CONCLUSION

   Usually when a manufacturer releases a device in the market ment to replace another that device is better at least in one area and judging by our results the BX200 is actually quite faster in read performance compared to its predecessor the BX100. On the other hand write performance is just not as good in some tests and although this shouldn’t be the case (especially since the BX200 is set to replace the BX100 entirely) it really didn’t come as a surprise to us since TLC NAND is a lot weaker in that area compared to MLC. Unfortunately we didn’t have the chance to test the 960GB model of the BX100 line so although differences shouldn’t be huge this comparison between these two models is obviously not 100% on the spot (the 960GB BX100 model should however score even higher in terms of performance). I was somewhat impressed to see that the recently Mushkin Triactor which uses the same NAND controller (different brand TLC NAND however) scored higher in most tests but again since it was of a different capacity a comparison is not 100% valid. Last but not least Crucial gives good Endurance/Durability numbers (MTTF of 1.5 million hours with 72GB TBW) but still lower compared to those of other similar products like the Triactor line (MTBF of 2 million hours).

   TLC NAND based SSDs exist only because of their high price/capacity ratio so how much does the BX200 960GB cost today? Well today you can find the BX200 960GB SSD by Crucial for USD239.90 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 240Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). This price tag gives the BX200 960GB a price/performance ratio of roughly $0.25/GB a number which is just a tad higher compared to one of the equivalent Triactor model by Mushkin. Again however just like the Triactor the BX200 is aimed towards people who are looking for a high capacity SSD with very good read performance but with not really enough juice when it comes to writes. Overall although write performance is not it’s strong suit thanks to its very tempting price/capacity ratio (less than $0.25/GB) the BX200 960GB by Crucial gets highly recommended by us (especially to gamers).

PROS

- Very Good Price / Capacity Ratio ($0.25/GB)
- Read Performance Levels
- 3 Year Warranty
- Bundle (7mm to 9.5mm bracket & Acronis Migration Software)

CONS

- Write Performance Levels
- Endurance Numbers (Compared To Its Immediate Competition)