Table of Contents
Team Group was among the first brands to present the NVMe PCIe 5.0 SSDs. However, we had to wait some months to see them in stores. Today, we focus on the T-Force Z540, which is now available with new firmware and improvements that promise exceptional performance.
As with all T-Force products, the Z540 is designed for the most demanding gamers and power users. Since the SSD is sold without a cooler, it’s recommended to use a motherboard cooler or some other type, like the one provided by Team Group—DARK AirFlow I. Our tests will include this cooler as a recommended option to keep optimal temperatures and performance of our new Z540 NVMe PCIe 5.0 SSD.
Specifications and Features
T-FORCE Z540 M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD adopts the latest PCIe Gen5 x4 and supports NVMe 2.0 protocol. It offers continuous read/write speeds of 12,400 and 11,800 MB/s for you to unleash impeccable speed in launching games and applications.
The ultra-thin graphene heatsink is made with 100% recyclable graphene of exceptional diagonal conductivity, which allows heat at the heat source to be rapidly transferred away horizontally and can be complementary to any original motherboard heatsink. The heat dissipation performance of T-FORCE Z540 M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD is better than the original motherboard heatsink alone, making it the best heat dissipation solution for original motherboard heatsinks.
~TeamGroup
Key Features
- Astonishing new-generation impeccable speed to unleash gaming performance
T-FORCE Z540 M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD adopts the latest PCIe Gen5x4 interface and supports the latest NVMe 2.0 protocol. It offers astonishing continuous read/write speeds of 12,400 and 11,800 MB/s, enabling users to unleash impeccable speed in launching games and enjoy carefree gaming experiences. - The miraculous force of graphene
The miraculous graphene boasts a perfect hexagonal honeycomb structure. It features exceptional diagonal conductivity that allows heat at the primary heat source to be rapidly transferred away horizontally, delivering excellent heat dissipation performance. - The best heat dissipation solution
The ultra-thin graphene heatsink can complement any original motherboard heatsink. T-FORCE Z540 M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD yields better heat dissipation performance than the original motherboard heatsink alone, making it the best solution for original motherboard heatsinks. - Intelligent thermal conditioning
The latest intelligent thermal conditional technologies are incorporated with internal temperature sensors to automatically adjust energy output for effective monitoring and control, prevent SSD from overheating, protect data integrity, and effectively extend SSD service life. - Quality service for user assurance
It is tested through the T-FORCE laboratory’s rigorous quality control and testing mechanism and comes with a five-year warranty for user assurance. - Patented S.M.A.R.T. monitoring master
The exclusive patented intelligent monitoring software S.M.A.R.T. enables users to monitor product conditions anytime. It also offers easy and quick setting options and testing to monitor product quality and performance. - Concrete actions to safeguard Earth
The ultra-thin graphene heatsink is made with 100% recyclable graphene. The entire manufacturing process occurs in a halogen-free and lead-free environment, contributing to environmental protection efforts.
Specifications
| Team Group Z540 Specifications | |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 |
| Heatsink | Graphene |
| Interface | PCIe Gen 5.0 x4 |
| Max Sequential Read | Up to 12400MB/s (2TB/4TB), 11700MB/s (1TB) |
| Max Sequential Write | Up to 11800MB/s (2TB/4TB), 9500MB/s (1TB) |
| Storage Temperature | -40°C to + 85°C |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +70°C |
| Endurance | 2400 TBW (4TB), 1200 TBW (2TB), 600TBW (1TB) |
| MTBF Hours | 1,700,000 Hours |
| Power Consumption Active | 11.5W Average |
| NAND Technology | 3D TLC – Micron 232-layer NAND |
| Controller | Phison PS5026-E26 |
| DRAM Cache Size | 4GB Hynix |
| Encryption | AES 256-bit |
Full specifications and features for the Z540 SSD can be found on the Team Group product website.
In the introduction, I mentioned that Team Group was among the first brands to release PCIe 5.0 SSDs. In reality, we could see reviews of the first batch of the Z540 at the end of last year, but it was only available in stores recently. Specifications have changed slightly since the “paper” premiere, but not the components used. We still have Micron 232-layer NAND, Phison E26 controller, and 4GB of Hynix DDR4 cache. The TBW was lowered from 1400TBW to 1200TBW(for the 2TB version), but we received a more extended warranty, from three to five years.
