Corsair Force LX 256GB SSD Review
Final Thoughts and Conclusions
Corsair has a reputation of manufacturering high quality hardware, and the Force LX continues this tradition. It offers mainstream users a high performance SSD, which is a nice change from some of the other mainstream SSD’s. Corsair’s SSD Toolbox is a bonus software package that includes drive cloning to assist users when migrating to the SSD, a firmware update tool and various other goodies.
Corsair used results from ATTO to provide the expected performance of the Force LX. As such, we received exactly what they said we should; a 560MB/s read speed, and 300MB/s write speed. In other benchmarks, we received pretty similar results, which indicates that the Force LX 256GB does perform as expected. IOPS was also close to what Corsair states, coming in just over the expected 70K IOPS.
To help keep the price low, Corsair has dropped some of the common extras. The Force LX is a 7mm high SSD, if you happen to need a 9mm high SSD you’ll need to have your own adapter. This isn’t a big deal as a 7mm SSD should fit fine once it is secured. The other item that is missing are cables, usually drives include a SATA cable, however Corsair did not include one with the Force LX. If this is a desktop replacement drive, then you already have a cable, if it is a new drive, then you’ll need to pick up a SATA cable if it is going into a desktop. We won’t knock the Corsair Force LX series for not having a desktop adapter kit, but some might be disappointed that it comes with just the bare drive.
Corsair has priced the Force LX line at a reasonable cost, for mainstream users. The 128GB model is easily found for $79.99 shipped, while the 256GB model goes for $129.99 shipped. This puts it at just over $0.50 per GB for the 256GB drive and $0.62 per GB on the 128GB drive. Pricing like that should put the Corsair Force LX Series easily within reach of anybody that wants to improve their system performance. Word on the street is that in the months ahead that the Corsair Force LX 256GB drive that we reviewed here today will likely be below $100 with rebates or promotions. The price tag is already enticing on the Corsair Force LX series, but if the 256GB drive drops down to $99.99 or something it would be a heck of a deal and $0.38 per GB would be nice to see on a value drive. Along with a great performing SSD, you also get the peace of mind of the 3 year warranty.
Legit Bottom Line: While there are faster performing SSD’s available, they tend to cost more. If you are looking for a great performing drive, while keeping the price low, the Corsair Force LX is a great choice.
