Best 1TB MLC DRAM SSDs
There are 23 1TB MLC DRAM SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Samsung 960 PRO M.2 at 3500 MB/s read at 1TB, and the highest-rated for endurance is the Samsung 860 PRO (4800 TBW). Sequential reads across the group span 450–3500 MB/s at 1TB.
Why this configuration
A 1TB MLC DRAM SSD is a legacy endurance choice. MLC stores two bits per cell instead of three, so these older drives take far more rewriting than a modern budget drive, at a much higher cost per gigabyte.
1TB is the capacity most single-drive builds settle on.
Usually chosen for: write-heavy secondary roles and keeping older machines useful.
Good fit: workstation and creative loads that hammer random I/O.
Ranked list
The top 20 of 23 are listed. The full SSD catalogue filters on every spec.
Speeds on this page are the manufacturer's 1TB ratings where published (23 of 23 drives), not the family headline figure. Rated writes at 1TB run 450–2700 MB/s.
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 1TB) | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Samsung 960 PRO M.2 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Top-tier | SAMSUNG POLARIS CONTROLLER (5-Core | 3500 | 1200 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 |  Samsung 860 PRO 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Top-tier | SAMSUNG MJX CONTROLLER (3-Core, 8- | 560 | 4800 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 |  Samsung PRO 970 M.2 500GB, 1TB | Top-tier | SAMSUNG PHOENIX CONTROLLER (5-Core | 3500 | 1200 | Find on Amazon |
| 4 |  Crucial MX300 1TB, 2TB, 275GB, 525GB, 750GB | High-end | MARVEL 88SS1074 (2-Core, 4-Canais, | 530 | 400 | Check price on Amazon |
| 5 |  Plextor M8PeY 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2500 | 768 | Find on Amazon |
| 6 |  Plextor M8PeG 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2500 | 768 | Find on Amazon |
| 7 | High-end | Phison PS5007-E7 | 2200 | — | Find on Amazon | |
| 8 |  ADATA SU900 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Silicon Motion SM2258H (1-Core, 4- | 560 | 1600 | Find on Amazon |
| 9 |  Crucial MX200 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS9189 | 550 | 320 | Find on Amazon |
| 10 |  Crucial MX300 M.2 1TB, 275GB, 525GB | High-end | MARVEL 88SS1074 (2-Core, 4-Canais, | 530 | 360 | Find on Amazon |
| 11 |  OCZ RD400 AIC 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | TOSHIBA TC56NCP070GSB (POSSIVELMEN | 2600 | 592 | Find on Amazon |
| 12 |  Plextor M8PeGN 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2500 | 768 | Find on Amazon |
| 13 |  ADATA SP920 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Marvell 88SS9189 | 560 | 72 | Find on Amazon |
| 14 |  TeamGroup VULKAN 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Silicon Motion SM2258G | 560 | 240 | Find on Amazon |
| 15 |  Crucial M550 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Marvell 88SS9189 | 550 | 72 | Find on Amazon |
| 16 |  Kingston SSDNOW KC400 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Phison PS3110-S10 (4-Core, 55nm CM | 550 | 1600 | Find on Amazon |
| 17 |  Crucial BX100 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Silicon Motion SM2246EN | 535 | 72 | Find on Amazon |
| 18 |  Samsung T1 PORTABLE SSD 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | SAMSUNG 2-core MGX controller(S4L0 | 450 | — | Find on Amazon |
| 19 |  ADATA SP610 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Value | Silicon Motion SM2246EM | 560 | — | Find on Amazon |
| 20 |  Mushkin REACTOR 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Value | Silicon Motion SM2246EN | 560 | 144 | Find on Amazon |
The parts, explained
1TB is the mainstream single-drive capacity.
MLC NAND is older and costs more per gigabyte, but is very durable.
An onboard DRAM cache keeps the flash mapping table on the drive, holding random performance steady under sustained load.