The Z540 SSD arrived in perfect condition. I’m still determining why most new SSDs come with some GB written, and most vendors don’t want to share the exact reason. Either way, the Z540 was originally packed, but it still had around 200GB written and two power-ups.
Team Group offers software that can be downloaded from its website. It shows S.M.A.R.T. status, system info, and a basic performance test.
Packaging and Product Photos
The T-Force Z540 2TB SSD arrived in a small retail package that is enough to protect the package’s contents. The package’s exterior tells us everything we may need about the SSD, and we can find more details on Team Group’s website. Inside the box, we will see a well-protected SSD and, separately, a graphene heatsink. The simple installation manual is printed on the back of the box, so we can say we get everything we need.
The only thing that needs to be added is the motherboard or other M.2 cooler requirement. For many users, it’s evident that the current generation of PCIe 5.0 SSDs generates a lot of heat, and Team Group mentions that on the website. The included graphene heatsink helps slightly but is insufficient to keep the SSD below the thermal throttling point. On the other hand, most of those SSDs will be used together with higher series motherboards that already have large heatsinks on M.2 PCIe 5.0 sockets. If we don’t have a motherboard like that, we have to buy a cooler, like the one Team Group provides, and it will be used in our tests.
The Z540 is in the most popular M.2 2280 standard and should fit every gaming PC. The SSD is double-sided, but most, if not all, M.2 PCIe 5.0 sockets are prepared for that. The Z540 SSD is not recommended for laptops because of limited cooling and less space.
Below are close-ups of the mentioned components: Phison E26 controller, Micron 232-layer 3D TLC NAND, and Hynix LPDDR4 cache.
DARK AirFlow I M.2 Cooler
Team Group sent us the DARK AirFlow I, M.2 SSD cooler, which perfectly matches the Z540 SSD.
The SSD is well-designed and perfectly fits our Gigabyte B650E Master motherboard. I will reveal that the fan is noisy if left at the maximum speed. However, it uses a PWM connector and can be managed from any modern motherboard BIOS or software. The motherboard automatically adjusts its speed, but I recommend setting it at a lower 30-40% speed, or even around 20%, so it will still provide improved cooling.
The cooler seems one of the best options for taming the hot M.2 SSDs. Many M.2 coolers are available in stores, but most aren’t as good quality as the DARK AirFlow I.
DARK AirFlow I – Source: Team Group YouTube channel
Team Group also added a gaming stickers pack. You won’t see it in retail products, but I thought I would share.
Comparison Tests
| Test Setup | |
| Processor | Ryzen 7 7950X |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte B650E Master |
| Graphics Card | Colorful RTX4080 Advanced OC 16GB |
| Memory Kit | Corsair Dominator Titanium 48GB DDR5-7200 CL36-46-46 1.40V |
| Power Supply | Corsair HX1200, 1200W 80+ Platinum |
| OS Storage | Kingston Fury Renegade 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD |
| Test Storage | Acer Predator GM7000 4TB PCIe 4.0 SSD ADATA Legend 970 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Corsair MP600 Core Mini 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Corsair MP700 Pro 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD Corsair MP700 Pro SE 4TB PCIe 5.0 SSD Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Crucial T500 Pro 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Crucial T700 Pro 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD Kingston FURY Renegade 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD KLEVV CRAS 930 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Patriot VP4300 Lite 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD TEAMGROUP CARDEA A440 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD TEAMGROUP MP44 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD TEAMGROUP Z540 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro x64 with the latest updates |
Tests were performed on popular synthetic benchmarks and benchmarks that simulate daily workloads. Most tests are free, so you can compare some results at home without spending money. Results were made on the AMD Ryzen platform, so some of the presented results may vary if we compare them to the same SSDs tested on Intel chipsets.
