Introduction

Today, we are reviewing the Crucial MX300 SSD 525 GB in its M.2 variant. According to Crucial, the MX300 M.2 should be identical to the SATA version in terms of performance because it uses the SATA interface too. This is in contrast to high-end M.2 NVMe SSDs which use NVMe over PCIe. Being SATA, the same performance constraints as with 2.5 inch SATA apply, which means the storage interface can not exceed around 500 MB/s in speeds. Just like the other MX300 variants, this drive is built using Micron 3D TLC NAND, which is paired with a 4-channel 88SS1074 controller from Marvell.

In order to boost TLC chip performance to make up for the ground lost over MLC, Crucial designates a small, variably sized amount of memory as SLC cache, which writes a single bit to each TLC cell instead of three. While much faster, such a setup is basically a speed vs. size tradeoff. In terms of technology, the SLC cache is identical to that of the MX200 (not BX200).

The MX300 Series in an M.2 form factor is available in capacities of 275 GB, 525 GB, and 1 TB, whereas the 2.5" form factor drives additionally come in 750 GB and 2 TB variants.