TeamGroup T-Force Z44A5 PCIe 4 2TB M.2 SSD Review

A Closer Look

The T-Force Z44A Series PCIe SSD is nothing we haven’t seen before, as it uses the very common 2880 form factor, meaning it is 80mm long, which means a large number of motherboards, laptops, NAS, and consoles will be able to support it without any issues. It’s also PCIe 4.0, which is very much commonplace these days compared to the more premium PCIe 5.0 that’s typically only on mid-to-high-end newer motherboards and systems.

There’s a patented design graphene heatsink on the top, it looks like a simple sticker, but as thin as this material is, it has long since proven to be great at heat dissipation. What exactly is patented about it I don’t know, as we’ve seen the same thing deployed on similar products for years, but who knows, maybe they found a way to apply it better and improve cooling a little more, which would always be welcome.

The drive features a couple of memory ICs on one side, and I suspect this is the same on the A3 and A7 models, with the flagship A7 4TB most likely utilising memory ICs on both sides of the PCB to increase the capacity.

However, its design and slim thermal material on the top mean the form factor is just 1mm thick, which again, will ensure compatibility with the slimmest form factor laptops and notebooks.

Beyond that, there’s not a lot to see here, it’s a PCIe 4 drive, and we’ve had those for a fair few years now, so while it’s not the latest Gen 5 drive, it’s safe to say that through manufacturing improvements, Gen 4 drives are at their absolute best right now.