Despite the many apparent similarities, the Kingston KC600 and Crucial MX500 appeal to different target groups due to the disparate cost per gigabyte. So, what are the differences between the two SATA SSD drives? What advantages does the more expensive KC600 offer over the cheaper MX500 and are these enough to justify the higher price in a direct competition in a comparison?
- ADS -
Advantages Crucial MX500 compared to Kingston KC600
- Significantly lower price
- Lower cost per gigabyte
- Additionally available as M.2 SATA SSD
Advantages Kingston KC600 compared to Crucial MX500
- Also available as mSATA SSD
- Extensive upgrade kit for an additional charge
- Higher TBW values with the same warranty period
find best buy SSD on Amazon.com #ad
shop worldwide on | Amazon.com #ad | computeruniverse.net | eBay.com | AliExpress.com |
Comparison of performance and interface
The Crucial MX500 and the Kingston KC600 are connected to the system via the SATA interface of the last generation (SATA 6 Gb/s, SATA III). However, the interface, which is still found in most computers, sets clear technical limits in terms of speed. Thus, the KC600 and the MX500 almost completely exhaust the port with 550 MB/s and 560 MB/s, respectively, in sequential reading. The write performance of always over 500 MB/s is also very good.
Differences in format and selection
The Kingston KC600 and the Crucial MX500 are available in the 2.5-inch form factor with a height of 7 millimeters, which is primarily characteristic for SATA drives. Nevertheless, the two manufacturers take completely different paths when it comes to the further selection. While Crucial relies on the now modern M.2 2280 standard with the SATA protocol for the MX500 series, Kingston offers the KC600 series in the supposedly outdated mSATA format for a welcome variety on the market.
Similarities in memory size and warranty
With capacities ranging from 250 GB/256 GB to 2 TB, the Crucial MX500 and the Kingston KC600 serve a wide range, although the M.2 version and the mSATA SSD do not come in the largest configuration. The TLC NAND with 3 bits is installed as the flash memory type in both SATA SSD hard drives in the comparison. The warranty period from the respective manufacturers is a very good 5 years, but the amount of data allowed during this time is more customer-friendly in the KC600 compared to the MX500.
Conclusion SSD comparison – Kingston KC600 and Crucial MX500 differences
Due to the significantly more attractive price-performance ratio with the almost identical performance rates at the same time, the Crucial MX500 seems to be the better choice in comparison to the Kingston KC600 in the vast majority of cases when looking for a suitable SATA SSD. However, Kingston’s SSD can boast with a version in the now already very rare mSATA plug-in card format, which should especially make owners of older hardware with the corresponding port happy. However, if you want a 2.5-inch or an M.2 SATA drive, you should go for Crucial’s SSD for the sake of your wallet.
find best buy SSD on Amazon.com #ad
shop worldwide on | Amazon.com #ad | computeruniverse.net | eBay.com | AliExpress.com |
Crucial MX500 vs Kingston KC600 – Technical data comparison differences
| product / model | Crucial MX500 | Kingston KC600 |
| form factor | 2,5-inch SATA SSD M.2 2280 SSD |
2,5-inch SATA SSD mSATA SSD |
| interface | SATA 6 Gb/s (SATA III) | SATA 6 Gb/s (SATA III) |
| capacity | 250 GB (2.5-inch, M.2) 500 GB (2.5-inch, M.2) 1 TB (2.5-inch, M.2) 2 TB (2.5-inch) |
256 GB (2.5-inch, mSATA) 512 GB (2.5-inch, mSATA) 1 TB (2.5-inch, mSATA) 2 TB (2.5-inch) |
| NAND type | 3 Bit TLC | 3 Bit TLC |
| sequential read | 560 MB/s | 550 MB/s |
| sequential write | 510 MB/s | 500 MB/s (256 GB) 520 MB/s (512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB) |
| reliability (MTTF) | 1,8 million hours | 1,0 million hours |
| TBW | 100 TB (250 GB) 180 TB (500 GB) 360 TB (1 TB) 700 TB (2 TB) |
150 TB (256 GB) 300 TB (512 GB) 600 TB (1 TB) 1.200 TB (2 TB) |
| warranty | 5 years limited | 5 years limited |
| model code / part number | 2,5-inch SATA SSD CT250MX500SSD1 (250 GB) CT500MX500SSD1 (500 GB) CT1000MX500SSD1 (1 TB) CT2000MX500SSD1 (2 TB) M.2 2280 SATA SSD CT250MX500SSD4 (250 GB) CT500MX500SSD4 (500 GB) CT1000MX500SSD4 (1 TB) |
2,5-inch SATA SSD SKC600/256G (256 GB) SKC600/512G (512 GB) SKC600/1024G (1 TB) SKC600/2048G (2 TB) mSATA SSD SKC600MS/256G (256 GB) SKC600MS/512G (512 GB) SKC600MS/1024G (1 TB) |
