CORSAIR MP600 Elite 2 TB NVMe SSD review – Elite is just the name and the price

1 - Introduction, unboxing, technology and data 2 - Controller, NAND and the dynamic pSLC cache 3 - Synthetic benchmarks and streams 4 - Application benchmarks and summary

With the MP600 Elite, Corsair sent me an SSD to test some time ago, which I couldn’t really categorize logically based on the test results and the price. The name implies a lot, but in practice it looked a lot less rosy. So I waited to see how the price developed and compared the street price with the MP600 Pro XT I had already tested. Now that both street prices have almost converged, things don’t look any better for the Elite. Yes, it’s not a bad SSD per se and it also has some advantages, but for the price called for, you certainly have to think several times about what you buy. Nevertheless, I don’t want to withhold the SSD from you, only this time time has even played against this SSD, which is more of a GS Pro and turns the term Elite into something absurd.

Like almost all other manufacturers, this SSD uses a “dynamic pSLC cache”, which I’ll have to say a few words about in the course of the article for a better understanding and which has unfortunately been shortened quite a bit on this SSD. But back to the SSD, because the 2 TB model, which is currently available at a street price of around €180, is not cheaper, but even slightly more expensive than the MP600 Pro XT if you compare the two models with pre-installed cooler. This sets the bar pretty high and, I can tell you, it is raised with a casual gesture of nonchalance. I still haven’t been able to fathom what possessed Corsair to offer such an SSD for such a stably overrated price. The MP600 Pro XT is good and fast, and the Eelite has to be measured against it.

Corsair offers the MP600 Elite in three different versions. The first version, like our test sample, comes with a black aluminum heat sink. There is also a version with a white heat sink that matches the look of the PlayStation 5. As a third option, Corsair offers a version without a heat sink, which is particularly suitable for use in notebooks or together with the coolers already integrated on motherboards.

The MP600 Elite comes in a short, 8 cm long M.2 form factor with a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface. The cheaper MP600GS transfers data at up to 4,800 MB/s read and 4,500 MB/s write, while the Pro XT achieves up to 7,100 MB/s read and 6,800 MB/s write. For the MP600 Elite, Corsair specifies up to 7000 MB7s read and up to 6500 MB/s write, which is only just below the MP600 Pro XT. But will we notice this tiny theoretical disadvantage in practice or will the performance show even more significant differences?

Unboxing, accessories and assembly

Corsair packs the SSD in this version together with a cooling block, which is certainly not a particularly sustainable idea in times of motherboards with integrated M.2 coolers, but there is also the around 5 euro cheaper naked snail. In the end, you don’t even need a fat extra cooler, but we’ll see that in a moment. So it’s more a question of taste and technical necessity whether you buy an SSD with a pre-installed cooler. Both are possible, but not absolutely necessary. Whatever is there will be tested.

Corsair leaves it up to you whether you want to remove the cooler after all, but you also need to know that removing it will irreversibly tear or damage the very sticky thermal pads.

For a better overview, I now have the data sheet of the tested variant for you before I unpack the SSD on the following page and analyze the technology including the dynamic pSLC:

Corsair Force Series MP600 Elite 2TB, M.2 2280/M-Key/PCIe 4.0 x4, Kühlkörper (CSSD-F2000GBMP600EHS)

	Bestellware - 9-11 Tage Lieferzeit	169,99 €*Stand: 29.04.24 22:57
	Lager Lieferant: Sofort lieferbar, 1-3 Werktage	179,48 €*Stand: 30.04.24 00:48
	Auf Lager; Lieferzeit: 2 Werktage	179,90 €*Stand: 29.04.24 22:31

*Alle Preise inkl. gesetzl. MwSt zzgl. Versandkosten und ggf. Nachnahmegebühren, wenn nicht anders beschriebenmit freundlicher Unterstützung von geizhals.de

Corsair Force Series MP600 Pro XT 2TB, M.2 2280/M-Key/PCIe 4.0 x4, Kühlkörper (CSSD-F2000GBMP600PXT)

	Zentrallager: 2 Stück lagernd, Lieferung 1-3 WerktageFiliale Wilhelmshaven: 2 Stück lagerndStand: 30.04.24 01:06	169,89 €*Stand: 30.04.24 01:06
	Sofort lieferbar, Lieferzeit max. 1-3 Werktage	169,90 €*Stand: 30.04.24 00:37
	Sofort verfügbar, Lieferzeit max. 1-3 Werktage	169,90 €*Stand: 30.04.24 00:32

*Alle Preise inkl. gesetzl. MwSt zzgl. Versandkosten und ggf. Nachnahmegebühren, wenn nicht anders beschriebenmit freundlicher Unterstützung von geizhals.de

Corsair Force Series MP600 GS 2TB, M.2 2280/M-Key/PCIe 4.0 x4 (CSSD-F2000GBMP600GS)

nullprozentshop.de	siehe Shop	170,99 €*Stand: 30.04.24 01:06
	Lager Lieferant: Sofort lieferbar, 2-4 Werktage	170,99 €*Stand: 30.04.24 00:48
	Onlineshop: ca. 2-4 WerktageFiliale Berlin, Filiale Dortmund, Filiale Düsseldorf, Filiale Hamburg, Filiale Hannover/Laatzen, Filiale München, Filiale Stuttgart: nicht lagerndStand: 30.04.24 00:38	170,99 €*Stand: 30.04.24 00:41

*Alle Preise inkl. gesetzl. MwSt zzgl. Versandkosten und ggf. Nachnahmegebühren, wenn nicht anders beschriebenmit freundlicher Unterstützung von geizhals.de