Corsair Force Series F120 SSD review

Corsair is perhaps best known for producing performance computer memory, but the company also makes an impressive number of SSDs, one of which is the Force Series F120: a 120GB SSD based around the super-fast Sandforce memory controller.

One of the most important components of any SSD, the memory controller manages reading, writing and erasing data to and from the flash storage. Sandforce controllers are renowned for their excellent performance, so we were expecting good things from the F120.

The disk has a SATA2 rather than the newer SATA3 interface, but that doesn’t appear to be a limitation; 158.7MB/s write and 184.7MB/s read speeds when handling large files are very fast. Even the most expensive SSDs struggle with our small file read test and the F120 is no exception, producing a low 29.2MB/s, but a write speed of 142.1MB/s for the same files is still rapid. Gamers will appreciate how quickly it can load games; it took just 28 seconds to load a Crysis level.

To make it easier to install the disk in a standard PC case, Corsair includes a 3½in mounting bracket in the box. You don’t get any data migration software, so upgrading an existing system will require a fresh installation of Windows unless you use a third-party tool.

At this price, the F120 is fairly good value, but the OCZ Vertex 2E 120GB costs around £10 less. Both perform well and include SSD mounting kits, but unless you can find the F120 cheaper, the Vertex 2E is better value.