MB/s |
| Random 4K Write | 91.4 MB/s | 90.4 MB/s |
| Deep Queue 4K Read | 359.4 MB/s | 348.9 MB/s |
| Deep Queue 4K Write | 321.4 MB/s | 312.4 MB/s |
Here, I can say that both of them are competing well. I tried running these synthetic tests multiple times and both of these SSDs were performing great. The reason could be the DRAM or the TLC NAND. In terms of sequential write speed, the WD Blue 3D was beating the MX500 by small numbers. Also, in random read tests, the WD Blue was way ahead of the MX500. In all other tests, the MX500 is clearly a winner.
OS and Software Loading Times
Most people upgrade their hard drives with the SSDs or try to install new ones just because to make their systems snappy. SSDs are known for their great results in decreasing the software and system loading times. So, without this comparison, this whole article would be incomplete. Again, I used the same test PC and tried running some software, games, and my Windows 10 Home OS over and over again. Below are the average results from all those tests.
| Software/OS | Crucial MX500 1TB | WD Blue 3D 1TB |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 Home (Ready to use) | In 22 Seconds | In 24 Seconds |
| Fortnite (Chapter 2) | 46 Seconds | 44 Seconds |
| Adobe Photoshop CC | 19 Seconds | 18 Seconds |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | 29 Seconds | 31 Seconds |
| Google Chrome | Within 5 Seconds (First Boot) | Within 5 Seconds (First Boot) |
| Blender (Animation Software) | 34 Seconds | 35 Seconds |
Note: These times are based upon my computer and its specification. If you have a fast processor and a better RAM as compared to mine, these times can be decreased a lot more. This speed will depend on various other things. However, you can take the reference from here that what you get to see with an Intel i5 8th gen system.
If we look at the results, both of these SSDs are again competing effectively. Both were taking almost similar times to load these programs. Let’s jump to the next section and try to find any serious difference.
Technical Specifications
In any SSD comparison on SSD Sphere, I try to add this section. I believe that you should also become aware of the technical specs of any product before making a decision. You will always make a perfect decision when you buy the SSDs based upon their technical specifications. So, let’s compare some technical details of these SSDs.
| Specifications | Crucial MX500 | WD Blue 3D |
|---|---|---|
| NAND Type | Micron’s TLC 3D | Sandisk’s TLC 3D |
| NAND Layers | 64/96 | 64 |
| Cache Type | DRAM Cache | DRAM Cache |
| Controller | SMI SM2258 | Marvell 88SS1074 |
| Controller Configurations | Single-Core, 4-Channels | Dual-Core, 4-Channels |
The controller used in WD Blue 3D SSD is definitely better than the Crucial MX500. The Marvell 88SS1074 controller has two cores and four channels. But, the NAND layers are more in the higher variants of Crucial MX500.
Reliability
Checking the warranty is very important before buying any product. But, when it comes to SSDs, there are some other things that you should keep in mind. These are TBW (Total Terrabytes Written) and MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure). So, let’s see what you are getting from both in terms of reliability.
TBW
| Version (Capacity) | Crucial MX500 (TBW) | WD BLUE (TBW) |
|---|---|---|
| 250GB | 100 | 100 |
| 500GB | 180 | 200 |
| 1TB | 360 | 400 |
| 2TB | 700 | 500 |
Warranty
| Version Capacity | Crucial MX500 | WD Blue 3D |
|---|---|---|
| All storage variants | 5 Years Limited Warranty | 5 Years Limited Warranty |
MTTF (Mean Time To Failure)
| Storage Variant | Crucial MX500 | WD Blue 3D |
|---|---|---|
| All storage variants | 1.8 Million Hours | 1.75 Million Hours |
With these results, we can see that both of the SSDs are reliable in all terms. A five years warranty backed up by good MTTF limits is good for the average user looking for a SATA SSD.
Price
The prices of the lower variants i.e. 250GB and 500GB are almost similar to both the SSDs. But, the higher variants (1TB, 2TB, and 4TB) of WD Blue 3D are expensive as compared to the same variants of MX500. However, the prices keep changing and you may see differences as per your location and place of purchase.
Which one should you buy? Crucial MX500 or WD Blue 3D SSD
As you just saw in the above comparisons, both of these SSDs are good in all terms and offer similar benefits. But, because Crucial MX500’s higher storage variants are a little bit cheaper as compared to the WD Blue 3D, I would suggest you go for the Crucial MX500.
In terms of industry reputation, read/write speed, and overall specification, both these SSDs are providing you with the same features. But, don’t get confused because of this. This decision is very easy to make. You can just pick anyone and the benefits will almost be similar. However, if you still want to dig deeper and want to pick the perfect one, MX500 is capable of providing comparatively better results.
Thank you for reading!