Intel 545 or Crucial MX500 or Samsung 860 Evo?

[Harry_Wild]

I am going all out on updating my Lenovo P300 sff Thinkstation. Currently it has an OEM Intel 180GB SSD.
It works fine but it is time to update to something more modern. I was going to get the Samsung 860 Pro but everyone thinks it might be overkill. I am going be using it as a replacement to the Intel 180G in a SATA III configuration. Lenovo P300 cannot boot in a M.2 - PCIe slot, so that is out of the question. Currently, I have around 60GB free.

I already have the cloning from Intel to do transfer. Will Intel cloning software work with other SSDs that are not Intel SSD involved? Does Crucial have cloning software like Samsung and Intel have?

Which would you pick for my SSD upgrade or would you suggest another SSD entirely? I was thinking of going with a 512GB but the 1TB is only $100 more so I just tempted! Which would you do?

By the way, I have a 1TB Seagate external drive for Windows backups and file and video storage. I am now using my P300 only for watching streaming channels, YouTube! and Amazon Prime along with website surfing. It has a 4790 CPU and 16GB DDR3 2600 ram. It is setup for 4K video watching with 4GB assign to internal intel 4600 GPU.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Considering only the hardware, I'd get the Cruical MX500 or Samsung EVO (not pro) SATA SSD, whichever is cheaper for whichever of 500 GB or 1 TB you pick (usually it's the Crucial).

Software-wise, the Samsung migration software works great using a USB 2 or 3 adapter cable. I've done this a half-dozen times now with Windows 7, 8 and 10. Attach the Samsung, let their software copy the existing drive, shut down, install the new drive, done. Problem-free.

People in other threads have recommended the free Macrium, that might be fine for a Crucial SSD.

The intel software is probably best for moving to a new Intel SSD, it might not run or might not be reliable with any other brand.

 

[daveybrat]

I've used dozens of the new MX500 drives and they are fast and stable. Also the best bang for the buck right now. Amazon has the Samsung 860 Evo 500GB for $143.99 while the Crucial MX500 500GB drive is $124.99.

I've used both the 860 Evo and the MX500 drives and can't tell any perceptible difference between them.

 

[UsandThem]

The WD and Sandisk 3D drives are also a good choice. If I needed a new SSD right now, I would choose between the two previously mentioned drives, the 860 EVO, Intel 545s, or the MX500. The deciding factor for me would be which one was on sale at the time. You really can't go wrong with any of those drives.

As far as which size you should go with, it just depends on how much space you are going to use. I've personally only bought SSDs in the 500GB range as I don't need 1TB worth of space.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/9799/best-ssds

 

[Harry_Wild]

Did some research on my Lenovo SSD and it is actually a Intel SSD Pro 1500 Series 180GB.

Using UserBenchMark downloaded Custom PC Builder comparison software, it was only 20% slower in terms of effective speed then the Intel 545. Against the Samsung 850 Pro - 70% slower and Samsung 850 Evo - 66%! The MX500 is -51%. The 850 Evo is faster then the new MX500!

I was expecting better - faster performance like 120% better then my existing SSD. But the best for the low price is 66% of the effective speed.

I have to get some feedback on this before I jump and buy something new! Price is only $150 for a 512GB model! I may wait to see Samsung and Intel's reply to the MX500. Intel is way behind like Crucial was. NAND is coming down slowly in price so; these drives should be going down to. I not sure that a little over half as fast as my existing SSD is a need to upgrade!

 

[UsandThem]

I have to get some feedback on this before I jump and buy something new! Price is only $150 for a 512GB model! I may wait to see Samsung and Intel's reply to the MX500. Intel is way behind like Crucial was. NAND is coming down slowly in price so; these drives should be going down to.

The 860 EVO was released in Feb 2018, so there's nothing coming from them for a while in the mainstream SATA SSD market. The 545s is relatively new as well, and Intel probably releases the least amount of new drives. In fact, all of those drives are newer so there's not really anything new to look forward to. SATA performance is tapped out, and $129 for a drive like the MX500, Sandisk Ultra 3D, or Western Digital 3D is about as good as it will get for the foreseeable future.

All of these companies focus is in the NVMe market as that is the fastest growing (revenue increase). Even entry-level NVME drives are roughly the same price as SATA SSDs now.

 

[Harry_Wild]

The 860 EVO was released in Feb 2018, so there's nothing coming from them for a while in the mainstream SATA SSD market. The 545s is relatively new as well, and Intel probably releases the least amount of new drives. In fact, all of those drives are newer so there's not really anything new to look forward to. SATA performance is tapped out, and $129 for a drive like the MX500, Sandisk Ultra 3D, or Western Digital 3D is about as good as it will get for the foreseeable future.

All of these companies focus is in the NVMe market as that is the fastest growing (revenue increase). Even entry-level NVME drives are roughly the same price as SATA SSDs now.

Thanks for the info! I will ponder the new SSD for a day since I did the power supply upgrade today and turn out fabulously! But base on performance; I only getting 60% better then my current drive and I still have 60 GB left! I was think of getting a 1TB in six months; so maybe by then the price will drop another $50-$75 to be around $220 range.

 

[Seven]

I picked up the 545s for my new Intel NUC from Microcenter since they had it on sale... Dunno why, but I still use the Intel G2&G3 drives in my rigs. They're low on storage, speed not the best, but who cares. Works stable for years.

 

[Harry_Wild]

I picked up the 545s for my new Intel NUC from Microcenter since they had it on sale... Dunno why, but I still use the Intel G2&G3 drives in my rigs. They're low on storage, speed not the best, but who cares. Works stable for years.

Yeah, the most important factor is reliability in any HD/SSD! I usually switch my storage out every two or three years just to do preventive care. It is much cheaper then having a possible future crash. Work for me since my crash back in 1980s with a read/write errors develop. Performance is usually doubled but it has been slower now with SSD drives.

