Crucial Releases m4 SSD Firmware Upgrade

August 30, 2011 · by John Ponio

Crucial has recently released a firmware update for their m4 SSD line that, according to Tomshardware, gives up to a 20% performance boost in sequential read speeds. As SSDs pretty much depend on firmware for performance, upgrading is highly recommended. It’s an .iso file that you download, burn to a DVD, and install. I believe Windows has a built-in .iso burner, but if you have problems or want a better program, check out ImgBurn. It’s free, and is actually pretty awesome. Download the firmware here.

Changes made in version 0002 (m4 can be updated to revision 0009 directly from either revision 0001 or 0002)
Improved throughput performance.
Increase in PCMark Vantage benchmark score, resulting in improved user experience in most operating systems.
Improved write latency for better performance under heavy write workloads.
Faster boot up times.
Improved compatibility with latest chipsets.
Compensation for SATA speed negotiation issues between some SATA-II chipsets and the SATA-III device.
Improvement for intermittent failures in cold boot up related to some specific host systems.