In this case, we are faced with the special A440 Pro series, which instead of coming with two heatsinks like the normal A440 Pro, only comes with the graphene heatsink which, in addition, is white in color. black instead to match the aesthetics of the SONY PlayStation. 5 console (even if the SSD is cloistered in the console and is not visible). This graphene radiator is extremely thin, which allows you to install the SSD without problem in the PS5 (with the aluminum one we could not because it does not fit).
Beyond that, and since we are dealing with an SSD device in M.2 2280 format and with a PCIe 4.0 interface, it is ideal to use it also on PC and not only on the SONY console, since both on the latest platform from Intel as well as from AMD, we can take advantage of the maximum bandwidth that it is able to offer, and it is precisely on PC that we are going to analyze it because it is is where we will be able to measure its real performance.
Unpacking and external analysis
As usual with this manufacturer, we find the SSD inside a flexible cardboard box, on the front and back sides of which we find the two images of the device, its name and its main characteristics. In this case, yes, the exterior of the case is in white tones to accompany the aesthetics of the SSD itself.
Inside there is a transparent plastic blister in which is cloistered the SSD, as well as its separate graphene heat sink.
The graphene heat sink is exactly the same as we’ve seen in other models before, such as the normal A440 and A440 Pro, only in white. A thin sheet of transparent plastic in the lower area covers an adhesive that will allow us to place it on the SSD; Why it is not installed at the factory is unknown to us, but it is good for us to be able to show you soon the chips that make up this SSD.
Here you have the TeamGroup CARDEA A440 Pro special series, which has a small product identification label on one side. On the other side there is nothing, and it is precisely on this other side that we will have to install the graphene dissipator which, as we have seen, crumbles.
This solid-state device uses a Phison PS5018-E18 controller that we have seen in other PCIe 4.0 SSDs that exceed 7000MB / s before, and it is a guarantee of good performance results already ready for use. use. In the following image you can see this controller, as well as the DRAM chip which in this case is signed by SK Hynix.
The model number (IA7BG94AYA) that we find in the memory chips tells us that they are made by Micron, and also that they are TLC 176 layers of the very latest generation, which is why we have so much speed and so much durability in this SSD.
After seeing the chips that make up this device, it’s time to install the Graphene SSD to proceed to its test. The process has no mystery: just remove the transparent film that protects the adhesive and place it on the SSD, applying light pressure so that it adheres well.
Now that we have it ready, we proceed to install it in our test bench to see how it behaves.
CARDEA A440 Pro SS review
For performance testing of this SSD, we used Intel’s latest platform, Alder Lake-S, which consists of the following hardware:
- Intel Core i9-12900K.
- Arctic i35 A-RGB Freezer.
- ASUS ROG Z690 BIG HERO.
- 2 × 16 GB TeamGroup Delta RGB DDR5 6.400 MHz.
- TeamGroup CARDEA A440 2TB (SSD system).
- Nfortec Vanth Gold 750W.
We think it is worth mentioning the fact that we have connected this A440 Pro SS as a secondary storage device, so that in performance tests it gives us its maximum performance because it will not have the load that the operating system produces which, by the way, in this case is Microsoft Windows 11 in its latest version. Also, since this platform is quite new, it will allow us to see how the performance of the A440 before this Pro version improves.
Having said that, let’s go with some benchmarks.
CrystalDiskInfo
We started with CrystalDisk Info, a tool designed to extract all information related to storage drives. Here we can see the A440 Pro, and the most interesting thing is without a doubt its PCIe 4.0 x4 connection, which is the one it works with. On the other hand, and although this software does not detect more than SMART, it should be mentioned that the device is compatible with other features such as Garbage Collection or TRIM, which are very important for adequate durability of the device. device.
CrystalDiskMark
With CrystalDisk Mark we are witnessing the first real performance test of the device, where it displays a speed of almost 7000 MB / s in reading and a little over 6,800 MB / s in writing, figures really very high but which are below (especially that of reading) of what the manufacturer indicated. However, these are completely normal figures since, in the end, the figures given by the manufacturer are in ideal conditions and here we see it in a real scenario.
