Conclusion
In today’s SSD market, there is very little to distinguish entry level drives from those which command higher price points. This is mostly due to the SATA 6Gbps interface being completely tapped out and as a result, manufacturers have struggled to differentiate their products. Some like Intel are looking towards alternate interfaces and as a result command extreme premiums for their flagship products. Crucial meanwhile is taking a different path by offering a lineup that focuses upon value and delivering predictable performance at all levels. The BX200 is the personification of that initiative.
To understand where the BX200 is coming from you first have to understand that it isn’t meant to beat the performance of its predecessor, the BX100. While that may sound like a recipe for disaster, Crucial realized that many of their potential buyers were leaning towards the ever so slightly higher priced yet better performing MX200 rather than buying into the BX100. The BX200 aims to rectify that situation and succeeds in spectacular fashion.
This drive series isn’t one that will turn the performance world on its head but what’s being delivered here is extremely enticing: 480GB and 960GB drives that destroy every other competitor in the overall value segment. One of the primary challenges for SSD manufacturers is to convince HDD users their wares can offer drastically better system responsiveness without sacrificing a ton of capacity. Remember, the BX200’s target market is folks who are looking to move beyond their older, lower capacity desktop and notebook spindle-based drives rather than anyone who has 2TB and more of storage. In that respect even these relatively low performance SSDs will offer a mouth-watering performance upgrade without spending more than $300.
From a comparative perspective both the OCZ Trion and AData Premier SP550 offer very similar placements in our charts but, unlike the BX200, they become quite expensive as capacities increase. At the 480GB mark any one would be a good solution but above that Crucial’s new 960GB offering really shines from a dollar per GB perspective.
Another area where the BX200 surges ahead is predicted NAND endurance. While this metric is mostly made up of extrapolated stress test data, it is more than obvious Crucial has selected some top-tier modules for their budget drive. On paper the 72TB figure may be a bit behind AData but the BX200’s spec is achieved while at 90% of the drive’s capacity whereas the Premier can’t even begin to touch that.
If you are someone who has been hesitating before jumping into the SSD market, the BX200 offers a very tempting upgrade path. These drives have very good –though not groundbreaking- performance, excellent longevity ratings and also offer massive value as you move into higher capacity ranges. All in all, those elements are exactly what many would-be upgraders have been waiting for
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<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Storage/BX200/DGV.gif" border="0" alt="" /> <img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Storage/BX200/di.png" border="0" alt="" />
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Conclusion
In today’s SSD market, there is very little to distinguish entry level drives from those which command higher price points. This is mostly due to the SATA 6Gbps interface being completely tapped out and as a result, manufacturers have struggled to differentiate their products. Some like Intel are looking towards alternate interfaces and as a result command extreme premiums for their flagship products. Crucial meanwhile is taking a different path by offering a lineup that focuses upon value and delivering predictable performance at all levels. The BX200 is the personification of that initiative.
To understand where the BX200 is coming from you first have to understand that it isn’t meant to beat the performance of its predecessor, the BX100. While that may sound like a recipe for disaster, Crucial realized that many of their potential buyers were leaning towards the ever so slightly higher priced yet better performing MX200 rather than buying into the BX100. The BX200 aims to rectify that situation and succeeds in spectacular fashion.
This drive series isn’t one that will turn the performance world on its head but what’s being delivered here is extremely enticing: 480GB and 960GB drives that destroy every other competitor in the overall value segment. One of the primary challenges for SSD manufacturers is to convince HDD users their wares can offer drastically better system responsiveness without sacrificing a ton of capacity. Remember, the BX200’s target market is folks who are looking to move beyond their older, lower capacity desktop and notebook spindle-based drives rather than anyone who has 2TB and more of storage. In that respect even these relatively low performance SSDs will offer a mouth-watering performance upgrade without spending more than $300.
From a comparative perspective both the OCZ Trion and AData Premier SP550 offer very similar placements in our charts but, unlike the BX200, they become quite expensive as capacities increase. At the 480GB mark any one would be a good solution but above that Crucial’s new 960GB offering really shines from a dollar per GB perspective.
Another area where the BX200 surges ahead is predicted NAND endurance. While this metric is mostly made up of extrapolated stress test data, it is more than obvious Crucial has selected some top-tier modules for their budget drive. On paper the 72TB figure may be a bit behind AData but the BX200’s spec is achieved while at 90% of the drive’s capacity whereas the Premier can’t even begin to touch that.
If you are someone who has been hesitating before jumping into the SSD market, the BX200 offers a very tempting upgrade path. These drives have very good –though not groundbreaking- performance, excellent longevity ratings and also offer massive value as you move into higher capacity ranges. All in all, those elements are exactly what many would-be upgraders have been waiting for
<div align="center">
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Storage/BX200/DGV.gif" border="0" alt="" /> <img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Storage/BX200/di.png" border="0" alt="" />
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