The Corsair MP600 Core Mini: A New Contender in the 2230 Form Factor SSDs
The Corsair MP600 Core Mini: A New Contender in the 2230 Form Factor SSDs
The solid-state drive (SSD) market has been witnessing a steady increase in options for 2230 form factor SSDs. Recently, Corsair added another product to this growing list: the Corsair MP600 Core Mini. This SSD is designed as a storage upgrade for small form factor devices such as the Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and Surface Pro, among others, that may utilize a 2230 form factor drive.
A Closer Look at the MP600 Core Mini
The MP600 Core Mini is essentially a smaller version of the MP600 Core, which was released back in 2021. Despite its smaller size, the Core Mini boasts several improvements over its predecessor. It offers higher read and write speeds, although it does have a lower Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and Total Bytes Written (TBW).
In terms of performance, the MP600 Core Mini outperformed the Seagate Firecuda 520N, topping out at 51,082 IOPS and 7,656µs. However, the Sabrent 2230 Rocket performed the best in this test, reaching 309,092 IOPS. The WD Black 770M also performed well, achieving 102,156 IOPS. The performance differences between these SSDs can be attributed to the usage of QLC NAND for the MP600 and Firecuda, versus the TLC used on the Sabrent and WD drives.
The comparison between these four drives effectively illustrates the performance differences between TLC and QLC NAND. However, the pricing of the MP600 Core Mini raises some concerns. It offers performance that is nearly identical to that of much cheaper SSDs, yet its cost is almost on par with significantly faster drives. This trend seems to persist for the MP600 Core Mini across various benchmarks, which could potentially impact its market appeal.
Synthetic Performance and Real-Life Testing
The synthetic performance results of the Corsair SSD are impressive, with the drive ranking near the top of all charts despite its entry-level positioning and DRAM-less design. Interestingly, the Team Group MP44S, which uses E21+QLC, showed slightly better numbers in the synthetics. This could be due to Phison's long history of optimizing their controller and firmware for typical reviewer workloads on an empty drive.
In real-life testing scenarios, where the drives are filled to 80% capacity, the MP600 Mini outperformed the QLC models by an average of 5%. However, it still lagged behind the WD Black SN770M. The drive's small pseudo-SLC cache, which is just 64 GB, appears to be the limiting factor.
The Benefits of a Small SLC Cache
Despite its small size, the SLC cache does offer a benefit. Once it is full, the drive still has ample empty space to handle both incoming writes and moving data from SLC into TLC. In a "fill the whole drive" test, the MP600 Mini achieved fantastic results, outperforming all other M.2 2230 drives. It reached 1315 MB/s, more than 10 times what the QLC models achieved. This makes the MP600 Mini an excellent choice for users who plan on writing a lot of data.
Pricing and Warranty
Corsair backs the MP600 Core Mini with a 5-year warranty. However, at its current market pricing, this drive does not exactly fit into the "bang for your buck" category since it is in the same price bracket as the Sabrent. If Corsair reduces these prices in the future, this drive could become a budget-friendly alternative to its TLC counterparts.
The Corsair MP600 Core Mini is a promising addition to the 2230 form factor SSDs. Its high read and write speeds, coupled with the use of 176-layer TLC NAND from Micron, make it a strong contender in the market. Despite the lack of a DRAM cache and a small SLC cache size, the MP600 Mini's performance in real-life testing scenarios is commendable. If Corsair can adjust its pricing strategy, the MP600 Mini could become a popular choice among users looking for a budget-friendly, high-performance SSD.
If you’re in the market for a high-performing QLC 2230 drive, the MP600 Core Mini presents a decent option. The performance of the MP600 Core Mini and Firecuda 520N are closely matched, with the MP600 Core Mini slightly edging out its competitor. Given that both drives utilize QLC and the same E21T Controller, these results are to be expected.
ACE Data Recovery: Expertise in Corsair SSD Data Recovery
ACE Data Recovery is a leading company with over 30 years of experience in the data recovery industry. They offer comprehensive recovery services for a wide range of solid-state drives (SSDs) based on MLC, eMLC, TLC, or SLC NAND flash memory technologies, catering to all makes and models of laptops, notebooks, and server storage.
Specialized Solutions for Corsair SSD Drives
For Corsair SSD drives, ACE Data Recovery has developed a specialized solution for retrieving data from failed SSD drives that use Phison Electronics Corporation PS3110-S10 controllers. This solution is applicable to a broad range of SSDs with Phison PS3108-S8 and PS3109-S9 devices, including those manufactured by Corsair.
Recovery Services for the Corsair MP600 Core Mini
Specifically, for the Corsair MP600 Core Mini, it can be inferred that ACE Data Recovery's expertise and proprietary hardware and software would enable them to handle data recovery for this SSD as well. The MP600 Core Mini uses the same Phison E21 controller as other SSDs that ACE Data Recovery has successfully worked with.
Customer-Centric Services
ACE Data Recovery's services are customer-centric, backed by a "No Data - No Charge" policy. This means that if they are unable to recover any viable files, there are no charges to the customer. They also provide free evaluations, an all-inclusive price, free return media, and boast an impressive success rate.
If you're facing data loss issues with your Corsair SSD drives, including the MP600 Core Mini, ACE Data Recovery presents itself as a reliable and experienced service provider to consider.