Corsair has unveiled two new SSDs, in the shape of the Corsair MP600 Mini and Corsair MP600 Core XT. The former is a shorter 30 x 22mm variant of the M.2 form factor that should be an ideal upgrade for laptops. Meanwhile, the MP600 Core XT is a new high-density, more affordable option for those seeking up to 4TB of M.2 storage for a low price.
The MP600 Mini is a standard M.2 drive that will fit in desktop motherboard M.2 slots. However, while normal desktop M.2 drives are 80mm long (and there are many other M.2 length variants too, such as 60mm and 110mm) the MP600 is just 30mm long, which is much more in line with expandable laptop SSDs.
The MP600 Mini performance figures are 4,800MB/sec read and 4,800MB/sec write for sequential data transfers. The drive uses the PCIe Gen4 standard, rather than the upcoming PCIe Gen5 standard, and is only available in a 1TB capacity. The MP600 Mini price for 1TB is $109.
As for the MP600 Core XT, it’s a ‘full-size’ 80mm M.2 drive, just like the higher-performance Corsair MP600 Pro, but it uses QLC (quad-level cell) NAND that’s higher density but slower than the Pro drive. Nonetheless, the MP600 Core XT performance figures are 5,000MB/sec for reads and 4,400MB/sec for writes. That’s still faster than most older PCIe Gen3 SSDs – both new MP600 drives will work in older PCIe Gen3 slots too.
The use of QLC NAND also affects the MP600 Core XT write endurance, which is rated to just 450TBW for the 2TB version, which compares to 740TBW for the MP600 Pro.
The MP600 Core XT capacities are 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB with MP600 Core XT prices of $59.99, $114.99, $284.99. Those are very competitive prices right across the board, even for a QLC drive, making these a tempting option, especially for a secondary storage drive – we suspect there’s a good chance these drives will find a place on our best gaming SSD list in the not too distant future, once we’ve properly tested them.
Are you in the market for a new SSD and are these prices tempting for you, or are you wary of using QLC NAND? Let us know your thoughts on the Custom PC Facebook or Twitter pages, or join the discussion on our 350,000+ member Custom PC and Gaming Setup Facebook group. Meanwhile, keep an eye on this page for the latest Corsair news.