Best Price according to the camels.
Looks like the black friday deals are already starting, sometimes the best of deals are few days before the actual black friday ?
Edit - Looks like limited to 1 per customer.
CamelCamelCamel.
Unfortunate i believe this could be a QLC drive so its a bit of a gamble
MX500 now has QLC variants
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/rumour-that-mx500…
I guess you could always return it if it is - Eligible for change of mind returns until Jan 31, 2024
How does one find out if its TLC / QLC from the listing ?
Or is this something you find out after the ssd is in your hands with hardware / software info ? [If this is the case then thats a bummer]
I noticed they stopped advertising endurance rating.. That would be the easiest way to find out if its TLC or QLC .. THATS SOOO SCUMMY !! they are hiding the trash nand they have made the switch too.
@vid_ghost: According to the amazon listing, the product code seems to be CT2000MX500SSD1, and according to the product page,
SSD Endurance (TBW) 700TB
Still not sure how to determine if its TLC / QLC ?
You could try:
SMI flash id (PATA,SATA,CF,SD) from http://vlo.name:3000/ssdtool/
However, that may not work. I tried it on a different SMI based chipset SATA SSD and it couldn't read the drive.
If that utility doesn't work, another way is to run a program that does a sustained write test and write >600GB worth of data in one hit. Third method is to disassemble it and look at the actual flash NAND chips (and find information about those chips). The DRAM is likely reduced from 2GB to 512MB in the newer batch.
According to that link the only QLC were phony drives from Ali Express…
Yepp, thats pretty important info. There are people looking to save few dollars and risking ordering from places with higher risk.
Especially for a SSD where I intend to keep important files and backups, I would rather get from reputable seller and local warranty.
In the past, when I posted the below table, there would be an OZBer pointed out there is insufficient proof that 2TB and 4TB MX500 have QLC versions. One reason is the person who came up with the table did not get the QLC version. He was based on his friends' MX500 that QLC versions do exist.
Anyway, how about the DRAM reduction? Is that common in the latest batches?
| 1 TB | 2 TB | 4TB | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | SATA 2.5" | SATA 2.5" | SATA 2.5" | |
| Interface | AHCI | AHCI | AHCI | |
| Controller | Var 1: | Silicon Motion SM2258 | Silicon Motion SM2258 | Silicon Motion SM2258 |
| Var 2: | Silicon Motion SM2259 | Silicon Motion SM2259 | Silicon Motion SM2259 | |
| DRAM/HMB | Var 1: | 1GB DDR3/DDR3L | 2GB DDR3/DDR3L | 512MB DDR3/DDR3L |
| Var 2: | 512MB DDR3/DDR3L | 512MB DDR3/DDR3L | ||
| NAND | Var 1: | Micron TLC 64-layer B16A 256Gb | Micron TLC 64-layer B17A 512Gb | Micron TLC 64-layer B17A 512Gb |
| Var 2: | Micron TLC 64-layer B17A 512Gb | Micron TLC 96-layer B27B 512Gb | Micron TLC 96-layer B27B 512Gb | |
| Var 3: | Micron TLC 96-layer B27A 512Gb | Micron TLC 128-layer B37R 512Gb | Micron TLC 128-layer B37R 512Gb | |
| Var 4: | Micron TLC 96-layer B27B 512Gb | Micron TLC 176-layer B47R 512Gb | Micron TLC 176-layer B47R 512Gb | |
| Var 5: | Micron TLC 128-layer B37R 512Gb | Micron QLC 64-layer N18A 1Tb | Micron QLC 64-layer N18A 1Tb | |
| Var 6: | Micron TLC 176-layer B47R 512Gb | Micron QLC 96-layer N28A 1Tb | Micron QLC 96-layer N28A 1Tb | |
| Sequential Read (up to) | [MBps] | 560 | 560 | 560 |
| Sequential Write (up to) | [MBps] | 510 | 510 | 520 |
| Random Read (up to) | [IOPs] | 95000 | 95000 | 95000 |
| Random Write (up to) | [IOPs] | 90000 | 90000 | 90000 |
| Cryptography | 256bit AES, TCG Opal 2.0 | 256bit AES, TCG Opal 2.0 | 256bit AES, TCG Opal 2.0 | |
| Durability (TBW) | [TB] | 360 | 700 | 1000 |
| MTBF | [million hours] | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
| Part Number | CT1000MX500SSD1 | CT2000MX500SSD1 | CT4000MX500SSD1 | |
| Warranty | [years] | 5 | 5 | 5 |
@netsurfer: So long as they have a 2TB and 4TB version with TLC nand.. they can advertise on their website that the drive comes with x and y… but who knows what parts are being swapped at the factory these days .. Maybe they only sell the QLC ones to the china market to save $$
@vid_ghost: Guessing / hoping they are still TLC because MX500 2TB costs more than SN570 2TB and that's TLC.
