Corsair MP600 Pro XT in the test: In the top duel with the Seagate FireCuda 530

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With the same combination of Phison E18 controller and Micron's 176-layer NAND, the Corsair MP600 Pro XT vies for the top performance among consumer SSDs with PCIe 4.0 after the Seagate FireCuda 530. In a direct exchange of blows, both products have their own advantages and disadvantages despite the identical basis.

Table of contents

  1. 1 Im Top duel with the Seagate FireCuda 530
    1. XT stands for a memory upgrade
    2. The test sample in detail
    3. Features and prices at a glance
  2. 2 benchmarks, cache analysis and temperatures
    1. Test system and test methodology
    2. Cache analysis (SLC mode)
    3. Copy processes in Explorer
    4. Consistency of performance in PCMark 10
    5. CrystalDiskMark
    6. Temperatures over time
  3. 3 Conclusion
    1. Duel at the top will be decided on price and equipment

XT stands for a memory upgrade

With the MP600, Corsair launched its first PCIe 4.0 SSD in 2019. The cheaper MP600 Core (test) and the faster MP600 Pro (test) followed in 2021. In addition to the interface and a Phison controller, the MP600 family is characterized by a massive heat sink.

Corsair remains true to this line with the new MP600 Pro XT. As with the already very fast MP600 Pro, the Phison E18 is used. However, it is combined with Micron's new 176-layer NAND (B47R). The Seagate FireCuda 530 (test) with the same combination recently showed that even higher performance can be expected.

Corsair MP600 Core Corsair MP600 Corsair MP600 Pro Corsair MP600 Pro XT (new) Form factor M.2-2280 interface (protocol) PCIe 4.0 x4 (NVMe 1.3) PCIe 4.0 x4 (NVMe 1.4) controller Phison PS5016-E16
(8 channel, 2 cores, 28 nm) PS5018-E18
(8 channel, 3 cores, 12 nm) NAND flash memory 3D QLC 3D TLC 3D TLC (Micron B27B) 3D TLC (Micron B47R ) DRAM cache ✓ SLC cache dynamic Storage space 1,000 GB
2,000 GB
4,000 GB 500 GB
1,000 GB
2,000 GB 1,000 GB
2,000 GB
4,000 GB Seq. Read/write (max.) 4,950/3,950 MB/s 4,950/4,250 MB/s 7,000/6,850 MB/s 7,100 /6,800 MB/s Guarantee period 5 years TBW 225/450/900 900/1,800 /3,600 700/1,400/3,000

On paper, the difference in performance compared to the MP600 Pro is initially very small: up to 7,100 MB/s reading means only 100 MB/s more for the MP600 Pro XT. Writing up to 6,800 MB/s is even promised a little less. The differences in the manufacturer's information on random reading and writing are greater: Here, the MP600 Pro XT should achieve 1.0 million reading and 1.2 million writing IOPS. With the MP600 Pro, it is a maximum of 660,000/800,000 IOPS.

Phison E18 accelerated with Microns 176-Layer-NAND

The 8-channel controller Phison E18, manufactured in 12 nm, is already used in various SSDs such as the Corsair MP600 Pro ( Test) or the Mushkin Gamma (test). The combination with Micron's 176-layer NAND alias Micron B47R delivers even more performance. The memory is also used in the Crucial P5 Plus (test), but in combination with a Micron controller.

The test pattern in detail

For the test, Corsair provided the MP600 Pro XT with 2 TB of storage space, which, thanks to the same storage capacity, enables a direct comparison with models such as the MP600 Pro, FireCuda 530 and Samsung 980 Pro (test). Like the pattern of the FireCuda 530, the SSD is equipped on both sides with a total of eight NAND packages (IA7BG94AYA), which in turn combine 256 GB of storage capacity. The two 1 GB DRAM chips from SK Hynix, which are of the type DDR4-2666 (H5AN8G6NCJR-VKC), are also identical to the FireCuda 530.

Corsair MP600 Pro XT: The front of the PCB with NAND, DRAM and controller

< figure> Corsair MP600 Pro XT: The back of the PCB with NAND and DRAM

Key data of the test sample Corsair MP600 Pro XT 2 TB form factor M.2-2280 interface (protocol) PCIe 4.0 x4 (NVMe 1.4) controller Phison PS5018-E18 (8 channel) NAND flash memory Micron 3D TLC, 176 layer DRAM cache 2 × 1 GB DDR4-2666 SK Hynix SLC cache ✓ Seq. Read/write (max.) 7,100/6,800 MB/s Optional read/write (max.) 1,000 K/1,200 K IOPS Guarantee period 5 years TBW 1,400 TB Note: Detailed key data for each model in the series can be found in the comparison table below

New cooler or old Wakü

Corsair has fundamentally changed the design of the pre-assembled heat sink compared to the older models. The inclined cooling fins run vertically and not parallel to the board. With the new cooler, the height increases to 19 mm, which is another 4 mm more than with the MP600 Pro and has to be considered due to the compatibility issue.

