With the BX100, Crucial is offering a new line of economical SSDs aimed at users looking for an inexpensive way to upgrade their PCs or laptops and enjoy the benefits of a solid-state-based setup.

The 2.5" 7mm SSDs feature a SATA 6Gb/s interface, Micron MLC NAND, and a Silicon Motion SM2246EN controller, which proved to be a capable and energy-efficient replacement of the Marvell counterparts Crucial/Micron used so far in its SSDs.

Crucial has also included a 7mm-to-9.5mm adapter bracket for desktop users. In addition, the new Storage Executive software provides all of the necessary basics as far as secure erasure, reading SMART data, firmware updates, and usage monitoring. However, the interface runs in a browser, which may be cumbersome for users. It installs a service that runs in the background, communicating with the SSD and serving as a web host (defaulting on port 8080) for interacting with the HTTP-based GUI. Overall, the utility is simple and works well.

As it was expected, the BX100's low price tag comes with a performance cost. Designed by Crucial for "ultra affordability," the BX100 1TB SSD we tested will deliver solid sequential read and write speeds, especially with
2K - 2MB workloads during reading. Writing of 4K-2MB files was not as fast as other high-end SSDs, although it remain within the acceptable levels for budget solution.

Overall, the BX100's performance results were not surprising. But the drive's real strength remains its price. Without any doubt, the BX100 series will likely be an attractive drive for mainstream consumers interested in an inexpensive system upgrade.

The BX100 goes for roughly $70 for the 110GB model, $190 for the 500GB model and just $375 for the 1TB model ($0.375/GB). The latter is the most affordable 1TB SSD currently in the market.