Performance: 28 out of 40.
In single drive configuration the BX500 480GB is rather lackluster to say the least as when its SLC NAND write cache buffer is exhausted expect performance to hit the 100MB/s mark. The saving grace of this new drive series is the fact it scales well in RAID configurations and is rather inexpensive. As such you can consider this drive 20 out of 40 if you are only looking at buying only one… or 35 out of 40 if you are looking for to buy a bunch for a RAID array. We are going to split the difference and give it an average of 28.
Technological Innovation: 14 out of 20
Unlike the BX300 the BX500 does not really push any boundaries per say. About the only two that can be pointed at as being innovative is showing the world how to actually make a good plastic chassis, and how to offer RAID buyers one heck of a bargain.
Build Quality & Warranty: 15 out of 20
On the one hand you have plastic and TLC NAND replacing metal and MLC. On the other this level of build quality is still above average for its class. That is not saying much, but when paired with a good – if short – 3 year warranty the BX500 is more than good enough for its intended market niche.
Value: 17 out of 20
Much like its performance its value is going to vary. For single drive users who can only afford 80 dollars the BX500 480GB is probably the best choice going. Not ‘MX500 good’, but still very good. Call it 14 out of 20. For RAID buyers the value of this drive skyrockets as it is inexpensive but not a cheap or poorly made drive. For these its 20 out 20. We are going to split the difference and give it an average of 17.
Final Score: 74 out of 100
The Crucial BX500 is going to be a very controversial model. A controversial model that is not going to impress mainstream buyers all that much. Thankfully it doesn’t have to. Its market niche is the entry level, low-budget crowd and here it does indeed shine. Furthermore, we would have zero issues with using that as a D/E/F/G/H secondary storage drive. Especially a bunch of them in a RAID array. Here its performance characteristics align nicely with most people’s needs as well or even better than a single larger SSD. Mix in its low asking price and the end result of such a setup would allow us the luxury of putting the savings towards something else – like better RAM. A better CPU cooler. A better keyboard. The sky is the limit. All thanks to the extremely low asking price of the BX500 series. So don’t write it off just because it will only make a mediocre OS / C drive. It is better than that.