The speed that this SSD gives in the RND4K Q32T16 test stands out elsewhere, which means 4K random read and write data with a queue depth of 32 and with 16 threads (number of simultaneous operations). ), and which represents a loading scenario very close to reality. It delivers here nearly 4.2 Gb / s in reading and 2.5 Gb / s in writing, indicating that the performance of this SSD at the moment of truth, is really very good.
In the graph above we can see the comparison of this SSD with the previous A440, and we see that the figures are really much better and especially in terms of writing speed.
AS SSD Benchmark
AS SSD Benchmark shows us a test quite similar to the one offered by CrystalDisk Mark, but using other options and algorithms to measure performance. Here the A440 Pro lacks more than it should, but the performance it delivers is undoubtedly excellent.
Comparing again this data obtained with what we obtained using the normal A440, we have a pretty remarkable performance increase and, again, especially in terms of write speed.
As you know, AS SSD has two more benchmarks, so let’s take a look at them and start with copy speed.
The file transfer performance on this SSD is excellent, and it must be said that in the ‘Program’ and ‘Game’ tests it doubles the performance of the A440. The other tool included in this benchmark concerns the ability of this SSD to handle compressed files, where we got the following result.
Here we see some pretty fragile data, frankly. The read speed starts off weakly at around 3 Gb / s, but then increases and remains stable at around 5.8 Gb / s. In contrast, write speed starts above 6 GB / s and stays around those numbers, but has two major performance drops during testing.
ATTO disc benchmark
This benchmark allows you to see how the device works with different file sizes, and it is interesting to see it because as a rule, SSDs “get along” with very small files. In ATTO we see the performance with files ranging from 512 bytes to 64MB, and as expected the performance of this SSD suffers with small files, although it is true that the numbers it shows are excellent despite this. and also extremely stable.
Anvil reference
Finally, we have Anvil Storage Utilities, a fairly old benchmark that is still a benchmark for measuring storage unit performance. In this case we get fairly good figures and especially in writing, where the score is double that obtained by the normal A440.
Temperature
Finally, we need to measure the operating temperature of the device, because in SSDs there is a risk of thermal throttling, a safety mechanism that reduces the performance of the device when it reaches a certain temperature to preserve its integrity. . The data was obtained with the SSD mounted “in the air” and a single 120mm fan cooling the whole thing, so if you install it in a normal PC case with adequate airflow, you will get without any doubt better numbers.
We must specify that what we are showing you is the temperature delta, that is to say the measured temperature minus the ambient temperature; In this way, even if the ambient temperature varies, as the data we collect is the temperature difference, it will not affect the measurement or comparison with other devices.
As expected, the temperatures of this special CARDEA A440 Pro series are worse than those of the A440, since the latter has a large aluminum radiator much more efficient than the graphene one. Overall the temperatures are relatively good, although it is true that the maximum temperature of the A440 Pro is dangerously close to the limit at which thermal regulation would take effect, so you need to be careful of this.
Conclusion: is this the best SSD for PS5?
Maybe yes, and even if it wasn’t, it’s definitely a great option for both PS5 and PC as it offers amazing read and write performance, excellent durability, and also all with a low profile heat sink that manages, albeit through the hair, to keep thermal throttling at bay at all times.
Therefore, if you are looking for an SSD with guaranteed capacity, performance, durability and high compatibility for your PlayStation 5 or if you are just looking for the latest storage technology for your next generation PC, there is no doubt that this TeamGroup CARDEA A440 Pro The Special Series (and its normal version, of course, which actually would be more PC-friendly as it has the aluminum heatsink which gives better temperatures than the graphene one) is an option to consider.
For all these reasons, this CARDEA A440 Pro Special Series from TeamGroup deserves our gold medal, as well as our recommendation for its excellent performance.
