Vital statistics
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Price: $256
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Manufacturer: Corsair
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Web: www.corsair.com
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Capacity: 240GB
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Memory type: MLC synchronous
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Controller: Link A Media Device LM87800
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Interface: SATA 6Gbps
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Peak performance: 555MB/sread, 370MB/s write
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MaxlOPS: 85k
Corsair
Neutron 240GB
The chaps at Corsair must be awfully well
endowed. The PC component market is brutal, and a generous pair of cojones is
needed to roll the dice on something new and unproven like, say, an SSD
controller chipset nobody's heard of when there are well-established players
like SandForce, Marvell, Toshiba and Samsung in the market.
We speak of the Link A Media Device
LM87800. It's not the first SSD controller from Link A Media Devices, but it’s
the first time to be used on a consumer drive.
That said, the LM87800's specs are
reassuringly familiar in many regards. It's an eight-channel device with
support for up to four flash memory chips per channel and SATA 6Gbps. The same
as several other controller chips.
CHUTZPAH
Corsair has come up with a pair of drives
based on this novel controller: the Neutron and the Neutron GTX. The difference
is memory type; this cheaper non-GTX Neutron gets synchronous ONFi 2.0 NAND,
where the pricier GTX model has toggle NAND. So while the Neutron is the
cheaper of the pair, Corsair has still managed to avoid using asynchronous ONFi
1.0 NAND, which is the slowest of the bunch.
The only other significant difference
between the two Neutrons involves Corsair's decision to limit the cheaper
drive's peak sequential write performance in firmware, just to give the two
drives a little breathing room. On one hand, it's irritating to know you have
hardware that's artificially restricted from delivering its very best. On the
other, the peak numbers remain healthy, and at least you know there's write
performance in hand to compensate for degradation over time, which is a fact of
life with all SSDs, to some extent.
Intriguingly, however, Corsair is rating
both drives at 85k for maximum 4k write IOPS. You must, therefore, chuck all
that into the mix when choosing between this $256 drive and its GTX brother.
As for the performance on offer, well, it’s
mostly in line with the stats. Peak reads and writes clock in at 556MB/S and
375MB/S when pumping compressible data, with incompressible data shaving off
20MB/s or so. As the specs suggests, there's very little in it when it comes to
random 4k reads and writes. It's a solid performer all round.
That said, both Samsung's new 840 Pro and
the ocz Vertex 4 deliver better 4k random numbers. But then, they are both more
expensive. Ultimately, real-world applications are more relevant, and here,
again, the Neutron is very competitive with its sibling, and quick enough
outright to stand toe to toe with most other drives. It also holds up well in
our endurance metric for 4k random writes, dropping from 57.9MB/s to 54.6MB/S
following our multiple fill and delete torture test.
Put another way, this Neutron is quick
enough that we doubt you'd feel a subjective difference compared with the
faster drives. All of which makes for a compelling package and leaves one
question: will the Neutron be reliable? The answer is that the jury's out, but
Link A Media's background in enterprise market controller chips bodes well.
Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB
Vital statistics
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Price: $304
·
Manufacturer: Corsair
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Web: www.consair.com
·
Capacity: 240GB
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Memory type: MLC toggle
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Controller: Link A Media Device LM87800
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Interface: SATA 6Gbps
·
Peak performance: 5555MB/sread, 511MB/swrite
·
Max IOPS: 85k
Corsair
Neutron GTX 240GB
Just how schooled is the average SSD buyer
in the finer points of solid-state storage technology? That's a problem Corsair
must have wrestled with when specifying its new Neutron family of drives.
For instance, does Joe Punter have a clue
regarding the difference between ONFi 2.0 synchronous flash memory as produced
by the Intel/ Micron alliance, and Toshiba's latest toggle NAND? Are minutiae
like that something he should even care about?
On the other hand, how do you reconcile the
fact that SSD technology is nuanced at the best of times with the need for
clear and simple product differentiation that the average buyer can understand?
In other words, how can you communicate differences without expecting punters
to understand the flash memory tech?
Then there’s the challenge of getting the
word out about the new Link A Media Devices controller chipset Corsair has
chosen for the new Neutron drives. If there's anything the market does know
about SSDs, it's that reliability can be a major issue and, in turn, that
controller chips play a big part in it. So it's asking a lot from people to
embrace a new one.
We don't fancy Corsair's job much, then. As
it turns out, what it's done is to give the plain Neutron drive ONFi
synchronous memory, while this pricier Neutron GTX has toggle flash. It's then
pegged back the Neutron's sequential write speeds a little in firmware to make
it easier to distinguish between the two drives, so you can look at the spec
sheet and immediately see at least some justification for the $48 price
differential.
This is the more expensive model, so it's
fully unleashed and sports some of the best flash memory chips currently
available, and that Link A Media Devices controller has every chance to shine.
At $304, however, the Neutron GTX is pricey
for a 240GB SSD. It needs to match or beat the best drives here, as well as
give its cheaper sibling a bit of a spanking. Unfortunately, it doesn't really
do either.
Late bloomer
To be clear, this is a nippy little drive
with no significant nasties in its performance repetoire. Had Corsair launched
it six months ago when the main players were either SandForce or
Marvell-powered, and Samsung's 840 Pro drives hadn't arrived, you could make an
argument for the Neutron GTX being the quickest SSD on the planet.
But solid-state storage is developing fast,
and that means the GTX is merely good rather than great. Yes, it's joint
fastest with the ocz Vertex 4 in our file decompression test, but it's only a
couple of seconds quicker than its cheaper non-GTX sibling, and it's actually
slightly slower in the game install benchmark.
the
Neutron 240GB and Neutron GTX 240GB are real stand-outs.
Similarly, it’s solid rather than superb by
the 4k random read and write metrics. Put it all together and there's not
enough to justify either the price premium over the non-GTX Neutron or the risk
of a new an unknown controller, even if it comes from a supplier with a track
record in controller chipsets for heavy duty enterprise class SSDs. A tough
verdict? Perhaps, but the SSD market takes no prisoners.