Looks like the black friday deals are already starting…
Standard deal pricing since July
Crucial MX500 2TB SATA 2.5" 7mm Internal SSD, Blue/Gray $149 Delivered @ Amazon AU
Crucial 2TB MX500 2.5" SATA SSD $143.65 ($140.27 eBay Plus) Delivered @ Computer Alliance eBay
If these 2TB models are still Micron TLC, BF deal pricing is $129
If they have switched to Micron QLC, BF deal pricing is $109
Where were you 10 minutes ago
In the old days, this type of deal would be slammed as a lazy deal because OP did not bother to check OzB pricing but rather relied on the increasingly unreliable Camel X3
But since we are in the soft post-Jimmy77 world and OP is still on L's, it is DYOR for the next few weeks with the flood of new posters and their suspect deals
Well, we have an L for a reason. ChatGPT for the rescue here we go
“10 minutes”, user name checks out.
what does BF stand for?
boyfriend
What's black, triggers people to make unreasonable purchases and happens on a Friday?
Cats! One ran across my keyboard last Friday…
Thanks Obama.
Centerlink payments?
BF deal pricing is $129
BF deal pricing is $109
Based on ? How are these prices getting thrown around ?
Legend has it ChatGPT has been fed so much data that it knows retailer prices before even they do
Thanks op, got one. This is probably a better deal than most other amazon US/UK/DE deals, since this is amazon AU for local warranty.
Better to get one now in case this happens to be a fairly decent price to get your hands on one during the upcoming weeks.
In case something better comes along, returns are easy with Amazon.
But did you just order a QLC drive or a TCL drive :) If its QLC .. the Samsung drive is this price all the time.
Turns out there is no easy way to tell. According to this link I found on reddit with my limited google skills, this is supposed to be TLC and a "High-End SATA"
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1B27_j9NDPU3cNlj2HKcr…
But who knows what dodgy shit all greedy corps are upto these days
Just got it this morning, Hard Disk Sentinel saying it's 'Micron 16nm 64-layer 3D TLC NAND'
Makes me wonder if an M.2 drive with a M.2 to 2.5" enclosure would be better value @$133;
enclosure $15;
https://www.umart.com.au/product/simplecom-sa102-ngff-m-2-b-…
M.2 drive $118;
https://www.umart.com.au/product/silicon-power-2tb-p34a60-ge…
Would be better for future builds to transfer over as well.
That combo won't work - the adapter is for SATA m.2 ssd (B-Key), and the m.2 drive you linked is NVME (M-Key).
But if you could find cheap SATA M.2 drives, then the combo might be worth it.
You can also get pci-e to 4x m.2 SATA adapter cards on aliexpress … again if you could get cheap m.2 SATA drives, they would be an option.
I think that adaptor only works with M2 SATA drives (NGFF) not NVMe drives (like the one you linked to).
Reading the 'Note' in the 'Description': NVMe M.2 SSD are not supported
There are disadvantages using a drives over USB. The best option would be an M2 NVM2 drive in a PCI card, but I think the card would need to have four lanes of PCI otherwise it will be slower. I think many motherboards can't boot from a drive on a PCI card.
Newer motherboards generally can boot from an SSD on a PCIe card.
