Crucial LE MX300 750GB SSD Review
Introduction
As we become ever more hungry for increased storage so manufacturers have had to take unexpected routes to solve the size problems that occur. Whereas once we considered 1TB of storage enough to last absolutely anyone a whole lifetime – some of the OC3D staff remember a game coming on two floppies to be an extravagance – nowadays with monster game sizes and the ease of digital content creation, so we require considerably more storage.
The easy answer is, as always, to grab a fat HDD and use that. By now though we’re all used to the compact dimensions, power efficiency, speed and lack of vibrations that a SSD brings, so the desire to switch back to the heavy, slow, noisy HDDs of old is greatly diminished.
The ability to retain the 2.5″ form factor whilst increasing storage has run into size issues. After all a PCB is only so big. This has been solved with the introduction of 3D NAND. Rather than a flat memory chip that you might be used to, the 3D NAND has layers of them. This should ensure that even the most data-hungry user will be satisfied for the forseeable future. The technology might even find its way into our DIMMs eventually.
As with any new technology there is a slight bridge between the old and the new, and that brings us to today’s review of the Crucial LE MX300 750GB. Equipped with Micron’s 3D NAND – the new – it’s still using the SATA port which is already at its bandwidth limits – the old. However, it’s always fun to take a look at what’s coming over the horizon and, at around £165, it is affordable enough to be worthy of consideration.
Technical Specifications
Dynamic Write Acceleration | This technology uses an adaptable pool of high-speed, single-level cell flash memory to generate blistering speeds throughout the driveâs long life. |
Extreme Energy Efficiency | The Crucial MX300 extends laptop battery life by using only 0.075W of power â thatâs over 90x more energy efficient than a typical hard drive, which uses 6.8W. |
Crucial® Storage Executive | This complimentary downloadable tool is easy to use and helps monitor and enhance the performance of the Crucial MX300. With the tool, users can update to the latest firmware and enable the Momentum Cache feature to instantly improve burst performance by up to 10x. |
Encryption | Keep personal files and confidential data secure from hackers and thieves with top level, government-grade AES 256-bit hardware-based encryption that meets or exceeds all industry standards, including Microsoft® eDrive, IEEE-1667, and TCG Opal 2.0. |
RAIN | Protect your data at the component level with RAIN technology, which stores data in multiple locations on the drive for increased reliability. This high-end feature works similar to how RAID is used with multiple hard drives. |
Exclusive Data Defense | Prevent photos, music, videos, and other files from becoming corrupted and unusable with exclusive technology that protects the components data is stored on. |
Inherent durability | Since SSDs donât use moving parts that wear out over time (like hard drives), files are less susceptible to a crash. SSDs can also survive physical trauma, like getting dropped, since they donât rely on mechanical parts. |
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