Another fact to keep in mind is that the manufacturer doesn’t state the durability of these devices (the TBW), but they do offer a 5-year limited warranty, so that shouldn’t be something to worry about too much. worry; Moreover, you already know that SSD technology has improved considerably in recent years and durability has long ceased to be a disadvantage or something to be feared.
Introducing the TeamGroup T-Force M200 Portable SSD
TeamGroup packs this external SSD in a black hard cardboard box, on the front of which we can already see an image of the device with its name and where it indicates the capacity, which has a 5-year warranty, and its potential performance . Already on the opposite side we find a description in several languages, its specifications and a small sketch with the size of the device, in addition to the usual barcode label.
This box opens directly in the form of a trunk, and when we do, we can already see the SSD enclosed in a flexible black cardboard.
Under this enclosure for the SSD we have two cables, one USB-C to USB-A and another USB-C to USB-C, as we remember that this device can be used in both directions, thus maximizing its compatibility .
Here we have the SSD drive, in a rugged, ribbed metal casing that gives it a very sturdy appearance.
On the opposite side we find some warnings and the mandatory logos for compliance with the regulations. The capacity is also indicated here, in this case 2 TB.
In the lower area we find the USB-C connector.
And at the top there is a kind of hook, which can be useful if we want to wear it tied somehow.
The profile of this TeamGroup T-Force M200 is quite thin, but be careful because the size can be deceiving since its metal casing makes it quite heavy (it remains light, but it weighs more than it looks).
Speaking of dimensions, here you can see exactly how much it measures with a gauge.
This external SSD has no way to open it that doesn’t involve forcibly inserting something flat (like a screwdriver) and prying something that could at least damage the case, so we’re not going to not show it inside to avoid damaging the device. Anyway, what we would find is an SSD similar to the one we have in PCs, with its electronic board and yes, its controller and USB port.
TeamGroup T-Force M200 benchmarks
To test the performance of this TeamGroup T-Force M200 SSD external SSD, we could really use any PC, but we decided to do it in the one with the highest performance we had on hand so that it wouldn’t not be a limitation and that we can see the maximum that he can give us. Here is the equipment used in the test:
- Intel Core i9-12900K.
- Be quiet! Pure Rock 2 FX.
- ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 HERO
- 2×16GB CORSAIR Dominator Platinum DDR5 5.200MHz.
- TeamGroup CARDEA A440 2TB (system SSD).
- CORSAIRE RM1000i.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070Ti.
We used Windows 11 Pro with all updates installed for testing, and the SSD was plugged into one of the USB-C ports on the back of the motherboard, i.e. we have connected it directly to the motherboard and not to the motherboard a port box.
We start by showing the information it gives us Information about CrystalDisk, where we can appreciate the characteristics of the device.
As you can see, the SSD uses the NVM Express 1.3 protocol, which guarantees the best performance. A curious fact: we were surprised to see that the device already has more than 2.7 GB of writes, it was turned on for 17 hours and had 27 starts, while the device was completely new and sealed. .. it must be because TeamGroup does its device-by-device testing before releasing it to market.
Now yes, let’s see what performance CrystalDisk Mark tells us it has.
Obviously, the performances are excellent for an external drive that connects to the system via USB, and yet they are well below the 2,000 MB/s that the manufacturer promised us; however, as we warned you before, this only affects larger capacity drives, and this performance is what you’d expect from a 2TB external SSD like the one we have in hand.
We continue with AS SSD Benchmark, another tool that will also measure SSD performance with different file sizes and queue volumes, but also assign an arbitrary score.
Performance is a little lower than what we saw on the CrystalDisk Mark, but it’s still really, really good. As you know, this benchmark has two additional utilities, and this first one shows us the unit copy speed with different scenarios.
Obviously the times are higher than what we would have with an internal PC SSD, but in the case of an external SSD that connects via USB, it is several times higher than what we would have with a USB key or a external hard drive.
Now let’s see how this TeamGroup M200 behaves with non-compressible files, which is usually the weak point of SSDs.
Performance is excellent, handling non-compressible files is no problem, and performance is adequate.
We will now see how this SSD works with files of different sizes, and for this nothing better than ATTO disc reference.
As with most SSDs, smaller files see significantly lower throughput, but it’s still excellent at over 130MB/s on files 4KB or larger, and delivers its peak performance from around 256KB.
End the tests with Anvil referencea test suite for the storage unit that will also show us its random performance in IOPS.
Again we’re dealing with pretty decent data, again bearing in mind that we’re dealing with an external SSD that connects to the PC via USB.
In addition to performance testing, we want to tell you a bit about user experience; The SSD is sturdy and considering its small size and weight, it is very comfortable to carry from place to place, even in your pocket. We think it will be the perfect companion for anyone with a modern, lightweight laptop who needs extra storage, as it offers great performance and very good storage capacity.
But on top of that, we also consider it an ideal SSD for next-gen and previous-gen consoles (well, on consoles that support it, of course). Its cable with USB-A connector (the standard of all life) means that we can use it as extended storage on consoles, and as games take up more and more space, it can be a very smart solution for that.
Conclusion and judgment
TeamGroup is a specialist in storage products, and the truth is that it is something that is evident every time one of their products passes through our hands. The brand’s T-Force M200 portable SSD did not disappoint us at all, and in fact we loved it because with a small size and low weight, the product is very robust and versatile for use in PCs, laptops or even in consoles, with excellent performance and completely plug & play.
Plus, with performance exceeding 1GB/s in most scenarios and 2GB/s in higher capacity models, it can be an essential ally even for business users who need to move large amounts of data. from one PC to another with full speed, or simply that they need storage media for their creations so that they can be available anywhere.
With all of that in mind, we think this TeamGroup T-Force M200 portable SSD is a great buy for everyone, giving it our Platinum award and recommendation for its design.