I was considering this for a mate and his 1100T build. But the drive can't be bootable in that case and it also would only work in computers and nothing else (e.g PS3, PS4, Xbox, etc.)
There's also this for $129
WD Blue SN570 2TB PCIe Gen3 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD
https://www.centrecom.com.au/wd-blue-sn570-2tb-pcie-gen3-nvm…
It was $118 on Saturday. SN570 2TB has a much larger dynamic SLC cache compared to the 1TB version.
Be careful with these drives, I recently went through two of them, both with the same fault. DOA within minutes. Formatted and attempted to copy data on it, locked up and promptly died. After trying multiple PC's, none of them would detect the drives any more. I don't know if it was a bad batch or what but I ended up getting a refund and going with a Samsung - no issues.
If you do pick one up, ensure you test it fully before storing any important data on it.
QA doesn't check every drive.. its like 1 out of 1000 gets tested.. something like that. :) so DOA drives can be a thing and a bad batch could be also.
Chinese factory workers are getting pay cuts.. i don't think this will incentivizes them to do a good job at the factory… :)
Chinese factory workers are getting pay cuts.. i don't think this will incentivizes them to do a good job at the factory… :)
Our MX500's are made in Mexico and the majority of production is automated
The issue is not the factory workers - it is the management at Micron/Crucial
They have told the engineers to shrinkflate the product so they can earn an extra few dollars per drive
Crucial's MX line can no longer be recommended
This 2TB MX500 has a lower endurance rating (700TB) than the cheaper 2TB BX500 (720TB)
When you consider the MX500 is supposed to have DRAM and the BX500 is definitely DRAMless, the quality of the NAND and controller Crucial are now using for the MX series is getting closer to YMTC/Maxio level
For valuable data, the only reasonably priced SATA SSD's are:
Samsung 870 EVO updated to latest firmware
Seagate IronWolf 125
Western Digital Red SA500
Kingston Data Center
Intel Data Center (EOL)
Hynix Gold (EOL)
870 Evo plus, I assume?
Samsung 870 EVO - SATA 2.5" DRIVE
Ironically, just got this to replace a Samsung EVO 870 1TB that just died on me… bought in June 2021 and it's at 56% health with 18220 uncorrectable errors, whereas the EVO 860 1TB I got in 2020 is working perfectly.
Going to be cautious though so I'll run H2testw and crystaldiskmark on it first.
Bought this drive a days ago and it failed on me right away…
Just my luck
Swapped out the HDD in my Xbox One X for one of these, works a treat.
also available at https://www.centrecom.com.au/crucial-mx500-2tb-3d-nand-ssd at same price, they put TLC in their description so I guess it'd be more reliable?
Not really. You need to ask Centrecom that if it is QLC, they will provide a full refund on the spot (or full refund after they got the money back from the supplier, which may take weeks).
The question is how are you going to prove it is QLC? You most certainly cannot disassemble it (and that would void the warranty I think). There is no easy way to check TLC vs QLC via a simple utility (not guaranteed that utility in ssd utils page will work). If you intend to use sustained write test, you will have to use a laptop or have Centrecom connect the SSD to one of their test bench desktops and run an app you paid for to test. Also, whether Centrecom agrees the low sustained write after SLC cache depleted is sufficient to justify it is QLC (how low is sufficient for them to agree it is QLC).
If you want to get it, it is safer to go Amazon route due to its current change of mind option (for Amazon AU products).
Bought from amazon yesterday and received today.
AIDA64 shows:
Controller Type Silicon Motion SM2258H
Flash Memory Type Micron 16nm 64-layer 3D TLC NAND
is that good?
is there a way to find out what DRAM it has?
AIDA64 shows:
Careful - AIDA64 SSD stats are pulled from an online database, not interrogated directly from the drive
SMI controller + Micron 64L TLC is the original configuration when Crucial released the drive
Besides the unofficial controller utilities floating around, the only foolproof way to check is to physically open up the drive
Thanks, that makes more sense. It's just weird Micron/Crucial still have 64L TLC version in stock. Unpublished wrong comments.
