CORSAIR MP600 PRO LPX Review

Introduction

If you own a PlayStation 5, you've probably already bumped into Sony's storage limitation—that measly 667GB of usable internal space disappears faster than you can say "Call of Duty update." The CORSAIR MP600 PRO LPX arrives as Corsair's answer to this universal frustration, wrapping a high-performance PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD in a low-profile package that's specifically engineered to fit inside Sony's console. This isn't just another M.2 drive slapped under a thin heatsink—it's meticulously designed to meet Sony's exacting dimensional requirements while delivering sequential read speeds of up to 7,100MB/s and write speeds reaching 6,800MB/s, comfortably exceeding Sony's minimum 5,500MB/s recommendation for PS5 expansion.

Available in capacities ranging from 500GB to a massive 8TB, the MP600 PRO LPX targets gamers who refuse to play the constant shuffle game of uninstalling titles to make room for new downloads. More intriguingly, while Corsair markets this drive almost exclusively as a PS5 solution, the engineering decisions that enable its slim profile make it an unexpectedly compelling option for space-constrained PC builds—though you're paying a premium for that compact aluminum heatspreader whether you need it or not. Corsair offers the drive in both black and white colorways, with launch pricing positioning it competitively against alternatives from Samsung, Western Digital, and Seagate in the crowded Gen4 market.

Product Overview

The CORSAIR MP600 PRO LPX is built around a Phison PS5018-E18 controller paired with 176-layer TLC NAND flash from Micron, which is the same proven combination you'll find in many flagship Gen4 drives on the market today. The drive measures a compact 80 x 22 x 11.25mm in its M.2 2280 form factor with the integrated heatspreader—roughly the size of a stick of gum, albeit one that's decidedly less edible and considerably more expensive. That 11.25mm height measurement is the critical specification here, sitting comfortably under Sony's 11.25mm maximum clearance requirement with no margin for error. Corsair achieved this svelte profile by designing a low-profile aluminum heatspreader that's approximately 4mm thinner than the company's standard MP600 PRO design, trading some thermal mass for essential compatibility.

The heatspreader itself wraps the drive in Corsair's signature industrial aesthetic with ridged black or white aluminum casing that's both distinctive and functional—the ridges provide grip when handling the drive during installation while maximizing surface area for heat dissipation within the tight height constraint. Weight comes in at a feathery 10 grams with the heatspreader attached, light enough that you'll barely notice it in your hand but substantial enough to feel like quality hardware rather than a flimsy component. Unlike Corsair's original MP600 PRO with its permanently affixed heatsink, the LPX model uses four Phillips head screws to attach the heatspreader, allowing removal for installations where your motherboard includes M.2 cooling or where you're working in truly cramped quarters.

Corsair equips the MP600 PRO LPX with 2GB of DDR4 DRAM cache from SK Hynix on higher capacity models, ensuring strong random performance that DRAM-less competitors struggle to match. The drive employs an SLC write cache to absorb burst writes at maximum speed—220GB on the 2TB model tested—before reverting to native TLC speeds around 1,500MB/s once that cache saturates, which is typical behavior for consumer Gen4 drives and unlikely to impact real-world gaming workloads where you're loading data rather than writing it. Corsair backs the MP600 PRO LPX with a comprehensive five-year warranty and endurance ratings of 350TBW, 700TBW, 1,400TBW, and 3,000TBW for the 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities respectively—middle-of-the-road numbers that suggest Corsair expects normal consumer usage rather than sustained professional workstation abuse.

The drive ships with minimal packaging: just the SSD with pre-installed heatspreader and a quick start guide, no mounting screws or accessories included. Sony provides the necessary screw for PS5 installation, while PC users will typically find M.2 mounting hardware with their motherboard. One curious design choice: Corsair oriented the branding to display correctly when installed in a PS5 (where the connector faces left), meaning the lettering appears upside-down when installed in most PC motherboards where connectors typically face right. It's a minor detail that reveals Corsair's primary target audience, though the drive functions identically regardless of which way the text reads.

Performance & Real World Speed

Corsair claims up to 7,100MB/s sequential read and 6,800MB/s sequential write for the MP600 PRO LPX, numbers that place it firmly in the upper echelon of Gen4 drives alongside the Samsung 980 Pro, WD Black SN850, and Seagate FireCuda 530. Random performance reaches up to 1,000K IOPS for reads and 1,200K IOPS for writes, which translates to snappy system responsiveness and quick application launches. In real-world testing conducted by multiple reviewers, these manufacturer specifications prove refreshingly accurate—the drive consistently delivers read speeds in the 7,000-7,100MB/s range and write speeds between 6,600-6,800MB/s in sequential benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, with only minor throttling observed during sustained transfers once the SLC cache fills.

Game load times on PS5 are where the MP600 PRO LPX truly shines, though the differences between this drive and other Sony-approved Gen4 alternatives remain subtle in practice. Reviewers report that games installed to the MP600 PRO LPX load within 1-2 seconds of the same titles installed to the console's internal storage, with some demanding titles like Horizon Forbidden West and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart showing imperceptible differences in level transition times. The PS5's DirectStorage-equivalent I/O architecture means that once you exceed Sony's 5,500MB/s minimum threshold, real-world gaming performance converges—the console simply can't leverage the full 7,100MB/s capability in ways that translate to measurably faster gameplay.

