Thoughts and rating
Conveniently forgetting the exorbitant cost of large-capacity solid-state drives for a second, we reckon that an SSD represents single-most impressive upgrade that one can confer to virtually any system.Creamy-smooth performance comes from increasing the speed of the storage subsystem, which is one of the slowest parts of any PC. Done well, it can feel akin to moving from dial-up to broadband, such is the tangible gain in immediacy. The question isn't why you should switch to an SSD, it's which one should you buy.
Corsair's Nova range is the direct replacement for the Extreme series launched in the middle of last year. Featuring a similar Indilinx controller but now with 34nm Intel NAND instead of Samsung, the new drive also benefits from built-in TRIM and background garbage removal (BCG) support.
Available in capacities of 64GB and 128GB at around £150 and £300, respectively, the drive offers speedy performance in all scenarios, including when evaluated in a well-used state, thanks to the aforementioned TRIM and BCG.
The Corsair Nova V128 is a decent drive that ticks many of the checkboxes we'd like to see on a quality SSD. It's positioned between smaller-capacity SSDs that now litter the £100 market and SandForce-based drives which vie for the premium space.
Thinking of the UK market, ongoing deterioration in the pound-to-dollar exchange rate means that it, like practically all others, ships with an etail cost in excess of £2 per GB. This fact alone puts it out the reach of many, especially if you want to hold the majority of your applications on the boot drive and therefore need something larger than the 40GB models that have been cropping up for sub-£100 recently. It's a problem that afflicts, but is extraneous to, Corsair, and it will only be remedied when memory pricing begins to fall...hopefully if 25nm NAND production begins to seriously ramp up this quarter.
Bottom line: The Corsair Nova V128 is a decent SSD with premium credentials. Keeping almost-new performance intact by the use of TRIM and BCG, it's a sound choice if you can stomach the >£2-per-GB outlay.
The good
Solid performance in every test
TRIM and BCG combine to keep the SSD at near-new levels
The not so good
Extraneous to Corsair, high NAND pricing keeps it out the reach of many
HEXUS Rating
Corsair Nova V128 SSD
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