Corsair Force Series GT 120GB SSD Review

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Real World Data Transfers

Real World Data Transfers

No matter how good a synthetic benchmark like IOMeter or PCMark is, it can not really tell you how your hard drive will perform in “real world” situations. All of us here at Hardware Canucks strive to give you the best, most complete picture of a review item’s true capabilities and to this end we will be running timed data transfers to give you a general idea of how its performance relates to real life use. To help replicate worse case scenarios we will transfer a 10.00GB file and a folder containing 400 subfolders with a total 12,000 files varying in length from 200mb to 100kb (10.00 GB total).

Testing will include transfer to and transferring from the devices, using MS RichCopy (set to 1 file depth) and logging the performance of the drive. Here is what we found.

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As expected, the large file sequential transfer speed of this drive is very good and the difference between it and a 240GB version is minor. Of course, since the Vertex 3 240GB hit the ceiling of what our PCI-E card can handle the difference may be slightly larger than what the charts show, but we doubt it is much.

With small file transfer test the results are not quiet as conclusive. On the one hand we are seeing about a 30% percent increase in performance over the last generation, but the difference between what the 120 and 240GB iterations of the SF2281 can do is nearly as significant. This obviously helps explain why both Vista and Adobe results came back with such similar, lukewarm results. The 120GB is very fast, but the NAND is what is holding it back from being even better.

 

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Conclusion

Conclusion

We like reviewing the best of the best and of course people like reading about it. Seeing what the latest and greatest technology can accomplish appeals to our inner geeks but not everyone can afford bleeding edge performance, especially when it comes to SSDs. Currently the 240GB SF-2281 drives are priced well above most consumers’ budgets but the performance they offer is second to none. The more reasonably priced 120GB versions on the other hand may feature less space and slightly lower benchmark numbers but they are infinitely more attainable. To us, this is what makes the Force GT so appealing.

Unlike its 240GB counterparts, evaluating the overall performance of the Force GT 120GB is not as cut and dried as one may think. With the 240GB models we saw an across the board first place finish as these drives just didn’t have any real competition. On the flip side of the coin, this 120GB drive may be noticeably slower than the 240GB versions but its numbers are still right in line with what we expect from an enthusiast-grade SSD. It is simply faster than the previous generation’s flagship 120GB drives and would be a perfect addition for anyone looking to upgrade their SSDs from SATA 2 to SATA 3. Just be aware that several nearly identical products from Corsair’s competitors can be found for slightly less than the Force GT.

When looking at the 120GB's performance we are strongly reminded of an old Chinese proverb: “Sometimes life can be as bitter as dragon tears. But whether dragon tears are bitter or sweet depends entirely on how each man perceives them.” In other words; opinions about this Force GT 120GB will largely depend on how its market positioning is perceived. For the people who want the best of the best, Corsair’s mid-tier GT 120GB will always play second fiddle to its faster, higher capacity sibling. On the other hand, people who don’t need 240GB of capacity or can’t justify spending obscene amounts of money on an SSD will be just as happy with the 120GB version.

In the end, the Force GT 120GB may not be the best SSD currently on the market but it offers high performance at a fraction of the 240GB version’s cost while retaining all of the class leading features Sandforce’s SATA 3 controllers are known for. If you are currently in the market for a sub-$350 SSD, this one should be near the top of your list.


Pros:

- Great looks
- Legendary Corsair customer service backstopping this drive
- Large improvement over previous generation’s performance
- 2.5” to 3.5” adapter included


Cons:

- Price
- 240GB is noticeably faster
- Slight increase in write latency from previous generation

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