On PC, the MP600 PRO LPX performs competently across a range of workloads, delivering consistent results in both synthetic benchmarks and application testing. File transfer speeds remain robust during large copies, with the 2TB model maintaining sustained write speeds around 3,500MB/s after exhausting its 220GB SLC cache—not class-leading but entirely adequate for most consumer use cases. Boot times, application launches, and game loading all benefit from the drive's strong random read performance courtesy of that DRAM cache, putting it ahead of budget DRAM-less alternatives while trailing slightly behind the absolute fastest Gen4 options like the Seagate FireCuda 530 with its 176-layer NAND advantage.

Temperature management with the low-profile heatspreader proves adequate for typical gaming scenarios, with the drive hovering around 50-60°C during gameplay and climbing to 70-75°C during sustained benchmarking. These temperatures sit comfortably within NAND operating specifications and shouldn't trigger thermal throttling in normal use, though users pushing the drive hard in poorly ventilated PC cases might see slightly elevated temps compared to drives with beefier heatsinks. Inside a PS5 where airflow is more controlled, thermal performance remains excellent with no reports of throttling issues even during extended gaming sessions.

Build Quality & Durability

Corsair's approach to build quality with the MP600 PRO LPX reflects the company's broader hardware philosophy—understated industrial design executed with precision manufacturing. The low-profile aluminum heatspreader feels substantial despite its compact dimensions, with tight manufacturing tolerances and a solid feel that inspires confidence when handling the drive. The ridged surface texture isn't just aesthetic—it provides legitimate grip when inserting or removing the drive while giving it a distinctive appearance that's immediately recognizable as Corsair hardware, though you'll rarely see the drive once it's installed inside a PS5 since it lives buried in the console's expansion bay.

The four Phillips head screws securing the heatspreader allow for easy removal if needed, though Corsair warns that detaching the heatsink will void your warranty—a standard industry practice that's worth noting if you're the type who likes to tinker. The screws themselves thread smoothly without feeling cheap or prone to stripping, and the thermal paste Corsair applies between the heatspreader and critical components provides better thermal transfer than the rectangular thermal pads many competitors use. It's a small detail that suggests Corsair sweated the engineering rather than just hitting a price point.

The underlying PCB feels sturdy with no flex or warping, and the Micron NAND chips and Phison controller are properly secured without any concerning gaps or loose components. Multiple reviewers have noted that the drive maintains consistent performance over time without developing the random slowdowns or reliability quirks that plague some budget drives, though three years into the product's lifecycle isn't long enough to assess true long-term durability. Corsair's five-year warranty provides reasonable confidence that the company stands behind the hardware, and the 1,400TBW endurance rating on the 2TB model translates to writing the entire drive's capacity 700 times—more than sufficient headroom for even heavy gaming use where you're primarily reading data rather than constantly writing it.

For PS5 users, installation involves opening the console's side panel, removing a single screw and cover plate, then sliding the drive into the M.2 slot and securing it with Sony's included hardware—a straightforward process that takes about five minutes even for first-timers. PC installation follows standard M.2 procedures, with the drive fitting into any M.2 2280 slot that supports PCIe Gen4, though the low-profile heatspreader means it works in tight spaces where bulkier drives won't fit. The attention to detail and robust build suggest this is a product designed to last through years of daily use, provided you treat it with the basic care any precision electronic component deserves.

Compatibility

The CORSAIR MP600 PRO LPX is specifically designed for PlayStation 5 expansion and PC use with any system featuring an M.2 2280 slot supporting PCIe Gen4 x4 or newer standards. This is a universal M.2 NVMe drive that works with any compatible platform, period. The drive meets all of Sony's M.2 requirements for PS5 expansion—exceeding the 5,500MB/s minimum read speed, fitting within the 11.25mm height restriction with heatsink attached, and matching the M.2 2280 form factor Sony specifies. Installation into a PS5 requires opening the console's side panel and accessing the dedicated expansion slot, after which the console formats the drive and validates its performance before allowing you to move games to it.

On PC, the MP600 PRO LPX functions as a standard NVMe boot or storage drive, supporting Windows 10 and 11 along with macOS on compatible systems. The drive requires a motherboard with an available M.2 slot supporting PCIe Gen3 x4 minimum, though it will only reach its full performance potential on PCIe Gen4 systems—running it on older Gen3 platforms cuts throughput roughly in half to around 3,500MB/s reads, which is still respectable but defeats the purpose of buying a premium Gen4 drive. The compact 11.25mm height with heatsink makes it ideal for laptop upgrades, mini-ITX builds, or any PC where clearance is tight, though desktop users with full-size M.2 cooling solutions might prefer removing Corsair's heatspreader and using their motherboard's integrated cooling instead.

