Corsair Force 3 120GB SSD Review

Corsair’s Force Line Hits The 3rd Generation

The Force 3 SSD from Corsair is the third generation of the Force series and the first time they’ve featured the SandForce SF-2200 controller and the SATA III interface. This time, they also offer a GT version, which we’ve had our hands on back in August with our Force 3 GT 120 GB drive review. The GT is the faster version of the Force 3 SSD and gives us a natural comparison that will show the difference between asynchronous and synchronous NAND – the real difference in hardware between the two lines. Today, we’re going to have a look at the 120 GB Force 3 non-GT version and see just how closely it compares to its GT counterpart.

Not only do the two drives differ in the internal hardware, but their exterior is quite different as well with the GT getting a flame red case and the non-GT gets the more mundane flat black case. Each have a similar sticker and box design aside from the colors which complement the casing. Obviously, modders who like to show off their hardware will opt for the GT drive due to the bling factor. In terms of pricing, each drive has been out on the market a bit so the prices have settled some. The non-GT can be found for $179.99 and the GT version for $189.99 after rebate so not much difference at all if you can time your purchase right.

Their specifications are also similar as well, withthe Force 3 showing reads and writes maxing out at the 550MB/s and 510MB/s marks and the GT eking out just 5MB/s more on each account. It sounds like a negligible difference but remember that these are the maximum capable speeds and not what you can expect throughout all read/writes operations for all types of data. More on this as we explore the benchmark results.

Corsair Force 3 120 GB Features and Specifications

• Warranty: Three years
• SSD Unformatted Capacity: 120 GB
• Max Sequential Read/Write (using ATTO Disk Benchmark):

• 550 MB/s sequential read 510 MB/s sequential write

Max Random 4k Write (using IOMeter 08):

• 85k IOPS (4k aligned)

Interface: SATA 6Gb/s

Technology: Asynchronous NAND

Form Factor: 2.5 inch

DRAM Cache Memory: No

Weight: 80g

Voltage: 5V 5%

Power Consumption (active): 2.0W Max

Power Consumption (idle/standby/sleep): 0.5W Max

S.M.A.R.T. Support: Yes

Shock: 1500 G

MTBF: 2,000,000 hours

Like the GT and most of the other Corsair SSDs, they include a 2.5″ to a 3.5″ adapter plate for easy mounting in nearly every case. Other than that, nothing else is included. Nothing of note to mention about the exterior as it follows the standard SSD design.

Let’s have a look inside!