Conclusions
Final thoughts
This was a field install and test of this device for a user already suffering badly from lack of capacity and reduced performance. We didn’t push our testing deeper into other metrics such as performance reduction over extended transfers, thermals or broader comparisons to other M.2 drives. The intended use of these drives specifically as OS boot drives in light workload devices such as handhelds and tablets, and the wide variance of thermal conditions they might encounter, would make such testing likely inapplicable to the precise context of any individual user.
The real performance difference between any drives using this same controller and decent NAND will be imperceptible. We will gladly revisit this drive and compare it more fully to alternatives, when reasonable ones actually exist!
The simple fact that this device is available at this price point and performs as intended will be welcomed by the millions of handheld gaming device buyers, savvy tablet and slim laptop owners, as well as many NUC users.
Corsair has arrived late but with a bang. This device is sure to shake up this segment that has badly needed more competitive offerings. We expect Sabrent to lower their prices to match these and other entrants such as TeamGroup to appear soon. Capacities should soon increase to make use of already-available IC’s to reach the single-sided 2TB and double-sided maximum 4TB limit of the ground-breaking Phison E21T controller that has made this possible. We look forward to testing them!
In the meantime, for anyone looking for one of these diminutive storage units, we heartily recommend this clear winner from Corsair (whom we applaud very loudly for shaking up this market). We suggest you grab one as quick as you can.
Update 9th May 2023: Corsair has already dropped the price by €5 to €120 and $5 to $105$ USD!!!
Corsair MP600 Mini 1TB 2230 NMVe SSD
We liked:
- The currently unbeatable price per GB
- The strong performance of the drive, perfectly suited to its intended audience
- The decent warranty
We would like:
- Broader availability in all major markets, including indirect retail channels such as Amazon etc.
- The higher capacities that are already technically possible to be brought to market
- Corsair to translate the manual for all sub sites, however simple
- Increased competition from other manufacturers to encourage further improvement of the offerings
To sum it up: this is a snappy little drive that performs as well as anything else available. It’s backed by a good warranty from a reputable company, at a significantly lower price point than the competition. Only the lengthy delivery time could justify buying anything else – they should fly off the shelves!
