Corsair P64 64GB SSD Review

Interior Impressions

Before we continue: Please remember that opening any SSD will effectively void your warranty.


To open up a Corsair P64 you have to remove four screws and then gently lift the silver cover away from the case but there is NO warranty void sticker to break but we have to assume that as soon as you crack it open your warranty is toast.


While we are used to the layout of the Indilinx drives out there, this Samsung-based one is different. The biggest thing that jumps out is the empty placements for an additional 8 chips (we assume for the 128GB or 256GB model). To be honest, except for the fact that the NAND chip layout may not be exactly the same as an Indilinx, the overall appearance is still dictated by logic for both companies and in total you have 8 flash chips, one RAM chip and one controller chip.

At the top of the PCB you have the Samsung controller with its accompanying ram chips and then rows of NAND chips. In fact, the only real difference is that unlike Indilinx SSDs which have two rows of four chips on each side of the PCB, the P64 has two rows of three on the “top” side and then on the backside a small row of two more chips in the center between the area where a larger double row of 4 chips each would reside (it is this double row chips which are lacking from our smaller 64GB model). It is interesting to see the differing layouts and the different way both companies arrive at the same conclusion, but to be honest we prefer the cleaner look of the Indilinx.


The I/O controller chip is of course none other than the Samsung S3C29RBB01-YK40 controller. As expected, this is the exact same controller which graces the Samsung MMCRE64G5MXP-0VB SSD. According to Samsung’s online decoder, the S3C29RBB01-YK40 is a 32bit ARM 9 microcontroller and according to their specs it is rated for speeds of 220MB/Sec read and 200MB/s writes. On paper this makes it SLIGHTLY slower in reads but slightly faster in writes than the Indilinx Barefoot controller which has a 230 / 190 speed rating.


The Ram which graces this board is as expected, also made by Samsung. To be specific this is a single 128MB Mobile DDR SDRAM with the model number K4X1G323P0-8GC6. This 90-FBGA chip is rated to run at 1.8v CL3 and is rated for an operating temperature range of -25°C to 85°C (or what Samsung calls Extended, Low, PASR & TCSR). These specs make it a more robust as well larger chip than the one which is normally found in Indilinx SSDs.


Unlike the usual K9HCG08U1M we find in Indilinx drives the MLC NAND chips used in the P64 are Samsung K9HCGZ8U5M-SCK0. These chips use a 48 pin MLC Quad Die Package, 1st generation lead free & Halogen Free (ROHS compliant),are rated between 2.7V ~ 3.6V, and operate with Quad nCE (Quad Chip Enable control) & Quad R/nB (Quad Ready/Busy Output) along with customer bad block special handling. This model is rated at a density of 64Gbits or 8GB per chip and an operating temperature range of 0° to 70°C.

Above the model number (and as stated in previous reviews) we can see all 8 chips were made in the 19th week of 2009. In a nutshell, the only difference between these chips and the K9HCG08U1Ms is that the “Z” in the model name means they have specifically designed for SSD use and thus do not come with the typical “Normal (x8)” designation (i.e. the P64 chips are made by Samsung for Samsung SSDs), The other difference is the QUAD (the “5” in the model number) vs. DUAL NCE & R/nb (the “1” in their model) capabilities of the Indilinx SSD chips. When you think about it, it is not surprising that Samsung uses enhanced (or at the very least custom model) chips for their drives as that is one of the perks of being the supplier of NAND chips to darn near ALL SSD builders.