Chiming in for a quick review is the 1 TB T-FORCE Z44A5 NVMe SSD from TEAMGROUP. This is a midrange M.2 SSD in the 2280 form factor, featuring a price of ₱4,799.00 at Lazada.
Disclosure: TEAMGROUP sent the T-FORCE Z44A5 for the purpose of this review – free of charge. The company did not ask me to say anything particular about it.
Technical Specifications
| Storage | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 1 TB |
| Cache | N/A |
| Flash Controller | N/A |
| Flash Memory | N/A |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe Gen 4×4 with NVMe |
| Sequential Read | 5000 MB/s |
| Sequential Write | 4500 MB/s |
| Random Read | N/A |
| Random Write | N/A |
| Endurance | |
| MTBF | 1,700,000 Hours |
| TBW | 600 TB |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 80 mm |
| Width | 22 mm |
| Height | 3.7 mm |
| Weight | 7 grams |
Packaging and Accessories
The Z44A5 comes in a simple packaging.
Scope of delivery are as follows:
- TEAMGROUP T-FORCE Z44A5 (1 TB) NVMe SSD
Nothing else to see here, just some plastics, the external packaging, and the drive itself.
Design, Build and Connectivity
The Z44A5 looks like your typical M.2 SSD in a 2280 form factor. Instead of a shabby sticker though, the drive comes with a graphene sheet which is becoming popular with PCIe 4.0 SSDs – even budget oriented ones.
Now the rear houses your generic sticker, complete with certifications. By the way, this SSD comes with a 5 year warranty, which is a huge plus compared to the usual 2-3 year period.
The SSD is simple and truly done by the books, but it shouldn’t dissuade you in any way. Now onto the benchmarks!
Throughput
TEAMGROUP’s Z44A5 performance is spot-on as far as CrystalDiskMark’s results are concerned. We saw a 5101 MB/s for the read and about 4426 MB/s for the write at the sequential benchmarks.
IOPS
Input/Output operations per second is about 659K for the read while it is 840K for the write – rounded off. These are excellent results.
Access Time
Access times are more than reasonable for an NVMe SSD. These are sub 1 ms results across the board.
File Copy
As for its file copy performance, the Z44a5 could easily copy ISO, programs and access game files with relative ease. We saw an average of 4989 MB/s for the ISO, while it is about 2946 MB/s for the game. It is slower at copying program size files though at 1610 MB/s.
Results above translates to 0.22, 0.87 and 0.47 seconds respectively.
Compression
Now as for compression, both read and write performance are below the factory specifications but this is the usual ordain with this benchmark. Performance goes down at around 2000 MB/s on certain areas though (15% and 80%) but it is not that bad actually.
Cache
Read performance starts to decline at around 85 GB, while it took 154 GB of data written to exhaust the drive’s write performance to around 1100 MB/s.
Temperature
Thermal output ramps out slowly until the drive reaches its max at 69 °C. Operating temperature is listed at 70 °C max, so the drive must be throttling down when it reaches that value. If you have a motherboard with passive M.2 heatsinks, that should help tame the Z44A5 a bit. Definitely my only gripe with the drive.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, the TEAMGROUP T-FORCE Z44A5 NVMe SSD presents itself as a compelling midrange option in the M.2 SSD market. With a price point of ₱4,799.00 and a straightforward, no-frills design, it delivers where it counts. The inclusion of a graphene sheet, a 5-year warranty, and solid benchmark performance attest to its reliability and value.
In terms of performance, the Z44A5 impresses with its in-spec throughput, impressive IOPS, and low access times. File copying, though slightly varied across different file types, remains efficient overall. While compression performance may dip in certain scenarios, it generally meets my expectations.
One notable consideration is the drive’s thermal management. With temperatures peaking at 69°C under load, it’s advisable to ensure adequate cooling, especially for sustained heavy usage. Nevertheless, with proper ventilation or a motherboard equipped with passive M.2 heatsinks, this issue can be mitigated.
Overall, the TEAMGROUP T-FORCE Z44A5 NVMe SSD offers a reliable storage solution with competitive performance and a generous warranty, making it a worthy consideration for users seeking a balance of affordability and capability in their storage upgrade endeavors.
TEAMGROUP T-FORCE Z44A5 (1 TB) ₱4,799.00 PHP
Product Name: T-FORCE Z44A5 (1 TB)
Product Description: The T-FORCE Z44A Series PCIe SSD comes in three speed specifications, Z44A3, Z44A5, and Z44A7 with a maximum read speed of 3500MB/s, 5000MB/s, and 7400MB/s respectively. Catering to varied demands for read speed and capacity, users can upgrade their professional gaming equipment effortlessly.
Brand: TEAMGROUP
Summary
The TEAMGROUP T-FORCE Z44A5 NVMe SSD is a midrange option priced at ₱4,799.00, featuring a simple yet reliable design with a graphene sheet and a 5-year warranty. It presents itself as a compelling choice for users seeking dependable storage performance at an affordable price point.
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