Best 500GB MLC SSDs
There are 85 500GB MLC SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Samsung 960 PRO M.2 at 3500 MB/s read, and the highest-rated for endurance is the Samsung 860 PRO (4800 TBW). Sequential reads across the group span 450–3500 MB/s at 500GB.
Why this configuration
A 500GB MLC 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.
500GB is a sensible OS-plus-a-few-games size.
Usually chosen for: write-heavy secondary roles and keeping older machines useful.
Good fit: mainstream desktop and laptop builds.
Ranked list
The top 20 of 85 are listed. The full SSD catalogue filters on every spec.
Speeds on this page are the manufacturer's 500GB ratings where published (7 of 85 drives), not the family headline figure. 1 of the 85 are rated slower at 500GB than at their fastest capacity. Rated writes at 500GB run 450–1000 MB/s.
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 500GB) | 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 840 PRO 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Top-tier | Samsung's 3-Core MDX Controller | 540* | 73 | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 |  Samsung PRO 970 M.2 500GB, 1TB | Top-tier | SAMSUNG PHOENIX CONTROLLER (5-Core | 3500* | 1200 | Find 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 |  ADATA SU900 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Silicon Motion SM2258H (1-Core, 4- | 560* | 1600 | Find on Amazon |
| 8 |  ADATA SX950 250GB, 500GB, 960GB, 1.92TB | High-end | Silicon Motion SM2258G (1-Core, Cl | 560* | 1600 | Find on Amazon |
| 9 |  Crucial MX100 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | High-end | Marvell 88SS9189 | 550* | 72 | Find on Amazon |
| 10 |  Crucial MX200 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS9189 | 550 | 320 | Find on Amazon |
| 11 |  Crucial MX200 M.2 250GB, 500GB | High-end | Marvell 88SS9189 | 550 | 160 | Find on Amazon |
| 12 |  Samsung 830 SERIES 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 64GB | High-end | SAMSUNG S4LJ204X01-Y040 | 520* | — | Find on Amazon |
| 13 |  Crucial M500 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | High-end | Marvell 88SS9187 | 500* | 72 | Find on Amazon |
| 14 |  Samsung 950 PRO 250GB, 500GB | Mid-range | Samsung UBX | 2500* | 400 | Check price on Amazon |
| 15 |  Kingston KC1000 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | Mid-range | Phison PS5007-E7 | 2700* | 1000 | Find on Amazon |
| 16 |  OCZ RD400 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Mid-range | TOSHIBA TC56NCP070GSB (POSSIVELMEN | 2600* | 296 | Find on Amazon |
| 17 |  OCZ RD400 AIC 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | TOSHIBA TC56NCP070GSB (POSSIVELMEN | 2600* | 592 | Find on Amazon |
| 18 |  Plextor M8PeGN 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2500* | 768 | Find on Amazon |
| 19 |  G.Skill PHOENIX BLADE PCIe 500GB, 960GB | Mid-range | 4x SandForce SF-2282 | 2000* | 1536 | Find on Amazon |
| 20 |  OCZ RevoDrive 350 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | Mid-range | 2 x Sandforce 2282 controllers | 1800* | 54.75 | Find on Amazon |
* family rating — the manufacturer does not publish a 500GB figure for this drive.
The parts, explained
500GB is a comfortable OS-and-games starting point.
MLC NAND is older and costs more per gigabyte, but is very durable.