Price and performance in one tidy package. The transition to lower-priced SSDs occurs when the price of NAND drops through either supply inventory far exceeding demand or when manufacturers transition to smaller manufacturing processes.

Crucial is looking to control the controllables with the release of three MX100 value-focussed consumer SSDs. The first step in the quest for value is in using the smallest-possible geometry when fabricating the NAND chips, which make up the vast bulk of an SSD's cost. Smaller nm processes generally lead to more dies per wafer and consequently a lower cost per GB.

The MX100 takes this value thinking firmly onboard by equipping the 256GB and 512GB models with 16nm MLC NAND. The 128GB model, meanwhile, uses older 20nm NAND. The MX100 trio is considered replacements for the year-old M500 series - available in 120GB, 240GB, 480GB and 960GB capacities - with the also-available M550 occupying a higher performance echelon.