 

[PliotronX]

I've used dozens of the new MX500 drives and they are fast and stable. Also the best bang for the buck right now. Amazon has the Samsung 860 Evo 500GB for $143.99 while the Crucial MX500 500GB drive is $124.99.

I've used both the 860 Evo and the MX500 drives and can't tell any perceptible difference between them.

Same here, been perking up Ivy Bridge office computers left and right with those bad boys. The BX200 was a darkspot in the crucial lineup and the MX500 has supplanted the BX300 as my go to.

 

[Harry_Wild]

I

Same here, been perking up Ivy Bridge office computers left and right with those bad boys. The BX200 was a darkspot in the crucial lineup and the MX500 has supplanted the BX300 as my go to.

I have never used a Crucial SSD storage other then the USB flash drive. I always stick to Samsung and Intel in the past! for SSD! I decided to upgrade after all! I going to decide which is to buy tonight or tomorrow; since price are nearing the bottom and video cards are just keep on going up in price.

 

[UsandThem]

Newegg has the Intel 512GB SSD on sale now for $129.99 after promo code.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Newegg has the Intel 512GB SSD on sale now for $129.99 after promo code.

I purchased it without knowing about the promo code already at $143!

I check my email and it is for the Intel 545 512GB for $129.99!

The 860 Evo is much faster in all aspect then the 545 model is! I thought I got a bad deal but it not for the 860 Evo.

 

[UsandThem]

I purchased it without knowing about the promo code already at $143!

Contact their customer support and tell them you forgot to enter the promo code. They should at least give you store credit, if not refund the difference.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Contact their customer support and tell them you forgot to enter the promo code. They should at least give you store credit, if not refund the difference.

I will try it! Thanks!

 

[Harry_Wild]

Thinking about using the 512GB Samsung on my laptop and buying a 1TB for my desktop now! Crazy?

 

[UsandThem]

Thinking about using the 512GB Samsung on my laptop and buying a 1TB for my desktop now! Crazy?

Not to me. I only use SSDs in my PCs now. It's almost painful to me when I have to work on a PC with a spinning hard drive.

The only spinning drives I use now are for my external back ups. That's not so bad as I can start the back up, and leave while it does its thing.

 

[lakedude]

wd blue 3d nand 500 gb for $120 or mx500 for $125 or intel 545 for $135 or evo for $144? Heck for $120 I might get 2, one for lap the other for desk!

 

[UsandThem]

If I were the one buying at this moment, I'd go with either the WD or Crucial that's on sale. They all have 5 year warranties, and about the same performance.

 

[lakedude]

The pricing on this stuff is so crazy. SSDs are much cheaper than a couple years ago when I last looked. Meanwhile GPUs and memory...

So any strong reason not to get the WD blue? It gets 5 stars and is one of cheapest of the known brands...

 

[UsandThem]

The pricing on this stuff is so crazy. SSDs are much cheaper than a couple years ago when I last looked. Meanwhile GPUs and memory...

So any strong reason not to get the WD blue? It gets 5 stars and is one of cheapest of the known brands...

You can thank the 2nd Gen 3D NAND production for that. It really has helped prices to be a lot more reasonable than they were a year ago, along with better performance.

As far as any reason to not buy the WD SSD, I really can't think of any. It's just on sale now with $20 off, so it makes it slightly cheaper than the Crucial (which is usually the lowest priced). I say if you need it, go for it!

 

[lakedude]

done

 

[Harry_Wild]

I was getting a warning from Microsoft Defender Antivirus software and did an offline scan and what a surprise. The boot up is quite a bit faster now and almost no pause till the curse is on the screen now. It only took about 8 minutes to run. So there were some malicious trojans I sure that cannot be eliminate through the normal process. Cannot wait to get my new 860 Evo SSD. It going be real fast!

 

[Glaring_Mistake]

Did some research on my Lenovo SSD and it is actually a Intel SSD Pro 1500 Series 180GB.

Using UserBenchMark downloaded Custom PC Builder comparison software, it was only 20% slower in terms of effective speed then the Intel 545. Against the Samsung 850 Pro - 70% slower and Samsung 850 Evo - 66%! The MX500 is -51%. The 850 Evo is faster then the new MX500!

I was expecting better - faster performance like 120% better then my existing SSD. But the best for the low price is 66% of the effective speed.

I have to get some feedback on this before I jump and buy something new! Price is only $150 for a 512GB model! I may wait to see Samsung and Intel's reply to the MX500. Intel is way behind like Crucial was. NAND is coming down slowly in price so; these drives should be going down to. I not sure that a little over half as fast as my existing SSD is a need to upgrade!

Eh, I think UserBenchMark has some odd results and so should be taken with a grain of salt.

Additionally there's something I noticed with my Intel 545s - that write speeds are lower than you'd expect in benchmarks.

Example:

As you can see it doesn't even reach 400MB/s despite using just a 50MiB testsize.

However when just writing to the drive (here I tried to determine the size of the SLC-cache or if it had one at all) write speeds were significantly better despite being subjected to a heavier load:

Not sure why specifically benchmarks are affected like that or why this issue does not appear in reviews though.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Eh, I think UserBenchMark has some odd results and so should be taken with a grain of salt.

Additionally there's something I noticed with my Intel 545s - that write speeds are lower than you'd expect in benchmarks.

Example:

As you can see it doesn't even reach 400MB/s despite using just a 50MiB testsize.

However when just writing to the drive (here I tried to determine the size of the SLC-cache or if it had one at all) write speeds were significantly better despite being subjected to a heavier load:

Not sure why specifically benchmarks are affected like that or why this issue does not appear in reviews though.

Thank you for the additional info!