TeamGroup recently released its newest M.2 NMVe SSD in the Philippine market, the reported read speed of this solid-state drive (SSD) is at 5GB/s when using the PCIe Gen 4.0 and supports the latest motherboard from AMD, the AM4 X570.
Though this is not the usual fancy RGB SSD of Team Group, the T-Force Cardea Zero Z440 main purpose is its speed performance and the support to the newest PCIe Gen 4.0. The SSD is packed into an M.2 form factor and it is powered with the NVMe technology where you can plug it to any PCIe compatible motherboard that has an M.2 slot. The support for the PCIe Gen 4.0 uses the latest NVME 1.3 protocol where it has new features like self-test, sanitize and boot partition that does not need to be stored in UEFI firmware.
Table of Contents
We got a chance to check out this tiny product and see if those promised speeds meet our expectations.
Look and Feel
T-Force Cardea Zero Z440 comes with a blister packaging that represents its simplicity. Just like the prepaid card sold in the store, you can simply tear the cut-line in the packaging to reveal the tiny SSD.
The back shows some details of the SSD and serves as the instruction manual, it also contains the warranty stickers at the back that are needed in case you need the SSD for repair.
Since this comes into an M.2 factor size, it is smaller than a Piso-coin, ideal for a DIY portable storage device using an external m.2 enclosure.
Unlike other M.2 that merely have thermal protection or if any its has massive aluminum heat spreader, the Cardea Zero comes with an ultra-thin thermal label, an attractive sticker that is made with graphene copper foil and coated with black color for its design. The main reasons why Team Group tag it as “The Aesthetic of Thinness”.
The copper foil is thin as the sticker at the back, it’s measured at 0.2mm which provides space and compatibility to any existing heat sink of a motherboard. The combination of the ultra-thin copper foil and the existing heat sink from a motherboard will also give a double performance in terms of cooling.
At the back, you’ll find important information about the SSD. The 1TB version has a model number of TM8FP7001T. It also contains the warranty seal.
When installed in a motherboard, the copper label gives a gold reflection effect when being hit with our lightning setup inside the rig, it turns into an RGB M.2 SSD. lol 😉
Performance
Built for performance, this SSD should outperform other M.2 SSD brands when using the PCIe Gen 4.0 connection. However, since not all of us already have the latest PCIe Gen, we will test this SSD to the two-different motherboard that supports both PCIe Gen 3.0 and with an AMD Processor for PCIe Gen 4.0.
PCIe Gen 3.0 Benchmark
First, we will test this SSD to the motherboards with PCIe Gen 3.0 and let’s see if it’s comparable to the promised speed even if using the older PCIe gen model. We will compare it against the speed of other SSD brands like the Samsung 960 EVO NVMe SSD and HP SSD EX950.
The read speed of T-Force Cardea Zero Z440 doesn’t reach the marketed speed because of the speed limit of a PCIe Gen 3.0. It reaches the maximum read speed potential at 3,444.86 MB/s, while the write speed is at 3,255.82 MB/s. However, it still outperforms the HP SSD EX 950 and the Samsung 960 EVO at the PCIe Gen 3.0 benchmark on both reads and writes.
PCIe Gen 4.0 Benchmark
We got a chance to borrow a new motherboard and an AMD Ryzen 9 3900x Processor that supports PCIe Gen 4.0 and able to benchmark to get the promised speed. We still compare the same SSD we tested earlier in PCIe Gen 3.0.
We are surprised by the result when testing this SSD on a PCIe Gen 4.0, the T-Force Cardea Zero Z440 gets 68% improvements in both to read and write speed when using the latest PCIe gen. It delivers the promised read speed of 5,001.61 MB/s and writes the speed of 4,276.92 MB/s.
Life Span
The Total Bytes Written (TBW) in this SSD is pretty huge at 1,800 TB, that’s 8 times the rated TBW endurance of other SSDs that usually has 200 TBW. It means when you’re a content creator and have average use of 50GB per day, the SSD will last for a lifetime at 98 years.
While the 2TB variant doubles the TBW, at 3,600 TB – which will last up to 200 years for 50GB per day consumption.
For those who haven’t know what is Total Bytes Written or TBW in an SSD, it is simply a terabyte written limit where a total amount of data can be written into the SSD before it will likely to fail.
Aside from the rated TBW, it has multiple protection that will prolong the service life of the SSD, like the smart management technology that effectively monitors the status of the solid-state drive to maximizes its full potential, especially for gaming.
Conclusion
The combination of super high-speed, and its lifespan that exceeds a lifetime. T-Force Cardea Zero Z440 is not perfect but by far a very impressive M.2 SSD that does its job. If you’re building a rig with monstrous spec either for content creation or for gaming, this SSD is the answer for your storage needs.
Recapping everything, you’ll get the following:
- A 5GB transfer speed
- Super-thin cooling plate
- An 1800 TBW for 1TB and 3,600 TBW for 2TB
- A 5-year warranty
What’s in the Box
Inside the box, you’ll get two items. The SSD itself and the free stickers for your rig.
Unfortunately, there is no separate instruction manual, everything is on the back of the packaging.
Specification
For complete specifications, you can find it below.
- Model: Cardea Zero Z440
- Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4 with NVMe 1.3
- Capacity: 1TB / 2TB
- Voltage: DC +3.3v
- Operation Temperature: 0ËšC to 70ËšC
- Storage Temperature: -40ËšC to 85ËšC
- Weight: 9g
- Dimensions: 80.0mm (L) x 22.0mm (W) x 3.7mm (H)
- Humidity: RH 90% under 40 ËšC (operational)
- Vibration: 80Hz to 2,000Hz / 20G
- Shock: 1,500G/0.5ms
- MTBF: 1,700,000 hours
- Terabyte Written:
- 1TB / > 1,800 TB
- 2TB / > 3,600 TB
Warranty and After-Sales
Surprisingly, the T-Force Cardea Zero Z440 comes with a 5-years warranty with a free technical support.