Best 500GB SATA MLC DRAM SSDs
There are 39 500GB SATA MLC DRAM SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Mushkin STRIKER at 565 MB/s read, and the highest-rated for endurance is the Samsung 860 PRO (4800 TBW). Sequential reads across the group span 490–565 MB/s at 500GB.
Why this configuration
A 500GB SATA MLC DRAM SSD is a legacy high-endurance choice. These older MLC SATA drives are slow by today's standards but exceptionally durable, which is why they still appear in always-on and write-heavy roles.
500GB is a sensible OS-plus-a-few-games size.
Usually chosen for: keeping an older system alive, or a rugged secondary/logging drive.
Good fit: workstation and creative loads that hammer random I/O; budget upgrades, older PCs and second drives.
Look elsewhere for: large-file creative work where NVMe pulls ahead.
Ranked list
The top 20 of 39 are listed. The full SSD catalogue filters on every spec.
Speeds on this page are the manufacturer's 500GB ratings where published (4 of 39 drives), not the family headline figure. Rated writes at 500GB run 450–510 MB/s.
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 500GB) | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Samsung 860 PRO 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Top-tier | SAMSUNG MJX CONTROLLER (3-Core, 8- | 560* | 4800 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 |  Samsung 840 PRO 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Top-tier | Samsung's 3-Core MDX Controller | 540* | 73 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 |  ADATA SU900 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Silicon Motion SM2258H (1-Core, 4- | 560* | 1600 | Find on Amazon |
| 4 |  ADATA SX950 250GB, 500GB, 960GB, 1.92TB | High-end | Silicon Motion SM2258G (1-Core, Cl | 560* | 1600 | Find on Amazon |
| 5 |  Crucial MX200 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS9189 | 550 | 320 | Find on Amazon |
| 6 |  Crucial MX200 M.2 250GB, 500GB | High-end | Marvell 88SS9189 | 550 | 160 | Find on Amazon |
| 7 |  Crucial M500 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | High-end | Marvell 88SS9187 | 500* | 72 | Find on Amazon |
| 8 |  Mushkin STRIKER 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | Mid-range | Phison PS3110-S10 (4-Core, 55nm CM | 565* | — | Find on Amazon |
| 9 |  ADATA SP920 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Marvell 88SS9189 | 560* | 72 | Find on Amazon |
| 10 |  Corsair Neutron XT 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | Mid-range | Phison PS3110-S10 (4-Core, 55nm CM | 560* | 124 | Find on Amazon |
| 11 |  Corsair Neutron XTi 250GB, 500GB, 960GB, 1.92TB | Mid-range | Phison PS3110-S10 (4-Core, 55nm CM | 560* | 1280 | Find on Amazon |
| 12 |  OCZ VERTEX 4 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Mid-range | Indilinx(IDX400M00-BC) Everest 2 | 560* | — | Find on Amazon |
| 13 |  TeamGroup VULKAN 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Silicon Motion SM2258G | 560 | 240 | Find on Amazon |
| 14 |  Crucial BX300 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Mid-range | Silicon Motion SM2258 | 555* | 160 | Find on Amazon |
| 15 |  Crucial M550 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Marvell 88SS9189 | 550* | 72 | Find on Amazon |
| 16 |  Crucial M550 mSATA 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Mid-range | Marvell 88SS9189 | 550* | 72 | Find on Amazon |
| 17 |  ADATA SX930 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Mid-range | JMICRON JMF670H (Comparável à um S | 550* | 280 | Find on Amazon |
| 18 |  Kingston SSDNOW KC400 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Phison PS3110-S10 (4-Core, 55nm CM | 550* | 1600 | Find on Amazon |
| 19 |  OCZ VECTOR 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Mid-range | Indilinx IDX500M00-BC Barefoot 3 | 550* | 36.5 | Find on Amazon |
| 20 |  OCZ VECTOR 150 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Mid-range | Indilinx IDX500M00-BC Barefoot 3 | 550* | 91 | 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.
SATA III tops out around 550 MB/s, but it is the cheapest interface and fits any 2.5-inch bay or older laptop.
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.
Common questions
Is SATA fast enough in 2026?
For an OS, apps and most games you won't notice the difference versus NVMe in daily use. NVMe pulls ahead mainly on large file transfers and load-heavy creative work.