Corsair Neutron XTi SSD Review (480GB)

It has been nearly two years since we have reviewed the Corsair Neutron XT. At its release it was the first SSD we analyzed with the Phison S10 controller and after putting it through the paces, we were quite impressed with its performance at first show. The combination of the S10 controller with all its features and Toshiba’s 19nm MLC NAND had provided Corsair a killer SSD, one of the best performing SSDs at the time. However, now they have set out to improve the performance and consistency even more.

With the release of the new Neutron XTi and in hopes of dethroning the very best SATA SSDs in the market, Corsair is doubling the DRAM and migrating to Toshiba’s latest 15nm MLC flash. Doubling the DRAM may be the opposite of what a company would do to be cost effective, but the focus of this SSD is not on cost effectiveness. The Corsair Neutron XTi is an enthusiast grade SSD that was developed to deliver gamers, media, and design professionals the best performance.

Utilizing a doubled DRAM to NAND ratio and Phison’s great performing quad-core 8-channel controller, with the latest Corsair Neutron XTi have what it takes to take down the best of the best like the Samsung 850 Pro or SanDisk Extreme? Continue on as we put it to the test in today’s review.

SPECIFICATIONS, PRICING, AND AVAILABILITY

The Corsair Neutron XTi is a SATA 6Gb/s SSD that comes in a 2.5? 7mm form factor. It is currently available in capacities of 240GB ($107.79), 480GB ($178.50), and 960GB ($381.93). It comes with a 7mm to 9.5mm drive thickness spacer for those who need it. Sequential speeds are rated for up to 560MB/s read and 540MB/s write. Random read and write performance is listed for up to 100K/90K IOPS. Endurance figures range from 160TB to 640TB. In addition, it is covered by a 5-year warranty.

Also, the Neutron XTi supports TRIM, DevSleep, and SMART monitoring. End-to-End Data Path Protection helps to protect the entire data path within the SSD controller from host to the NAND to ensure the prevention of corruption. Power loss protection and enhanced error correction help to ensure your data stays safe. One can also download Corsair’s SSD Toolbox for the XTi and with it you can update your firmware, monitor the drive’s SMART attributes, set over provisioning, secure erase, manually run TRIM, and even clone one drive to another.

PACKAGING AND COMPONENTS

The packaging depicts the drive on the front with all the specifications, from performance numbers and capacity, to form factor and features. On the backside there is a window to view the serial number code and it states the five-year warranty and use case scenarios.

The Corsair Neutron XTi is enclosed in a plastic clam-shell enclosure in the box and with it is a spacer and warranty paper. The SSD’s case is a beautiful red aluminum finish that snaps together without the use of screws. Once disassembled we can see there is no thermal pad being used and the PCB design is the same as its predecessor.

The Corsair Neutron XTi is powered by Phison’s S10 quad-core, 8-channel SATA 6Gb/s controller. The NAND utilized is provided by Toshiba, it is 15nm TLC MLC. In total there are 8 NAND packages at 64GB each and they provide for a total usable capacity of 446GB once formatted. Moving onto the DRAM, we can see that Corsair is utilizing 1GB of DDR3 1600MHz in this 480GB model. Doubling the cache should provide for the improved performance over the previous XT, however, we will have to see as we put it to the test.