Corsair recently added the Neutron series SSDs to their existing line up. Previous asynchronous and synchronous Force series SSDs all made good use of the SandForce controller. However, the latest Neutron series changes things up adding a Link-a-Media LM87800 controller to an otherwise successful fleet of drives based on Sandforce controllers. It also comes in two different flavors: The Neutron and Neutron GTX. The main difference between the two is the type of NAND Flash inside. The big question is how do they perform? Let’s find out!
Features and Specifications
Both the Corsair Neutron and Neutron GTX 240GB SSD utilize the LAMD LM87800 controller. The major difference is the synchronous NAND implemented inside the GTX model. The other difference is that the standard Neutron contains Intel/Micron NAND while the Neutron GTX contains Samsung/Toshiba 24nm Toggle NAND. It’s an interesting choice of implementation as we’ve seen Toshiba variants with the right controller, perform quite well in the 4K data block tests.
Naturally, the GTX is the faster of the two on paper and is aimed at the ever demanding high performance user. This new series enclosure is also thinner than typical SSDs (7mm vs 9.5mm) making it easier to install two into slimmer notebooks like many of the new Ultrabooks on the market.
As far as pricing goes, the Neutron GTX 240GB (CSSD-N240GBGTX-BK) as tested is around $249.99 US but also comes in a smaller 120GB version ($154.99 US) and a much larger 480GB version ($549.99 US) as well.
What’s in the Box?
Corsair includes an adapter plate and screws for mounting the slimmer Neutron/Neutron GTX (or any SSD) in a standard desktop chassis. Some notebooks may also require the adapter if replacing the platter hard drive to make up the 2.5mm height difference at the Neutron GTX comes in a 7mm slim casing.
No SSD flashing software is included which would have been a real time saver versus having to fish the software out of the CORSAIR forums. Even a URL in the documentation for quick reference would be better than nothing in this respect.
Installation Notes and Test System Configuration
I’m happy to report that the Neutron GTX works well right out of the box on the various Z68, X58, Z77, and X79 amassed in the labs over the last year. This is good sign. Especially since finding any news about firmware updates still has to be obtained via Corsair’s forums only. While this is fine for some enthusiasts that hang out in the forums, it doesn’t really help if you’re in a hurry to get the information. I couldn’t find a direct link on any of the SSD product home pages.
There should be a more direct support route to downloads and utilities that does not segue through the forums. None the less, here is the test system configuration.
- Processor: Intel Core i7-3770K
- Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP5 TH
- Memory: Kingston HyperX 2133MHz 8GB DDR3
- Graphics: MSI Geforce GTX 560 Ti
- Test SSD: Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB SSD
- Power: beQuiet! Dark Power Pro 650 Watt
- OS: Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
The Intel PCH SATA3 ports on our GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UP5-TH were used for testing. A few of the high performance SSDs from the round up we did over a year ago that are still supported were included to give a good snapshot of how this new drive was performing compared to the field.
Synthetic benchmark in this review will include HD Tune Pro, ATTO and Crystaldiskmark. We’ll also be using PCMark7 to gauge all around performance, plus a few of our own real world tests to round out the testing.
HD Tune Pro – Read and Write
Staring off with HD Tune Pro, you can see read and write performance. Simply install and run these very easy to use benchmark to see how your OS storage drive compares. These are essentially pretty decent bandwidth numbers. The CPU usage is extremely low thanks to the offloading controllers.
Let’s continue with the benchmarks on the next page…
ATTO – IO Performance
Thinking about using the Neutron GTX in a server? The 4K and 16K data write performance is pretty good but the read performance is much lower than the Pyro SE and V+200 asynchronous SSDs. This could be just a LAMD controller with relative young firmware compared to more seasoned Sandforce competition. Otherwise, the performance starts to match up with larger data test sets.
CrystalDiskMark – High Compression
Well, it doesn’t seem compression is problem for the controller in 512K and Sequential performance. However, 4K read and write suffer a bit more. This was confirmed by running the same test on another Z77 and X79 system. The LAMD LM87800 controller combo will definitely need some more tuning in this respect for a more even performance.
PCMark7 – Overall System Influence
Overall, the Neutron GTX does relatively well handling the PCMark7 benchmark. It gives the test system a decent amount of teeth. Still, that lower small block data performance indicated in the other benchmarks, also influences the score in this benchmark enough to end up in the middle of the pack. Let’s look at real world tests next.
Timed SSD Response
Some real world timed tests (while monotonous) are needed to see just what SSDs do for you in day to day use. The usual audio driver, video driver control panel, network, and additional windows speaker prompt were the only programs loading for each pass. Let’s see how it does with boot times, game loading, and accessing some good sized photo files.
Ultimately, booting in to Windows is much quicker with any SSD and puts the Neutron GTX with the second best time. Borderlands 2 loads very quickly as well, if not counting Steam’s extremely unreliable connection time. In either case, a few seconds is no big deal and it’s right with the rest of the pack.
When loading large Lightroom files, this action required considerably more time. The Neutron GTX fairs relatively well. If this were a platter drive test, we would still be waiting for the file to cache. The Neutron GTX ties the HyperX 3K.
Final Thoughts
The Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB SSD isn’t quite the high speed mover like the Force GT but it’s also not the slowest SSDs in the lab. Not to sound like a broken record, but the LM87800 LAMD controller seems to require a bit more tuning in the very important 4K performance range. This was evident in our ATTO and CrystalDiskMark benches and ultimately, ended up giving a middling, but not unexpected, performance in PCMark7. This is a bit of a surprise given that this SSD utilizes faster performance synchronous NAND.
On the other hand, in our real world tests where it really matters for most mainstream users and enthusiasts, it still presents a very enjoyable SSD performance experience. Plus, the unique 7mm height of the drive really makes it versatile as an upgrade in many notebooks with slimmer dimensions. I guess this is where the Neutron GTX could see itself very dominant because there are currently very few 7mm height SSDs on the market.
Finally, it comes down to price and at the $249.99 price tag of the Neutron GTX 240GB, doesn’t make it very competitive. Especially since the $179.99 entry level Neutron 240GB SSD performs so very similarly in most aspects. In fact, there are some Force GT SSDs still available for less that use a much more mature SandForce controller that seems to be right up there in the performance.
With the performance and cost information in hand, it doesn’t take an economics major to realize that the Neutron GTX will not only need a price adjustment to keep it competitive with even its own non GTX sibling, but with others as well too. We hope that in time, the new controller gets tuned to perfection so that it can command the premium price.
Pros
- Competitive overall system performance
- 7mm case works with many thinner notebooks
- Good compatitiblity despite relatively new controller
- Mounting adapter and hardware included
Cons
- Performance doesn’t justify today’s price
- LAMD LM87800 controller still needs some firmware tuning
- Somewhat slower than comparable synchronous SSDs
Overall Rating: 8.0 / 10.0
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