Corsair tries to bring some of its
high-end magic to the mid-range market. We find out if this drive can cut it
when surrounded by cut-price rivals
We're big fans of Corsair's SSDs but our
favourite, the Performance Pro, isn't exactly cheap: the 256GB model we
reviewed costs $436.8, which works out at £1.06 per gigabyte. Corsair hopes its
latest drive, the Force GS, will bring some of the Performance Pro's magic to a
more affordable price: the 240GB model costs just $256 or 66p per gigabyte.
That means the Force GS dives into an
extremely competitive chunk of the growing SSD market. Our current budget
favourite, the Kingston HyperX 3K, costs 71 p per gigabyte for its 120GB
version, and its 256GB variant tips the scales at $240.
The lower price means Corsair hasn't been
able to throw the latest technology at the Force GS. Instead, the firm has had
to be clever when it comes to making its latest drive. There are few surprises
when it comes to the choice of controller: SandForce's SF-2281 is a venerable
chip that's been seen in dozens of SSDs over the past couple of years, although
we've since seen this older controller outpaced by newer technology, including
the Marvell 88SS9174 used in the Performance Pro.
The aging controller is bolstered with
Toggle Mode NAND. It's one of the first times we've seen this quicker type of
memory used in a mid-range drive, and there's plenty to recommend it. By
completing file operations on both the peaks and troughs of write and erase
signals, it ensures quicker speeds than older, less efficient NAND.
The combination of older controller and
newer memory chips suggests that the Corsair won't stack up in our benchmarks,
but testing suggests this is a very quick drive. In CrystalDiskMark's
sequential read and write tests it scored 501,7MB/s and 283MB/S. The best
performer in our most recent group test, the Kingston HyperX 3K, scored 408.1
MB/s and 207.5MB/S in the same tests.
The Corsair continued to perform well in
the rest of CrystalDiskMark's tests. The Force GS ran through the 51 2K read
and write tests at 456.9 MB/S and 280.4MB/S, faster than the Kingston's
316.2MB/S and 197.5MB/S results, and the new drive was around twice as quick as
its rival in the 4K test, indicating its abilities with often tricky small
files.
CrystalDiskMark's final test, the 4K QD32
benchmark, also tasks SSDs with handling difficult small files, and it's here
where the Force GS really rammed home its advantage. The Corsair read and wrote
files at 222.5MB/S and 233.2MB/s; the Kingston, meanwhile, fell behind with
87.1 MB/s and 64.6MB/S.
Despite the Corsair's low price, a
2.5" bracket and the relevant screws are included in the box, so it's
possible to install the Force GS into your PC as soon as it's been bought. The
three-year warranty isn't the most generous we've seen, but it's no worse than
its rivals.
There's plenty to like here, then, from a
drive that offers an excellent turn of pace. It's faster than the Kingston and,
at 66p per gigabyte, a little bit cheaper too. If you're looking to upgrade
your current drive or fit an SSD for the first time, this is an excellent
choice, mm Mike Jennings
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Details
Price: $256
Manufacturer: Corsair
Website: www.corsair.com
Specifications
·
240GB (223GB formatted)
·
SATA 6GB/sec
·
2.5" to 3.5" bracket
·
Three-year RTB warranty
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