Seagate FireCuda 540 2TB PCIe Gen5 x4 VNMe SSD Review

A Closer Look

When it comes to NVMe SSDs, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen all of them really, and while this is a high-end drive, it looks pretty much like you would expect. I like that it has a black PCB, and that smart sticker on the top to keep it looking neat and tidy. It doesn’t come with a heatsink, but it’ll go under the heatsink on your motherboard, or any aftermarket solution just fine. It’ll fit in the PS5 with no issues too since it uses the common 2280 form factor, which is to say it’s 80mm long.

No doubt Seagate will do a few editions of this product that do come with a heatsink too, so it’s up to you if you want to get your own or use a cooler you already own. It is plug-and-play though, with support for both Gen4 and Gen5 NVMe M.2 slots, however, to get the best speeds you’ll need a Gen5 slot and some form of cooling.

The drive uses the latest 3D TLC NAND Flash Memory, and the Phison E26 controller, paired with LPDDR4 DRAM, and features TRIM, S.M.A.R.T, and all the usual maintenance features to ensure it keeps working its best, as well as TCG Opal 2.01 (SED) security.

Overall, a well-equipped drive, and I’m eager to get it tested, so let’s fire up the test bench!