Funny, I'm rocking the steel FC fork and am curious if the CF fork would give a smoother ride.
The FC is my randonneuring bike, and I'm always in pursuit of increased comfort for all-day rides. I don't know how a lively fork vs dead fork feels. My cross bike has a carbon fork; compared to the FC it feels smoother on dirt trails. Maybe more controllable, but it's hard to say what's fork and what's bike.
I hope you buy the steel fork and report.