The Crucial BX500 is a budget-oriented SATA III solid-state drive (SSD) manufactured by Crucial, a consumer brand of Micron Technology. Originally released in August 2018, the BX500 series represents Crucial’s entry-level storage solution designed to provide affordable flash storage for cost-conscious system builders. It is positioned as the successor to the Crucial BX300 series, featuring a 2.5-inch form and legacy SATA 6Gb/s interface. Unlike its predecessor which used far more expensive MLC NAND, the BX500 uses either TLC or QLC NAND flash memory depending on the model variant and production date. There are multiple hardware versions of the product, meaning that the performance and endurance characteristics may vary.
Key competitors to the BX500 include other entry-level SATA SSDs such as the Kingston A40, Western Digital Green, SanDisk SSD Plus, and ADATA SU650/SU655. The BX500 is positioned below Crucial’s mainstream MX500 series, which includes DRAM cache and offers superior performance. The price difference between the BX500 and MX500 has narrowed over time, leading some reviewers to recommend the MX500 for users willing to pay a small premium for better performance.
Specifications
| Capacity | Part Number | Sequential Read | Sequential Write | TBW Rating | DWPD (5 years) | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 120GB | CT120BX500SSD1 | 540 MB/s | 500 MB/s | 40TB | 21GB/day | 3 years |
| 240GB | CT240BX500SSD1 | 540 MB/s | 500 MB/s | 80TB | 43GB/day | 3 years |
| 480GB | CT480BX500SSD1 | 540 MB/s | 500 MB/s | 120TB | 65GB/day | 3 years |
| 500GB | CT500BX500SSD1 | 550 MB/s | 500 MB/s | 120TB | 65GB/day | 3 years |
| 960GB | CT960BX500SSD1 | 540 MB/s | 500 MB/s | 360TB | 195GB/day | 3 years |
| 1TB | CT1000BX500SSD1 | 540 MB/s | 500 MB/s | 360TB | 195GB/day | 3 years |
| 2TB | CT2000BX500SSD1 | 540 MB/s | 500 MB/s | 720TB | 390GB/day | 3 years |
Controller
Crucial has used various Silicon Motion controllers for the BX500 depending on the production batch and capacity. Early models use the SM2258XT or SM2259XT, both of which are DRAM-less controllers designed for cost-effective storage solutions. These controllers feature a single-core processor with a 4-channel, 4-CE/ch (Chip Enable per channel) configuration. The absence of DRAM cache means the drive relies on the host system’s memory for mapping table storage, which can impact random read/write performance compared to drives with dedicated DRAM.
Cache Architecture
As a DRAM-less design, the BX500 relies entirely on SLC caching for performance optimization. The SLC cache size varies based on drive capacity and available free space. This architecture significantly reduces manufacturing costs but results in performance degradation during sustained write operations, or when the drive approaches full capacity.
NAND Type
The BX500 has undergone several hardware revisions using different types of Micron-manufactured NAND flash:
- Initial models: 64-layer 3D TLC NAND
- Later revisions: 96-layer 3D TLC NAND
- Recent variants: 176-layer QLC NAND (on some capacities)
Once the drives’ dynamic SLC cache is exhausted, write speeds will drop significantly – particularly on QLC variants which may fall to levels below that of conventional hard drives.
Power Consumption
As a basic entry-level model, the BX500 demonstrates efficient power consumption patterns:
- Idle power (with Link Power Management): Approximately 27mW
- Idle power (without LPM): Approximately 0.4W
- Active power consumption: Average of 1.55W during file operations
- Maximum power consumption: Varies by capacity but generally under 3W
Despite low absolute power consumption, the drive’s performance-per-watt efficiency is lower than many competing SSDs due to the DRAM-less architecture’s performance limitations.
Reviews
Most users will never run into write slowdowns, at least with the larger capacities. The BX500 actually led the pack in performance during our 48GB file transfers.
… there are much better options available for just a few dollars more, including Crucial’s own MX500 …
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