Benchmarks list includes:
- AIDA64 Storage Benchmark: Random Read and Write
- ATTO Disk Benchmark
- CrystalDiskMark: Sequential Read and Write, Random Low Queue Read and Write, IOPS
- PCMark 10 Storage Benchmarks: Data, Quick, and Full System Tests
- 3DMark Storage Benchmark
ATTO Disk Benchmark
ATTO used to be the most popular benchmark for testing storage performance. However, it focuses on sequential bandwidth, which, in recent years, hasn’t been as crucial as random operations. It still counts and is the main factor describing the storage performance by the marketing of all brands.
As we will also see in other tests, in the sequential bandwidth, the Z540 performs as well as the Corsair MP700 Pro and is slightly better than the Crucial T700 Pro. Crucial T705 is missing from our list, but it would close the gap between the Crucial T700 Pro and Team Group Z540.
CrystalDiskMark
Nowadays, CrystalDiskMark is the leading benchmark for home and office storage devices. It’s free, easy to use, and provides many valuable results.
In sequential read and write tests, the Z540 achieves about as high bandwidth as specified by the manufacturer. The write result is even 200MB/s better.
Low queue random operations are essential for daily usage, and the random read bandwidth is significant for gaming. The results still highly depend on the chipset and motherboard used. We can expect better results on Intel chipsets, but on AMD, the Z540 also performs excellent in this test.
IOPS results are more important for professional work and content creation. I was surprised that the Z540 could beat the Corsair MP700 Pro SE and all other Phison E26-based SSDs. The MP700 Pro SE is the only SSD in our comparison that uses 8GB of fast cache.
PCMark 10 Storage Benchmarks
PCMark 10 shows expected performance gains in popular applications and daily workloads. The Z540 also keeps the top three spot in this benchmark, indicating that it performs well in synthetic bandwidth and workloads that simulate daily work.
3DMark Storage Benchmark
The 3DMark Storage Benchmark seems limited to our test rig. Results in this benchmark look significantly better on Intel chipsets. We can still tell that the difference between PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 SSD is significant.
AIDA64 Disk Benchmark
Ultimately, the AIDA64 Disk Benchmark is in random read and write operations. This benchmark isn’t popular but gives us one specific workload—extended random operations. We wouldn’t expect that, but all the newest and top-speed SSDs based on Phison E2x series controllers perform well but are still far from the best results for a single SSD. As long as it doesn’t describe the whole performance of the SSD, it’s an interesting test showing if the SSD throttles during the extended high load. Since I mentioned throttling, let’s check the temperatures.
Temperatures
The Z540 SSD we tested didn’t throttle in our tests, or we couldn’t notice that, and it maintained a sustained bandwidth.
Since the typical throttling temperature is above 70°C and most commonly around 75°C, our test rig was free of issues. At the maximum of 57°C, we can lower the fan speed to even 25-30% and still keep the SSD below the throttling point under extended high load.
Conclusion
The Team Group was waiting to offer the Z540 SSD worldwide, which was a good move. The Z540 we received is a retail product with mature firmware and reliable components. During all our tests, we had no problems with results consistency, thermal throttling, or anything else that sometimes happens with competitive PCIe 5.0 SSDs.
The Z540 is designed for demanding users, gamers, and enthusiasts, so it’s not delivered with a cooler. It can be a disadvantage, but most users wouldn’t like it as they have high-end motherboards that provide good enough cooling. For those who still need an M.2 cooler, Team Group offers the DARK AirFlow I, which costs $26.99 on Newegg. It’s not the cheapest M.2 cooler, but Newegg marked it as the #1 seller, so the price has to be widely acceptable.
It isn’t the fastest SSD on the market, but it’s very close to the top and beats most competitive SSDs rated at about the same maximum bandwidth. Except for Corsair MP700 Pro SE, finding any other SSD that can beat the Z540 is hard.
The 2TB version of the Z540 costs about $240, which is as much as the Crucial T700 Pro or Corsair MP700 Pro. However, the price seems reasonable, as nothing less expensive delivers such high performance. It’s still expensive compared to PCIe 4.0 SSDs that aren’t so much slower in daily usage. However, it’s a good choice if we want one of the fastest SSDs.
The T-Force Z540 2TB SSD is well-designed and provides exceptional performance. Every gamer and computer enthusiast will be satisfied with it. As long as the price is not a problem, the Z540 is an SSD worth recommending.
Click the stamp for an explanation of what this means.
Bartosz Waluk – Woomack
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