MX500 2TB, most likely you will get one with SM2259 controller nowadays. Thing is, that controller supports both TLC and QLC.
Unless you are willing to open the SSD and look at the inside NAND chips, there isn't very limited information on which NAND.
NY134, B37R 128L TLC NAND
NY135, B47R 176L TLC NAND
NW952, B27A 96L TLC NAND
????, N28A 96L QLC NAND
????, N18A 64L QLC NAND
Hi guys, so there seems to be a lot of information here but nothing is quite clear. What is the consensus at the moment? I am not sure what's going on.
Any good as an update to my old old ps4 with the original spinning hdd?
Hi everyone, I have raised the question on the Amazon page on whether this is TLC. As a seller they have indicated it is TLC. Hopefully that helps some people make a decision.
Is this TLC or QLC?
asked on 15 November 2023This is TLC.
MyPingu Australia SELLER · 15 November 2023TLC as far as I know which i why I like these drives better than the other brand models
Michael Andrijich · 15 November 2023
Would not be trusting "MyPingu Australia" for advice on SSD tech specs
Since posting this deal, and subsequent comments, I have been doing some reading up in my free time.
I am NO expert on this matter, most of this is my personal opinion based on my reading and experience, so take below info with a grain of salt and do your own research to decide what suits you.
There are no easy ways to actually know the components inside your drive. Manufacturers are being dodgy as hell and making it difficult to get the information. A lot of speculation about parts and quality downgrades. Truth is no one knows what components are going to be inside the drive you get. So accept the reality on this matter. As some one burned by Samsung Pro, I learned my lesson that just because they advertise and make you pay for top-tier - doesn't mean much in the end.
Plan for multiples of smaller capacities (that makes sense to you) instead of putting all your money into a single large capacity drive.
Most software seem to be just identifying the SSD and giving out the component data based on pre-compiled databases - not component info from your actual drive itself. I would be glad if someone can point me to some software that claims to actually check the components in the drive.
This LTT video - https://youtube.com/watch?v=K07sEM6y4Uc is 2.5 years old, yet it is just as hard to find the information today, which is a sad state of affairs.
What I used as guidelines to buy -
1. Local warranty - Beats saving few dollars buying from non-AU (Amazon International or other international sites) retailers.
2. Seller reputation - Yes, no large seller moving thousands of these units have the intentions to run small scale scams, and hopefully their supply chain is more reliable for preventing man-in-middle dodgy behavior. Same cannot be said for Third party sellers on Amazon, smaller retailers or AliExpress, etc.
3. Returns - Amazon is as good as its going to get when it comes to returns. Whether prices drop further in the next few weeks, or if there is solid information about these drives being no good, chances of smoother returns are the highest with Amazon.
Remember -
1. There are no guarantees - I am someone who was impacted by the samsung 980 Pro SSD mess - Imagine paying extra dollars (mid 2021) for the top-tier and thinking you have got one of the best possible SSD only to find out what a total mess it was. Only thing that kept me sane was I had a trusty old external HDD as a backup. You could end up with a lemon even when purchasing a top-tier model/manufacturer. Good back up strategy, Local warranty and Reputable Seller are your hedges in case things go wrong.
Here is what I am planning on doing -
1. I received the drives yesterday and planning to run some tests first before putting on any personal data onto the drives.
2. Test the drive speeds (CrystalDiskMark / KDiskMark / etc), and check / compare your results - plenty of youtube videos talking about these if you need.
3. If everything looks good, then put my data actual data on it. One of them goes into my computer, and the other one goes into a external sata enclosure, for weekly manual backups.
Only suggestions I have are (again my personal opinion, feel free to ignore) -
1. Avoid buying your [intended] main/primary computer & accessories from international sellers. Puts you in a disadvantageous position if you encounter issues. Sure YMMV depending on many factors, but local warranty and reputable seller tops saving a few extra dollars, especially on your primary devices.
2. Check the spec sheets of the drives before you buy - there are posts claiming some other drive with a lower TBW would be better, that too from a international seller. Do your own careful research before buying. Just because someone says its better doesn't actually make it so.