Critically, you need to understand what this drive can and cannot do on PS5. The MP600 PRO LPX can store and run PS5 games directly from the expansion slot with performance essentially identical to the internal storage, it can store and run PS4 games, and it supports all PS5 features including Quick Resume and game activity cards. The drive integrates seamlessly into the PS5's storage management system, allowing you to move games between internal and expansion storage or set your preferred installation location.

The MP600 PRO LPX is absolutely compatible with Xbox Series X or Series S systems as a standard external USB drive if you connect it via an M.2 enclosure, but this configuration makes zero sense—Xbox's proprietary expansion cards use a different interface entirely, and running an NVMe drive through USB will bottleneck its performance to a fraction of its capability. Similarly, the drive won't work with PS4 consoles in any meaningful capacity, as those systems use SATA-based storage that can't leverage NVMe speeds. This is a PS5 and PC drive, full stop, and trying to use it elsewhere either won't work or will waste the premium performance you're paying for.

Strengths & Weaknesses

The MP600 PRO LPX's greatest strength lies in its successful execution of a challenging design brief—Corsair managed to pack genuine flagship Gen4 performance into a low-profile package that meets Sony's stringent PS5 requirements without meaningful performance compromises. Transfer speeds are genuinely impressive, with the drive delivering on its 7,100MB/s read and 6,800MB/s write claims in real-world testing. Game load times on PS5 match or slightly exceed the internal storage in most titles, and the occasional 1-2 second difference in particularly demanding games is imperceptible during actual gameplay. The plug-and-play nature on PS5 is beautifully simple—install the drive, let the console format it, and you immediately gain hundreds of gigabytes of usable space with no performance penalty during gaming.

On PC, the drive's compact heatspreader and strong across-the-board performance make it an intelligent choice for space-constrained builds where traditional drives with bulky heatsinks won't fit. The Phison E18 controller and Micron 176-layer NAND combination delivers consistency that budget alternatives can't match, and that 2GB DRAM cache ensures snappy random performance in application loading and multitasking scenarios. Corsair's five-year warranty and reasonable endurance ratings provide peace of mind, while multiple capacity options from 500GB up to 8TB let you choose the configuration that matches both your storage needs and budget. The screws holding the heatspreader offer flexibility for users who need to remove it, unlike competitors with permanently attached cooling solutions.

However, the MP600 PRO LPX isn't without notable limitations. The fundamental weakness affecting all PS5-compatible Gen4 drives—including this one—is value when compared to standard desktop M.2 drives without the PS5-specific height restriction. Pricing on the MP600 PRO LPX typically runs $85-95 for 1TB and $155-175 for 2TB at the time of this review, which represents roughly 9-11 cents per gigabyte on the 2TB model. You can find standard PCIe Gen4 drives like the Samsung 980 or Kingston KC3000 for 7-9 cents per gigabyte that deliver comparable performance, and budget Gen4 options hit 5-6 cents per gigabyte if you're willing to sacrifice DRAM cache and peak speeds. The premium you're paying for the MP600 PRO LPX's low-profile design makes perfect sense for PS5 owners who have no alternative, but PC users with standard M.2 clearance are essentially subsidizing that compact heatspreader for no functional benefit.

The 500GB entry capacity feels particularly limiting in an era where single games routinely consume 100-150GB, and even the 1TB model fills quickly if you maintain a diverse library. Corsair's decision to offer an 8TB variant addresses this concern for users with deep pockets, though that model commands a substantial premium that moves it firmly into enthusiast territory. Performance-wise, the drive trails slightly behind the absolute fastest Gen4 options like the Seagate FireCuda 530, particularly in sustained writes once the SLC cache exhausts, though these differences rarely manifest in real-world gaming scenarios where you're primarily reading data. The low-profile heatspreader, while necessary for PS5 compatibility, doesn't dissipate heat as effectively as beefier cooling solutions, potentially leading to slightly elevated temperatures during sustained PC workloads in poorly ventilated cases.

Verdict: Should You Buy It?

Buy this if: you own a PlayStation 5 and need expansion storage since this drive delivers flagship Gen4 performance in the low-profile package Sony requires, you're building a space-constrained mini-ITX or laptop PC where the compact 11.25mm height with heatsink provides clearance that bulkier drives can't match, you value consistency and want a drive with DRAM cache and proven Phison controller hardware over cheaper DRAM-less alternatives, you're willing to pay a modest premium for Corsair's five-year warranty and build quality, or you find it on sale within a few dollars of standard height Gen4 drives where the price penalty for the low-profile design becomes negligible.

Skip this if: you're building a standard desktop PC with ample M.2 clearance and can save 15-30 percent by choosing a regular height Gen4 drive with similar performance, you primarily need storage expansion for a large library and would be better served by a higher capacity drive at a lower per-gigabyte cost even if it means accepting slightly slower speeds, you're considering this for Xbox Series X or S where it either won't work properly or makes no sense given Microsoft's proprietary expansion format, you already own a Samsung 980 Pro or similar flagship Gen4 drive and would see minimal real-world benefit from switching, or you're on a tight budget and recognize that a good Gen3 drive at half the price delivers 95 percent of the gaming performance for routine use cases.