Best 960GB SATA MLC DRAM SSDs
There are 11 960GB SATA MLC DRAM SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Mushkin STRIKER at 565 MB/s read at 960GB, and the highest-rated for endurance is the Sony G SERIES (2400 TBW). Sequential reads across the group span 450–565 MB/s at 960GB.
Why this configuration
A 960GB 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.
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
Speeds on this page are the manufacturer's 960GB ratings where published (11 of 11 drives), not the family headline figure. Rated writes at 960GB run 400–550 MB/s.
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 960GB) | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  ADATA SX950 250GB, 500GB, 960GB, 1.92TB | High-end | Silicon Motion SM2258G (1-Core, Cl | 560 | 1600 | Find on Amazon |
| 2 |  Crucial M500 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | High-end | Marvell 88SS9187 | 500 | 72 | Find on Amazon |
| 3 |  Mushkin STRIKER 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | Mid-range | Phison PS3110-S10 (4-Core, 55nm CM | 565 | — | Find on Amazon |
| 4 |  Corsair Neutron XT 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | Mid-range | Phison PS3110-S10 (4-Core, 55nm CM | 560 | 124 | Find on Amazon |
| 5 |  Corsair Neutron XTi 250GB, 500GB, 960GB, 1.92TB | Mid-range | Phison PS3110-S10 (4-Core, 55nm CM | 560 | 1280 | Find on Amazon |
| 6 |  OCZ VECTOR 180 128GB, 500GB, 960GB | Mid-range | OCZ Barefoot 3 M00 | 550 | 91 | Find on Amazon |
| 7 |  KLEVV URBANE 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | Value | Phison PS3110-S10 (4-Core, 55nm CM | 560 | — | Find on Amazon |
| 8 |  Kingston SSDNOW V310 960GB | Low-end | Phison PS3108 | 450 | 2.728 | Find on Amazon |
| 9 |  Silicon Power VELOX V85 500GB, 960GB | — | Phison PS3110-S10 (4-Core, 55nm CM | 560 | — | Find on Amazon |
| 10 |  Silicon Power VELOX V80 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | — | Phison PS3108-S8-I | 550 | — | Find on Amazon |
| 11 |  Sony G SERIES 500GB, 960GB | — | Controlador Sony (Proprietário, MO | 550 | 2400 | Find on Amazon |
The parts, explained
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.