Introduction
Netac is a brand you may not have heard of in the US, though it has operated for more than two decades in China and is known as the world’s first creator of USB flash drives. Netac is a supplier of products and solutions in the field of global flash application with a focus on manufacturing flash memory such as solid state drives, Portable SSD, DDR, and mobile storage products. Netac has four wholly-owned subsidiaries: Beijing Netac Innovation Technology Development Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Langsheng Electronics Co., Ltd., Leapro Technology Co., Ltd., and Netac Technology (Hong Kong) Limited.
Under its banner of memory products, you will find DDR4 and DDR5 desktop memory, SSDs, External Storage, USB Flash Drives, Memory Cards, and Peripheral Products. Today we will be focusing on its SSD line, specifically a PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD. In Netac’s lineup of SSD products, it offers 2.5″ SATA models, M.2 SATA – PCIe Gen3, and PCIe Gen4 models.
At the top end of the SSD spectrum is the NV7000 which we have previously reviewed. Right under that is a brand new, more budget-friendly, value-oriented model NV7000-t where the -t makes all the difference. The NV7000-t model (NT01NV7000t-1T0-E4X) we are reviewing today tops out at 7300MB/s PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe speeds, is based on 3D TLC NAND flash technology, and is a DRAM-less SSD aimed at a more budget-conscious individual.
Netac NV7000-t SSD
The new Netac NV7000-t is a cut-down version of the NV7000. The NV7000-t does not have DRAM, has a lower TBW, and does not come with an aluminum heatsink, but it still retains very high PCIe Gen4 NVMe 1.4 SSD performance at a competitive price. The NV7000-t supports SLC caching and is a TLC-based SSD. To make up for the loss of DRAM the SSD supports Host Memory Buffer (HMB) controller feature. It also comes with a metal heat spreader that you can attach yourself, self-installation. The -t is the differentiator in the name, so be careful you are looking at the right model when purchasing, the -t does make a difference, also in price, which should be lower. The NV7000-t comes in three capacities, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB.
The Netac NV7000-t 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD we are reviewing today has a max sequential read of 7300MB/s and a max sequential write of 6600MB/s. The max random read is 1000K IOPS and the max random write is 700K IOPS. The Total Bytes Written (TBW) is 640TB for this drive.
If you want a higher TBW and faster writes, the 2TB model offers the best performance at 7300MB/s max sequential read and 6700MB/s max sequential write speed. The max random read IOPS is a little lower at 900K though, and the max random write is 700K, the same as the 1TB model. The 2TB model offers a higher TBW of 1280TB.
Finally, the lowest capacity 512GB model will run at 7200MB/s max sequential read and a slower 4400MB/s max sequential write. The max random read IOPS is 850K and the max random write IOPS is 600K. The TBW is 320TB. All models have a 2 million hour MTBF and a 5-year limited warranty.
NV7000 vs NV7000-t
At first glance, the NV7000 and NV7000-t seem similar in performance, but there are some key differences. Firstly, both use different controllers and 3D NAND flash. The NV7000 is geared for extreme gaming performance, and the NV7000-t is geared for high-speed storage, also the NV7000 offers a 4TB model while the NV7000-t caps out at 2TB. Both SSDs offer PCIe Gen4 NVMe 1.4 performance. The NV7000 has a DRAM cache, while the NV7000-t does not.
Interestingly, the maximum max sequential read speed is higher on the NV7000-t at up to 7300MB/s and a max random read of 1000K IOPS versus the NV7000 at max sequential read of 7200MB/s and a max random read of up to 940K IOPS. Though the write speed is greater on the NV7000 at 6850MB/s max sequential write and 1000K max random write IOPS versus the NV7000-t at 6700MB/s max sequential write and 700K IOPS max random write. The NV7000 also comes with a pre-installed thick aluminum heatsink, while the NV7000-t uses a thin metal heat spreader you can attach. Both SSDs can also access Netac’s SSD Toolbox and access features.
The NV7000-t is using the new Maxio MAP1602 controller. We’ve seen this controller on only one other SSD we have reviewed so far, the Acer Predator GM7 1TB Gen4 x4 M.2 SSD was the first SSD we’ve seen with this new Maxio MAP1602 controller. What is interesting, is that the Acer SSD used version F2C of that controller, and the new Netac NV7000-t uses version F3C. We aren’t entirely sure what the specific differences are in the revision difference, but we did note that difference. The Maxio MAP1602 is a 4-channel 12nm process technology IC that supports PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe 2.0, and Maxio Agile ECC 3 technology based on an ARM R5 CPU core. The Maxio MAP1602 is geared for DRAM-less SSDs, such as the NV7000-t. You can read all about this controller here.
The Netac NV7000-t also uses 232-Layer 3D TLC YMTC Xtacking 3.0 3D NAND at 2400MT/s. The Acer Predator GM7 was also the only other instance so far of seeing this specific NAND Flash. The 1TB model uses two flash chips, while the 2TB model should use four, and the 512GB a single one. These appear then to be 512GB per chip.
In our performance graphs today, we are also including the Netac NV7000 which we have reviewed, so it will be interesting to see how the two compare in our benchmarks. In addition, the Acer Predator GM7 in the graphs uses the same controller and NAND Flash, so that comparison will be interesting to keep an eye on.
SSD Pictures
The Netac NV7000-t 1TB PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe SSD is packed in a good-looking box, and it clearly shows what the SSD will look like so you know what you are getting. The capacity and model number are clearly shown, but it does not show the performance expected. Inside the box is an installation manual and two M.2 screws.
The Netac NV7000-t is a one-sided SSD, meaning all the components are only on one side, even on the 1TB and 2TB models. This allows it to fit very well in laptops, the PS5, and of course desktops. You do not have to worry about cooling the underside, only the top. The NV7000-t includes a metal heat spreader, which is very thin and won’t add vertical space allowing it to fit in very cramped scenarios, and still have some form of cooling. It also has intelligent temperature control to help maintain consistent performance. You do have to stick the heat spreader on yourself, but this gives you options incase you wanted to use your motherboard’s M.2 heatsink instead.