Crucial releases BX300 SSD offering more performance for the same price

Still running your old PC on spinning rust? Crucial wants you to buy one of these instead

Crucial has upgraded one of its entry level SSD offerings with the BX300, a 2.5 inch SSD drive for the consumer market that comes with an easy-to-follow process for switching out your old drive.

Available in 120GB, 240GB and 480GB sizes, the BX300 offers parent company Micron's 3D-NAND technology and, as ever, a copy of the excellent Acronis True Image software to help make the swap really easy. For upgraders looking for an even faster drive, the MX300 was released last year.

Crucial claims that the new drive is 300 per cent faster than a traditional HDD (one would hope so) and 45 per cent more efficient. In basic terms, that means it should help extend the battery life of your lappy if it's still running a traditional hard-disk drive.

"The BX300 is a simple-to-use SSD for the everyday consumer and DIYer who's looking to easily boot up and load apps faster. With its speed, efficiency, and easy install process, the decision to replace an old hard drive has never been easier," said Jonathan Weech, Crucial worldwide product manager.

Weech continued: "As a brand of Micron, one of the largest flash storage manufacturers in the world, the new Crucial BX300 SSDs will help consumers extend the life of their older computers with best-in-class quality and innovation."

At time of writing, Crucial has been quite cagey about performance and we've not had a chance to really put it through its paces, but we can tell you it's significantly closer to its flagship MX range than its predecessors for very little money.

The important thing here is that Crucial is carefully planting its flag in the soil of converting the unconverted. For many, this will be their first SATA (6GB) 7mm drive (the box includes a 9mm adapter).

This is a drive built against the backdrop of extending the life of existing computers, aimed at first-time modders and, specifically, first time Flash Drive users.

Pricing weighs in as follows: 120GB: £55.99 ($59.99/€60.90), 240GB: £83.99 ($89.99/€90.90), 480GB: £140.99 ($149.99/€152.90).