There two SSDs are popular options for anyone upgrading or building a new PC, but there are a few main features that set them apart. To begin, let’s take a close look at the specs – SK Hynix Gold S31 Vs Crucial MX500 Differences.
SK Hynix Gold S31 Vs Crucial MX500 comparison chart
| SK hynix Gold S31 | Crucial MX500 | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 250GB, 500GB 1TB | 250GB, 500GB 1TB, 2TB |
| Interface | SATA III 6Gb/s | SATA III 6Gb/s |
| NAND | 72L 3D TLC | 64L 3D TLC |
| Controller | SK hynix Quartz | SM2258 |
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years |
| Endurance | 150 TBW (250GB) 300 TBW (500GB) 600 TBW (1TB) | 100 TBW (250GB) 180 TBW (500GB) 360 TBW (1TB) 700 TBW (2TB) |
| Color | Silver | Silver |
Pros & Cons – SK Hynix Gold S31 Vs Crucial MX500
SK Hynix Gold S31
The SK hynix Gold S31 is a 2.5-inch SATA III solid-state drive (SSD) that offers excellent performance and durability. It tops out at 1TB, but it’s the better option if you value longevity and transfer speed.
Pros
- Higher 600 TBW rating (1TB)
- Slightly better performance
- Five-year warranty
- Three sizes available
Cons
- Tops out at 1TB size
- No specialized software
Crucial MX500
The Crucial MX500 is a 2.5-inch SATA III SSD available in four sizes up to 2TB. Its TBW rating isn’t as high, and performance is slightly inferior in some tests, but it includes Crucial Storage Executive Software for better control.
Pros
- Competitive price
- Five-year warranty
- 2TB size available
- Crucial Storage Executive software
Cons
- Lower 360 TBW (1TB)
- Slightly less performance
Performance review – SK Hynix Gold S31 Vs Crucial MX500
Both of those 2.5-inch SSDs use the SATA III interface to attach to your PC. meaning they both have similar read transfer speed ceilings around 560 MB/s. If you are looking for faster performance, you’ll be wanting to see out some M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs, though you’ll pay more for the premium.
The SK hynix Gold S31 uses a proprietary Quartz controller and 72-layer 3D TLC NAND, while the Crucial MX500 uses a Silicon Motion SM2258 controller and a 64-layer 3D TLC NAND. Testing with CrystalDiskMark, transfer speeds are nearly on par, with each SSD taking a win in several categories. These numbers are sure to fluctuate during everyday performance, but it’s clear that general performance is sort of similar.
SK Hynix Gold (CrystalDiskMark)
| Test | Read speed | Write speed |
|---|---|---|
| Seq Q32T1 | 562.5 MB/s | 531.6 MB/s |
| 4KiB Q8T8 | 406.2 MB/s | 369.6 MB/s |
| 4KiB Q32T1 | 285.4 MB/s | 265.5 MB/s |
| 4KiB Q1T1 | 32.04 MB/s | 100.9 MB/s |
Crucial MX500 (CrystalDiskMark)
| Test | Read speed | Write speed |
|---|---|---|
| Seq Q32T1 | 564.0 MB/s | 522.3 MB/s |
| 4KiB Q8T8 | 407.3 MB/s | 380.0 MB/s |
| 4KiB Q32T1 | 209.6 MB/s | 195.8 MB/s |
| 4KiB Q1T1 | 43.55 MB/s | 101.6 MB/s |
Testing again with ATTO Disk Benchmark, which measures speeds with progressively larger files, the SK hynix Gold S31 outperforms the Crucial MX500 with almost every size.
Both SSDs accompany a five-year warranty, but the Terabytes Written (TBW) rating is different. The SK hynix 250GB SSD offers 150 TBW, the 500GB drive offers 300 TBW, and therefore the 1TB drive offers a 600 TBW rating. Measuring the 1TB drive, you’d need to write on 330MB of knowledge per day to threaten the five-year warranty.
On the opposite hand, the Crucial 250GB SSD features a 100 TBW, the 500GB SSD features a 180 TBW, the 1TB drive features a 360 TBW, and therefore the 2TB drive features a 700 TBW. You’d still need to write on 197MB per day during the five-year warranty to hit a theoretical breakpoint on the 1TB drive, and most users won’t compared thereto number. But professionals, power users, and gamers might find that the Gold S31’s 600 TBW rating is far more comforting.
Pricing and size
The Crucial MX500 won’t have as high of a TBW rating, and its performance might lag slightly behind the Gold S31 (at least in some synthetic benchmarks), but in some cases, it isn’t getting to cost you the maximum amount . The 250GB SSDs from both manufacturers hover round the $50 mark and therefore the 1TB models also sit round the $120 mark, but you’ll save about $10 on the 500GB Crucial MX500 SSD. And if you want to travel beyond 1TB during a single 2.5-inch SSD, only the MX500 comes during a 2TB size for about $235.
As a bonus, Crucial SSDs have Crucial Storage Executive software available to assist get the foremost out of your MX500. you’ll monitor remaining space, temperature, and encryption, and there is a Momentum Cache feature which will help boost performance in some systems. Unfortunately, the SK hynix Gold S31 only has some basic migration software available.
Go with SK hynix Gold S31 for stellar performance, better longevity
Thanks to a better TBW rating and excellent performance, the SK hynix Gold S31 is probably going getting to be the pick for many people. However, you will need to seem elsewhere for sizes beyond 1TB, and you’ll save money on the 500GB Crucial MX500.
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