Elevate Performance T-Force CARDEA Z540 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD

T-Force CARDEA Z540 2 TB PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD

Having first investigated PCIe, which Gen5 NVMe storage devices with up to 10,000 MB/s read and write speeds earlier this year. These drives were first, but knew faster drives would come as technology improved. Mainstream AMD and Intel motherboards make Gen5 platforms more accessible.

While starting at 10 GB/s, SSD manufacturers have quickly released faster drives by optimizing thermal designs and using better NAND solutions. The Cardea Z540 series from T-Force is designed to offer the fastest speeds possible given NAND flash’s limitations.

Team Group T-Force CARDEA Z540 2 TB SSD, which uses Phison’s E26 controller and targets high-end storage. This SSD costs $259.99 US, which is typical for 2 TB Gen5 SSDs.

T-Force CARDEA Z540 2 TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD

CARDEA Z5 includes the Team Group T-Force CARDEA Z540. They have examined many CARDEA products, from Gen3 to Gen4 SSDs, over the years. The Gen5 “Z5” SSD series is now under review.

The Team Group T-Force CARDEA Z5 SSDs use the NVMe SSD form factor and the latest Micron 232-layer TLC NAND flash, which offers up to 2 TB of storage, twice the performance of Gen4 drives, and full DirectStorage API compliance. Most T-Force CARDEA Z540 SSDs implement the Phison E26 SSD control system found on some of the strongest Gen5 drives.

T-Force increased NAND speeds from 1600 to 2000 MT/s, improving read and write speeds. T-Force Gen5 drives will likely optimize these speeds.

FEATURES

• Incredible new-generation speed unleashes gaming performance
• The graphene miracle
• Best heat-dissipation method
• Temperature control intelligence
• Clear steps to protect Earth
• Patented S.M.A.R.T. monitoring master Quality user assurance service
• Patented graphene heatsink
• US invention patent (US11051392B2)
• Taiwan invention patent (I703921)
• China utility patent (CN 211019739 U).
• Patented S M A R T software
• Taiwan invention patent I751753

The Team Group T-Force CARDEA Z540 SSD has an M.2 2280 form factor and NVMe 2.0 PCIe Gen 5 x4 interface. The SSDs are only available in two capacities (1 TB and 2 TB) and have sequential read and write speeds of 12.4 and 11.8 GB/s, respectively. Most Gen 5 drives currently have 10 GB/s Read and 9.5 GB/s Write speeds. This SSD uses a large Frozr heatsink to lower temperatures by 20C.

The 2 TB model have tested had a peak sequential read speed of 12,400 and a write speed of 11,800 MB/s. Random Reads and Writes IOPS were 1400K/1500K, and endurance was 1400 TBW.

• Team Group T-Force CARDEA Z540 2 TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD Unboxing and Closer Look
• The Team Group T-Force CARDEA 2 TB is compact. Large SSD photos adorn the black package.
• Capabilities, model name, and patents are listed on the front. The back of the package lists SSD specifications and performance figures, which will discuss later.
• The SSD, graphene pad, and T-Force sticker are inside. T-Force seems to be keeping things simple.
• Standard 2280 form factor SSDs measure 80.0 (L) x 22.00 (W) x 3.7 (H) mm. The Phison E26 controller, LPDDR4 memory, and two NAND Flash dies are on the front.
• The T-Force CARDEA Z540 has two NAND Flash (232-layer 3D TLC) devices at the back and 4 GB of LPDDR4-4266 DRAM cache.

The graphene heat spreader is the only cooling solution, so the SSD can fit in any M.2 slot without compatibility issues. This fast storage device needs a heatsink, so mount it under your motherboard’s heat sink or buy one separately.

Test Setup

They tested an Intel Core i9-13900K processor at stock clocks on the MSI Z790 ACE motherboard. The platform had 32 GB of G.Skill DDR5 (Trident Z5/16 GB x 2) and the MSI MEG Ai1300P PSU. My graphics card was MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X. This is an advanced SSD test platform. The Raptor Lake CPU powers the MSI Z790 ACE’s single Gen 5.0 x4 NVMe slot.

• Group T-Force Benchmarks for CARDEA Z540 2 TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD
• The manufacturers’ performance stats for these drives are first.

Benchmark AS SSD

AS SSD Benchmark download tests solid-state drive performance on Windows 10. With it, you can test all SSDs’ speeds and fix any issues. The free app runs three tests to prove your driver’s data copying, reading, and writing behavior.  The app measures SSD access time, speed, and performance.

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