3. Plan for redundancies / backups. Have a raspberry pi or even a second hand tiny-mini-micro PC with a similar SSD / HDD as a backup. If you can afford it, having a good backup plan will be one of the best investments long term.
Testing CrystalDiskMark is pretty useless. You cannot even tell whether it is TLC or QLC from CrystalDiskMark. If all you are going to do is CrystalDiskMark test, then you are essentially numbing your brain.
If you opted for Samsung, WD, Crucial or Seagate, you generally should install its SSD dashboard software. That way, you get regular firmware updates. 980 Pro situation, if you do actually have that kind of write pattern and affected by it, then you need to think about SSD in general. Put it this way, if you opted for QLC SSD, the SSD health drops much faster when you write a lot of data to it. Furthermore, it is better to realise SSD's health life should gradually lower. I suspect a lot of SSD makers are hiding some data to prevent SSD info apps to mark down the SSD health %.
The best way to find out exactly what you get with the MX500 is actually unscrew the 2 screws and check the chips (to figure which NAND). Problem is, with those variants, what will you do if you didn't get the best one (what if you ended up with the second best, but still better than 4 other variants)? If you don't want to open it up, the only test is a proper sustained write test and that will only rule out QLC. However, that involves writing 1TB worth of data using an app designed to test sustained write (the cheap alternative is to write 20 x 50GB files in one go and check the speed drop).
The real problem is that even with SSDs with good reputation, there are multiple batches and some batches have higher failure rate. For example, with the QLC fear on MX500, people would opt for 870 Evo instead. Thing is some 870 Evo have reliability issue. Hopefully, the ones in the market now are all unaffected batches.
How is this for PS5?
Not ideal. You can only use this via USB for PS5. Since PS5 supports USB 3.2 gen 2, you are better off getting an NVMe SSD with an USB enclosure.
If you intend to get an SSD that you can put inside the PS5, you need a NVMe SSD that supports PCIe gen 4 x4.
Just purchased this for my HPE Gen 8 Micro Server as a boot drive.. Shame that Crucial has made some of these QLC - I'm assuming you can't open the drive without voiding warranty / returns? Being that it'll be on 24/7 and hosting a Linux VM I kind of don't want QLC..
There shouldn't be too many writes to the VM, Linux is generally less heavy on it than Windows. I imagine most of the writes will be to whatever drives you have in your raid, just backup the raid config so if the host does fail you can easily restore it to a new drive.
I'm honestly going to use stablebit drive pool, I've got a few drives to test it on but it seems to be the go.
My internet at home is down at the moment, but I've just confirmed that the drive I got has 4GB of RAM. I have photos of the PCB. I will upload later on if people wish to see.
I will upload later on if people wish to see.
That would be appreciated by everyone on OzB
… but I've just confirmed that the drive I got has 4GB of RAM.
4GB of DRAM sounds off unless you mean 4GBit (512MB)
Can see the part number on the right side chip, the others are the actual storage.
3JPI5 D9SHD
Other side for reference
https://imgur.com/a/feznCBl
D9SHD = Micron 4Gb (512MB) DDR3 1866 DRAM
3JE2D-NY167 = unknown Micron NAND
Facts:
Similar named 3JE2D-NY122 is used in the Crucial P5 Plus which is confirmed as Micron 176L TLC
3JE2D-NY167 is not listed in the the Micron parts DB
Endurance: P5 Plus 2TB has 1200TB, BX500 2TB has 720TB and MX500 2TB is lowest with 700TB
Even if MX500 2TB is still TLC, it has been shrinkflated to lower "flash media" grade with about half the endurance of Micron's standard TLC
The recent stories about poor MX500 reliability are true so as a serious drive to store valuable data, the MX500 cannot be recommended
@Look Up: Damn, I can't be bothered returning it since it's my boot drive for my server and a VM with mint. It'll do til I get a better server with a NVME slot.
Cheers @Matt86 ! Much appreciated.
Great, thanks OP