# Corsair MP600 2TB Review — PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD (2026)

The Corsair MP600 2TB is the flagship capacity of Corsair's first PCIe 4.0 lineup, pairing Phison's E16 controller with doubled endurance and 2 GB of DRAM.

Quick answer: Content creators and gamers with a large library who need 2 TB of fast NVMe storage on a PCIe 4.0 platform will find the Corsair MP600 2TB a serviceable choice, particularly if the drive is available at a discount relative to newer models. Anyone building a fresh system in 2026 should consider the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB or WD Black SN850X 2TB instead — both deliver substantially higher sequential throughput and improved power efficiency thanks to second-generation controllers. The MP600 was competitive at launch in 2019, but the Gen4 field has since moved well beyond the Phison E16's capabilities, and newer drives often cost no more while offering meaningfully better performance.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 2 TB |
| Interface | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Phison PS5016-E16 |
| Memory type | Toshiba 3D TLC |
| DRAM cache | SK Hynix 1GB - 2GB DDR4 |
| Sequential read | 4950 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 4250 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 680000 |
| Random write IOPS | 600000 |
| Endurance | 3600 TBW |
| MTBF | 1700000 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

Corsair rates the MP600 2TB at up to 4,950 MB/s sequential read and 4,250 MB/s sequential write, with random performance reaching 680K IOPS read and 600K IOPS write at queue depth 32. These figures represent the first generation of PCIe 4.0 x4 throughput, effectively doubling the PCIe 3.0 ceiling that capped previous-generation drives around 3,500 MB/s.

On an AMD X570 or B550 motherboard with PCIe 4.0 lanes active, independent reviewers consistently found the MP600 meeting or slightly exceeding its rated sequential numbers in CrystalDiskMark. Real-world large-file transfers typically landed in the 3.8 to 4.2 GB/s range. On Intel platforms or any PCIe 3.0 slot, performance drops to approximately 3,500 MB/s — indistinguishable from a high-end PCIe 3.0 drive. The E16's SLC caching strategy holds up well for typical gaming and desktop workloads, though sustained writes beyond roughly 150 GB on the 2TB model can drop to native TLC speeds in the 1.5 to 2.0 GB/s range once the SLC cache is exhausted. For a game library or content-creation scratch disk, this rarely matters in practice.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

Corsair covers the MP600 2TB with a 5-year limited warranty, bounded by the drive's 3,600 TBW endurance rating — whichever limit is hit first terminates the warranty coverage. At a typical consumer write workload of 30 to 50 GB per day, the 3,600 TBW figure translates to approximately 197 years on the low end and 328 years on the high end, meaning the calendar warranty will expire decades before endurance becomes a practical concern for nearly any user. Corsair quotes an MTBF of 1.7 million hours across the MP600 family. As with all MTBF specifications, this is a statistical projection across a population of drives under controlled conditions, not an individual-unit lifetime guarantee. Warranty claims are processed through Corsair's direct RMA portal.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- 3,600 TBW endurance on the 2TB model
- 4,950 MB/s sequential reads on PCIe 4.0
- Included aluminium heatsink in the box
- 2 GB SK Hynix DDR4 DRAM cache
- 5-year warranty with direct RMA support
- 2 TB capacity for large game libraries and projects
**Cons:**

- First-gen Phison E16 controller outpaced by newer drives
- Double-sided PCB limits thin-laptop compatibility
- PCIe 3.0 speeds on non-Gen4 platforms
- No hardware AES 256-bit encryption
- Heatsink adds height incompatible with some GPU backplates


## Verdict

Content creators and gamers with a large library who need 2 TB of fast NVMe storage on a PCIe 4.0 platform will find the Corsair MP600 2TB a serviceable choice, particularly if the drive is available at a discount relative to newer models. Anyone building a fresh system in 2026 should consider the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB or WD Black SN850X 2TB instead — both deliver substantially higher sequential throughput and improved power efficiency thanks to second-generation controllers. The MP600 was competitive at launch in 2019, but the Gen4 field has since moved well beyond the Phison E16's capabilities, and newer drives often cost no more while offering meaningfully better performance.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the Corsair MP600 2TB good for gaming?

