Introduction

Corsair is a US-based peripherals and hardware company founded in 1994. It is now one of the leading manufacturers for gaming gear, with a portfolio spanning nearly every component you need: DRAM memory modules, flash SSDs, keyboards, mice, cases, cooling, and much more.

In this review, we are examining the Corsair MP600 Core Mini, a remarkably compact M.2 NVMe drive designed in the 2230 form factor, measuring just 30 mm in length. Its petite dimensions make it a suitable storage enhancement for the Valve Steam Deck. Additionally, the SSD can serve as a storage expansion solution for the ASUS ROG Ally game console and various Microsoft Surface Pro devices. It is worth noting that the drive is compatible with scenarios requiring the use of an M.2 2242 PCIe drive.

While M.2 2230 drives have been present in the market for some time, their availability has typically been restricted to smaller capacities. The Corsair MP600 Core Mini breaks this trend by offering capacities of 1 TB and 2 TB, a feature that was previously uncommon in this form factor. Notably, there has been a recent influx of similar drives with increased storage options in the M.2 2230 category.

Internally, the MP600 Core Mini uses a Phison E21 controller, which we’ve seen on many other drives before. The NAND flash is 176-layer QLC from Micron. A DRAM cache chip is not installed, due to the limited space available. To connect with the rest of the system, the PCI-Express 4.0 interface is used. There’s also the “MP600 Mini” without “Core,” which uses the same Phison E21 controller, but comes with TLC NAND flash, I’ve reviewed it here.

The Corsair MP600 Core Mini is available in capacities of 1 TB ($95) and 2 TB ($200). Endurance for these models is set to 250 TBW and 450 TBW, respectively. Corsair includes a five-year warranty with the MP600 Core Mini.