Corsair MP600 Pro XT

As with the MP600 Pro, the MP600 One water cooling block (Hydro X) per XT is available for an extra charge (10 to 20 euros). However, this is only available for the models with 2 TB and 4 TB storage capacity and not for the version with 1 TB storage.

Corsair MP600 Pro XT Hydro X Edition (Image: Corsair)

Equipment and prices at a glance

Like almost all NVMe SSDs, the MP600 Pro XT is also offered with a five-year limited manufacturer's guarantee. However, the period ends prematurely if a certain amount of writing (“Total Bytes Written”) is exceeded. With 700 TB, 1,400 TB and 3,000 TB, the TBW of the MP600 Pro XT are on par with the MP600 Pro. The older MP600 offered much more and Seagate also calls the new FireCuda 530 with the same memory higher TBW.

What Seagate lacks in the FireCuda 530 is the ability to encrypt data with 256-bit AES in hardware. Corsair is again offering this feature of the Phison E18 with the MP600 Pro XT.

The MP600 Pro XT is currently available in the Corsair shop at prices of around 220 euros (1 TB), 440 euros (2 TB) and 1,080 euros (4 TB).

Corsair MP600 Pro XT: The cooler towers over the FireCuda 530 (front) and even the stack of six NVMe SSDs without Cooler

In the free trade, the availability is currently not given. However, prices will be lower in the competition between online shops. This is already evident with asking prices starting at around 194 euros (1 TB), 387 euros (2 TB) and 998 euros (4 TB). The prices per gigabyte are currently between 19 and 25 cents.

Corsair MP600 Pro XT Seagate FireCuda 530 Corsair MP600 Pro Controller: Phison PS5018-E18, 8 NAND-Channel DRAM cache: 1,024 MB available, variant 2,048 MB DDR4 variant, 4,096 MB available? DDR4 version 2.048 MB DDR4 1.024 MB version 2.048 MB version available Storage capacity: 1,000/2,000/4,000 GB 500/1,000/2,000/4,000 GB 1,000/2,000/4,000 GB Memory chips: Micron? ? TLC (3D, 176 layers) NAND,? ? ? ? TLC (3D) NAND,? Form factor: M.2 (80 mm) Interface: PCIe 4.0 x4 seq. Read: 7,100 MB/s 7,000 MB/s Variant 7,300 MB/s 7,000 MB/s seq. Write: 5,800 MB/s Variant 6,800 MB/s 3,000 MB /sVariant6,000 MB/sVariant6,900 MB/s 5,500 MB/sVariant6,550 MB/sVariant6,850 MB/s 4K Random Read: 900,000 IOPSVariant1,000,000 IOPS 400,000 IOPSVariant800,000 IOPSVariant1,000,000 IOPS 360,000 IOPSVariant660,000 IOPSVariant650,000 IOPS 4K Random Write: 1,200,000 IOPS 700,000 IOPS variant 1,000,000 IOPS 780,000 IOPS variant 800,000 IOPS variant 700,000 IOPS Power consumption activity (typ.):? Power consumption activity (max.):? Power consumption idle:? Power consumption DevSleep:? Power consumption L1.2:? Functions: NVMe, NCQ, TRIM, SMART, Garbage Collection Encryption: AES 256 no AES 256 Total Bytes Written (TBW): 700 Terabyte Variant1,400 Terabyte Variant3,000 Terabyte 640 Terabyte Variant1,275 Terabyte Variant2,550 Terabyte Variant1,400 Terabyte Variant1,400 Terabyte Variant .000 terabyte guarantee: 5 years Price: from € 194/from € 386/from € 1,004 from € 99/from € 210/from € 424/from € 889 from € 163/from € 319/from € 969 Price per GB: € 0.19/€ 0.19/€ 0.25 € 0.20/€ 0.21/€ 0.21/€ 0.22 € 0.16/€ 0.16/€ 0.24

On the next page: benchmarks, cache analysis and temperatures