Yes, the Corsair MP600 2TB handles gaming workloads competently on a PCIe 4.0 platform. Game load times fall within a second of drives like the Samsung 980 Pro and WD Black SN850, since most game engines are limited by random read performance rather than sequential throughput. The 680K random read IOPS on the MP600 is more than sufficient for the small-file access patterns typical of modern game loading. On a PCIe 3.0-only system, the advantage over a good Gen3 drive disappears entirely.

### Is the Corsair MP600 2TB compatible with the PS5?

The PS5 requires an M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD with a recommended read speed of 5,500 MB/s or higher, and the total dimensions including heatsink must not exceed 110 x 25 x 11.25 mm. The MP600 2TB meets the PCIe 4.0 NVMe requirement but falls below Sony's 5,500 MB/s recommended read speed at 4,950 MB/s. More critically, the pre-mounted Corsair heatsink stands roughly 15 mm tall, which exceeds the PS5's 11.25 mm clearance limit. The drive could potentially be used with the heatsink removed, but Sony does not officially list the MP600 as a compatible model.

### Does the Corsair MP600 2TB have DRAM?

Yes. The Corsair MP600 2TB is equipped with 2 GB of SK Hynix DDR4-2400 DRAM serving as the Flash Translation Layer cache. This is double the 1 GB DRAM found on the 1TB model, proportionally scaling with the larger NAND address space. The DRAM stores the logical-to-physical address mapping table, which improves random read and write latency compared to DRAM-less designs that must rely on the host system's memory via the HMB protocol.

### What is the TBW endurance of the Corsair MP600 2TB?

The Corsair MP600 2TB is rated at 3,600 TBW (Terabytes Written), which means Corsair guarantees the drive for up to 3,600 terabytes of total host writes under the JEDEC JESD218 client workload definition. At a typical consumer write volume of 50 GB per day, this endurance rating would theoretically last approximately 197 years. Even a power user writing 200 GB per day would take roughly 49 years to exhaust the rated endurance.

### Does the Corsair MP600 2TB need a heatsink?

Corsair includes a pre-mounted aluminium heatsink with the MP600, so no additional cooling is necessary out of the box. The Phison E16 controller can reach thermal throttle temperatures under sustained heavy writes if left bare, and the bundled heatsink is effective at keeping temperatures in check during normal desktop and gaming use. The heatsink is removable for motherboards that have their own integrated M.2 thermal solutions, but running without any heatsink is not recommended for workloads involving extended large-file transfers.

### How does the Corsair MP600 2TB compare to the Samsung 990 Pro?

The Samsung 990 Pro 2TB uses Samsung's own Pascal controller and sixth-generation V-NAND, delivering up to 7,450 MB/s sequential reads — roughly 50 percent faster than the MP600's 4,950 MB/s. The 990 Pro also offers substantially better power efficiency and stronger sustained random performance. The MP600 was a competitive drive in 2019, but the 990 Pro represents a full generation of controller advancement. If both drives are priced similarly, the 990 Pro is the stronger choice in every measurable category.

### Is the Corsair MP600 2TB faster than the 1TB model?

No. Corsair rates both the 1TB and 2TB MP600 variants at identical sequential speeds: 4,950 MB/s read and 4,250 MB/s write, with matching 680K/600K IOPS random figures. The 2TB model does carry double the endurance at 3,600 TBW versus 1,800 TBW, and it uses 2 GB of DRAM instead of 1 GB. The larger SLC cache on the 2TB model may provide slightly longer burst write windows before dropping to native TLC speeds, but rated throughput is the same across both capacities.

### Is the Corsair MP600 2TB good for video editing?

The Corsair MP600 2TB works adequately for video editing on a PCIe 4.0 system, particularly for 1080p and 1440p timelines where the 4,250 MB/s sequential write speed handles multi-stream scrubbing without bottlenecking. For 4K or 8K workflows involving sustained large-file transfers, newer drives like the Samsung 990 Pro or WD Black SN850X offer faster sustained writes and better efficiency. The 2TB capacity is a practical size for project files and scratch disk use, and the 3,600 TBW endurance provides substantial headroom for write-heavy editing sessions.

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Last updated: 2026-05-17. Source: https://ssdrive.net/corsair-mp600-2-tb