Corsair recently releases three new Gen4 PCIe x4 M.2 NVMe SSDs. Meet the new Corsair MP600 PRO, MP600 Core, and a water-cooled variant, the MP600 PRO Hydro X Edition. Although all three SSD variants use the same PCIe Gen 4.0×4 interface, they don’t have the same read/write speeds. And aside from their respective speeds, they also differ in capacities available and NAND flash used. So which one is the best (for you) in case you plan to get one? Find out below.
Corsair MP600 Core vs MP600 Pro M.2 NVMe Gen4 SSDs
Let’s start with the slowest among the three SSD variants, and that’s the Corsair MP600 Core. The MP600 Core offers speeds of up to 4,950MB/s sequential read and up to 3,950MB/s sequential write speeds. But those numbers are for the highest capacity, 4TB. For the MP600 Core 1TB capacity, the speed is down to up to 4,700MB/s sequential read and up to 1,950MB/s sequential write.
For a Gen4 NVMe SSD, the sequential write speed of the MP600 Core 1TB capacity is somewhat slow. That’s even slower than most of the Gen3 NVMe SSDs in the market. The newer MP600 Core is even a bit slower than the first MP600 Gen4 SSD we reviewed before.
While the MP600 Core isn’t the fastest, it’s the only variant that offers a capacity of up to 4TB. This is because the Core variant is using 3D QLC NAND flash. It has the capacity advantage, but it’s not that fast compared to TLC NAND flash.
The Corsair MP600 PRO on the other hand is based on a 3D TLC NAND flash and offers speeds similar to some of the latest Gen4 SSDs. It offers speeds of up to 7,000MB/s sequential read speed and up to 6,550MB/s sequential write speed. That’s for the 2TB capacity, the 1TB capacity offers the same read speed, but the sequential write speed is a bit slower at 5,500MB/s.
Currently, the MP600 PRO is only available in 1TB and 2TB capacities. But according to Corsair, a 4TB capacity is coming soon.
Corsair MP600 Pro Hydro X Edition – Water-cooled M.2 NVMe SSD, Cause Why Not?
The MP600 Pro Hydro X Edition is the fastest among the three models. It offers a sequential read speed of up to 7,000MB/s and a sequential write speed of up to 6,550MB/s. However, its random read and write speed is similar to the PRO model at up to 660K IOPs and 800K IOPs respectively.
I guess, one reason why the Hydro X edition is slightly faster than the Pro variant is due to its integrated Hydro X Series XM2 Water Block. And since it’s water-cooled, this model may not suffer from thermal throttling. Although, I think it’s a bit overkill to water cool and M.2 SSD.
Currently, the MP600 Pro Hydro X Edition is only available in 2TB capacity. Corsair didn’t mention that it will add additional capacity in the near future. However, the Hydro X Series XM2 M.2 SSD Water Block (2280) is available separately. So, if you plan to water cool your M.2 SSD, you have this option.
Corsair MP600 Series Pricing and Availability
The Corsair MP600 Core series comes with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $154.99 for the 1TB; $309.99 for the 2TB; and $644.99 for the 4TB capacity. Meanwhile, the MP600 Pro 1TB retails for $224.99, and the 2TB for $434.99. Finally, the MP600 Pro Hydro X Edition 2TB retails for $459.99.
The MP600 Core, MP600 Pro, MP600 Pro Hydro X, and XM2 (2280) are backed by a five-year warranty, alongside the CORSAIR worldwide customer service and technical support network.
