Conclusion
In this review, we took a look at the Netac NV7000-t 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD which is a value-oriented SSD, compared to the higher-end Netac NV7000 2TB Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD that we have previously reviewed. The Netac NV7000-t 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD offers a 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB model with PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe performance at 7300MB/s. The Netac NV7000-t 1TB SSD is a 3D TLC NAND flash-based SSD without a DRAM cache. The 1TB model we reviewed today is rated at 7300MB/s sequential read speeds and 6600MB/s sequential write speeds, offering top-tier PCIe Gen4 x4 performance, using the new Maxio MAP1602 controller and 232-Layer 3D TLC YMTC Xtacking 3.0 3D NAND.
Cooling
The Netac NV7000-t 1TB SSD we have reviewed comes with a metal heat spreader that you can install yourself. We installed it for all of our testing, including the temperature testing, so that heat spreader is installed in the graph above. A heat spreader isn’t as robust as an integrated aluminum heatsink, but as you can see, it is in fact doing a great job with this particular SSD. The hottest we could get the SSD in our stress testing was only 64c where we really push the SSD hard, this is the “worse case” scenario writing data for 20 minutes, the temperature of the ASIC/controller rose to about 64c maximum temperature.
This is among one of the coolest running SSDs on our graph, despite others having robust aluminum heatsinks. The temperatures of the Netac NV7000-t are actually well under some other more hefty SSDs, with larger heatsinks. At 64c it runs 10 degrees cooler than the NV7000 and 5 degrees cooler than the Acer Predator GM7. It is on par with the Patriot Viper VPR400 in temperature.
In general use, the temperatures were even lower, in the 50s for daily usage and 40s at even less usage. In a word, these temperatures are excellent, and that means that this SSD is really suited well for laptops or cramped situations where temperature control is an issue. This SSD runs cool, and that Maxio controller just doesn’t get hot. Also, it doesn’t have to worry about keeping DRAM cache cool, another factor in keeping it very cool.
Netac SSD Toolbox
Netac does have an SSD Toolbox software to manage the SSD. Netac has SSD Toolbox software, and we can do important things like monitor drive health, drive life remaining temperature, and S.M.A.R.T. data. All of these things are important for an SSD, and it is very nice that this functionality exists. Netac also offers the ability to check for new firmware and update firmware on the SSD, an important feature to have.
Netac also goes further and provides migration support built into the software. You can easily clone one SSD to another on the same computer with the push of a button, it is just easily done. It also has an Erase feature, though that is only supported on SATA drives. The only other feature that is missing which would be nice is Secure Erase for NVMe SSDs.
Performance
We found strong, top-tier performance out of the Netac NV7000-t 1TB SSD, beating its expected performance in a lot of ways. Starting in PCMark 10 Full System Drive benchmark, the Netac NV7000-t 1TB SSD performed with a score of 3516 and beat every other SSD on the graph. This was due to the access time, which again was top-notch. In the Quick System Drive Benchmark, the score was lower than the NV7000 due to the lack of a DRAM cache, but it did beat the equally equipped Acer Predator GM7.
In throughput performance, the Netac NV7000-t 1TB SSD performed very strongly in CrystalDiskMark where the Netac NV7000-t 1TB SSD ran faster than its quoted read and write speeds and was without shouting distance of the NV7000. We also experienced a very strong random read and write performance where it performed above the NV7000, except on write, but beat the competition very well.
The Netac NV7000-t also performed extremely well in sub-tests, such as file copy and game loading times. The disk copy file test resulted in the fastest file copy we’ve seen yet, beating every SSD on the graph, and exceeding the Acer Predator GM7 and Netac NV7000. In addition, the game load times were also impressive, with the lowest game loading time we’ve experienced.
Final Points
In small workloads, small file sizes, and small worktraces where many small accesses are taking place very rapidly and frequently, the Netac NV7000-t 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVME M.2 SSD will fall a bit below the DRAM counterparts, due to the DRAM-less nature. However, the performance in these instances wasn’t bad, in fact, it was above average and even beats out some older SSDs with a DRAM cache in those workloads.
When it comes to sequential read and write performance the Netac NV7000-t is at the top of its game, it has impressive throughput and can meet its specification, and even exceed it in performance. We also found very strong random read and write performance, which has a competitive performance versus the Acer Predator GM7. In all, it seems the Netac NV7000-t has strong points in access time, file copy, and loading times. It was very fast in all these categories, and the Host Memory Buffer nature of the SSD is working very well despite it not having a DRAM cache. The new Maxio MAP1602 has so far proven itself and is proving to be a very fast controller that runs cool for DRAM-less SSDs.
Overall, Netac has been impressing us with its lineup of SSDs. The Netac NV7000-t is a well-balanced SSD that has chart-topping performance in many common scenarios for everyday use. Though it lacks a DRAM cache, that does not hold it back in any way. Truly, the only downside is the lower TBW compared to the NV7000. The write endurance of the NV7000 would be a reason to choose it over the NV7000-t if you have more mission-critical workloads and usage. Otherwise, the NV7000-t is able to remain very competitive in raw performance. If the price is right, and the Netac NV7000-t can be found at lower prices, this makes for a really great SSD for everyday use.