Corsair Force series SSD has been a big name in the SATA SSD scene before and Corsair has since been in contention with many other brands when it comes to high-performance storage. With Gen4 SSDs now being the peak performance standard, Corsair is looking to once again find their footing in the storage game in this relatively tighter, but still fierce, Gen4 market.
Today we take a look at the mainstream offering from Corsair for PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe storage, the Force MP600. Part of their new Force series storage line, the MP600 is part of their top-performance lineup together with the MP600 Pro and MP600 Pro Hydro and the MP600 Core. The MP600 Pro/Pro Hydro are drives that deliver up to 7000MB/s while the MP600 Core is rated for around 3950MB/s. The Force MP600 we have for review is the mainstream option amongst the bunch which delivers around 4950MB/s of sequential throughput which is faster than most Gen3 SSDs and meets Sony Playstation 5 M.2 SSD expansion spec.
One of the more practical implementation of a Phison E16-based SSD, the Corsair Force MP600 offers a variable option for both naked mounts and motherboards that feature their own M.2 cooling solution. Find out more in this review!
Specifications
- Extreme Gen4 storage performance: A Pie Gen4 x4 controller delivers up to 4, 950MB/s sequential read and 4, 250MB/s sequential write speeds, for blazing fast read, write, and response times.
- High-speed Gen4 Pie x4 NV Me M. 2 interface: Using Pie Gen4 technology for maximum Bandwidth, the MP600 delivers incredible storage performance.
- High-density 3D TLC NAND: Provides the ideal mix of performance, endurance, and value to keep your drive performing at its best for years.
- M. 2 2280 form factor: Fits directly into your motherboard. SSD Shock is 1500G
- Corsair SSD Toolbox Software: Enables advanced drive controls from your desktop including secure erase and firmware updates.
Closer Look
The MP600 is packed in a small cardboard box with a nice, big print of the model name. As this drive appears in various models, pay attention to the model name to distinguish between the MP600 Pro, MP600 and MP600 core. They will physical difference of course but the box will already tell teh story. The SSD is inserted inside with the heatsink already attached and is protected by a rubber lining which is unique versus other brands’ typical clamshell inserts.
The Corsair Force MP600’s most obvious trait is its tall heatsink which usually would be a problem for most folks but luckily Corsair allows users to remove the heatsink themselves without issue. More on that later but the heatsink included provides dissipation for both front and back which is very handy in taming the Phison E16 controller and the other components.
Taking the cooler apart, we see the components layout and the thermal pads on the heatsink. The heatspreader itself is clamped down using clips on the backplate of the SSD which provides ample pressure.
The Corsair Force MP600 is easily one of the tallest drives we have with a larger height than the XPG S70 in the photo above.
Performance Testing –
Test Setup
Processor: Intel Core i9-11900K
Motherboard: ROG Maximus XIII APEX
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Royale DDR4-4000 CL14 16GBx2 (32GB)
Storage: Patriot Viper VP4100 1TB (OS), Corsair Force MP600
PSU:Â Seasonic Platinum 1050w
Cooling: Corsair H150i 360mm AIO
Monitor: ROG PG27UQ
VGA: ZOTAC GTX 1050 Ti
Potential Performance (ATTO Disk Benchmark)
ATTO Disk Benchmark benchmarks a drive’s read and write speeds with increasing file sizes and graphs them. This benchmark shows a good range of how fast an SSD is at a particular size and should give a good image of what to expect from the storage device.
AIDA64 Disk Benchmark
AIDA64 features an internal storage benchmarking tool. It has a large suite of read and write tests that will measure both linear (sequential) and random disk performance in both transfer rate and access times. AIDA64’s write tests are destructive and will destroy all drive data. Linear write testing in AIDA64 is what I use as a stress for our thermal capture. The random read benchmark here shows us how consistent the read performance is in varying sizes and location on the disk the data is written.
Linear Write
Anvil’s Storage Utilities
This benchmark features a dedicated SSD benchmark which measures disk transfer rate as well as IO speed. The benchmark serves to compliment the other sequential tests in this review to show consistency.
AS SSD
Another SSD benchmark oriented towards sequential and 4K transfer performance. This benchmark also features a compression and file copy benchmark for more specific testing.
CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDIskMark has been the most actively updated disk benchmark amongst all the ones we use and is effectively the most reliable. Unfortunately, version to version results are not comparable which limits the ability to extrapolate comparative data. Still its a reliable and direct benchmark. Like the previous, it allows control over test data pattern, the test data size, amount of passes and individual benchmark control.
User Experience & Conclusion
It has been a while since the Corsair Force MP600 has been available on the market but its performance keeps it relevant. While compared to next-gen 7000MB/s drives makes the Force MP600 look meager, its overall consistency and performance keeps it at a good spot and with improvement in price coming in since launch, Corsair has had a winner since day 1.
In most cases, your motherboard will probably have its own M.2 heatsink and you will be looking for a PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD that can work with that slot and not have throttling issue. Just in case you do, the Corsair MP600 has a tall heatsink if your onboard cooling won’t cut it and is just an excellent touch by Corsair to make this heatsink user-removable. At Php10,600, the Corsair Force MP600 doesn’t have much competition from similar brands.
The Corsair Force MP600 is a flexible SSD upgrade for those that want to take advantage of their PCIe Gen4 slot but don’t want to fully commit on the higher-end products. The Corsair Force MP600 gives high-performance, excellent build and a flexible cooling solution that should please a lot of folks.
Corsair backs the Force MP600 with a 5-year warranty. It gets our B2G Recommended Seal!
Related Reading: SSD Optimization Guide
Edit note: August 18, 2021 – Updated charts
