A few weeks ago we started talking about the new generation of SSDs, with PCIe 5.0 interface and that are capable of doubling (or almost) the performance of the current PCIe 4.0. The manufacturer TeamGroup , which is always at the forefront of SSD and RAM memory technologies, has announced the availability of its first PCIe 5.0 SSD, the CARDEA Z540, capable of offering speeds of up to 12,000 MB/s reading and 10,000 MB write /s. We tell you all about him below.
In recent times, the development of the PCI-Express interface seems to have no limit, and that is that we have gone from PCIe 3 to PCIe 5 in a fairly short time, multiplying the performance of both graphics cards and storage devices, such as SSDs. . These are getting faster, always seeking the limits of the interface to deliver the best possible performance, and this is exactly what TeamGroup has sought with its new CARDEA Z540.
This is the new PCIe 5.0 SSD from TeamGroup
Within its T-FORCE family of products (which is geared towards gaming, and therefore bases its design on offering the highest possible performance), TeamGroup’s new PCIe 5.0 SSD is called T-FORCE CARDEA Z540, and is initially offered as only in 2 TB capacities , although it is true that we can expect that it will not take long for units of 4 and 8 TB capacity to be launched on the market.
As we have already anticipated in the headline, this SSD is capable of offering theoretical speeds that are close to the limit of the PCIe 5.0 interface, with up to 12,000 MB/s reading and 10,000 MB/s writing (if you look closely, it is quite close to double than current PCIe 4.0 SSDs offer). It is compatible with the latest NVMe 2.0 protocol, and it should be noted that it is backward compatible with motherboards that have an M.2 PCIe 4.0 interface without problems (although logically in that case they will not reach maximum speed, for this we will need a new generation AMD motherboard with M.2 PCIe 5.0 sockets ).
Above these paragraphs we have put an image of the device, and as you can see it does not have an ostentatious large aluminum heatsink, much less a heatsink with active cooling as it has been rumored that it would be necessary for this generation of SSDs. Rather to the contrary, TeamGroup has used its patented Graphene heatsink , enough to keep the operating speed of this unit at bay and prevent Thermal Throttling, making it take up quite little space and being compatible with the passive heatsinks that it has. Most modern motherboards include M.2 sockets for their sockets.
The TeamGroup T-FORCE CARDEA Z540 PCIe 5.0 is compatible with SMART and all the technologies necessary for the proper functioning of any SSD, such as Garbage Collection, DevSleep or TRIM. This initially launching 2TB drive has a life expectancy of 1,400TBW and is covered by a 5-year limited manufacturer’s warranty.
Price and availability
As we have mentioned before, initially TeamGroup will only launch this CARDEA Z540 in 2 TB capacities, which will arrive in stores starting in the second quarter of this year at a recommended retail price of USD 499.99 (this manufacturer usually translates the dollar exchange – euro 1:1, which means that it surely costs 499.99 Euros).
They will give more details later, as their release date approaches, but we hope that it won’t be long before they announce models with 4 and 8 TB capacity as well.