Conclusion
The TEAMGROUP T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Lite PCIe 4.0 Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD is a cut-down version of the CARDEA A440 Pro, to provide cost-saving PCIe Gen4 NVME SSD performance at 7,400MB/s read and 6,400MB/s write speeds. It utilizes the PHISON PS5027-E27T controller, which is a DRAM-less solution, and saves cost with a two-chip (2x 1TB) 162-layer 3D TLC NAND flash configuration.
The TEAMGROUP T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Lite includes TEAMGROUP’s patented graphene heat spreader and forgoes an aluminum heatsink option that the A440 Pro has as an option. In addition, TEAMGROUP offers the A440 Lite in a 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacity option, whereas the A440 Pro offers up to 8TB of storage capacity. The 2TB model of the TEAMGROUP T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Lite we reviewed today has an endurance rating of 1200TBW, also down from the A440 Pro’s 1400TBW.
All of this means, cost-savings, and at the time of writing the TEAMGROUP T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Lite 2TB model is $118 online. This is cheaper than the A440 Pro 2TB, which was around the ~$150 price level at its lowest pricing in the last year.
Cooling
The goal of our temperature testing is to push the SSDs as hard as possible by performing a stress test of read and write. We run PerformanceTESTS’s advanced disk benchmark with a 10GB file, set to run each read/write test for 3 iterations, culminating in a 30-minute run. This is not typical usage behavior, but our goal is to find the maximum limits of the cooling. We utilize HWiNFO64 for reporting SSD temperatures, taking note of all sensor data, either the (NAND Flash or Composite Sensor) or the (ASIC) sensor. No case fans are running during these tests.
The TEAMGROUP T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Lite 2TB SSD is running simply with the graphene heat spreader installed, no other M.2 motherboard heatsinks are present, and no fans creating airflow, so this is a worst-case scenario of temperature. In the first graph, the NAND flash or composite sensor 1 detected 81c, which was a couple of degrees hotter than the A440 Pro (which also was only using the graphene heat spreader, no heatsink).
In the NAND flash or composite sensor 2, we also saw 81c, which puts it into the hot category (the A440 Pro doesn’t have this particular sensor). Our conclusion on temperature is that you should run an M.2 heatsink, either one provided by your motherboard or a third party. If this is being used in a laptop or notebook, it could possibly thermal throttle in the most intense use cases or constant write workloads, especially if your laptop has poor cooling.
SSD S.M.A.R.T. Tool
TEAMGROUP has its SSD S.M.A.R.T. Tool available for download. The software allows you to view the S.M.A.R.T. data and provides health and temperature information on the drive, as well as a benchmark and some device info. However, it does not have a firmware update checker or ability, which would be a great addition we’d like to see. The software has not been updated in a long while.
Final Points
The TEAMGROUP T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Lite PCIe 4.0 Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD is a great balance of performance and value. Being based on the popular and well-performing PHISON PS5027-E27T gives it a solid backbone and features. Even though this SSD does not have a DRAM cache, the Host Memory Buffer nature performs well on modern machines. The 162-layer 3D TLC NAND flash is also a cost-saving nature but is backed by high-quality Kioxia chips.
The single-sided and simple nature of the component layout ensures that this SSD will fit well into tight spaces, laptops and notebooks are a perfect fit, and the graphene heat spreader is welcomed. For desktop PCs, it will fit in well, and a modest M.2 heatsink will be all that is needed, though we do recommend using one at the very least.
In performance, the TEAMGROUP T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Lite 2TB SSD provided great sequential read and write speeds, offering that PCIe Gen4 x4 performance you are looking for. It was quite impressive, in fact, with sequential and random write performance. It had strong game load times, so this will be perfect for a gaming build. Its one weakness was in large file transfer across the same volume, it might slow down on many back-and-forth file transfers.
For everything else, including gaming loads and general-purpose usage, the TEAMGROUP T-FORCE CARDEA A440 Lite is great for desktop use and should provide the performance you need for everyday tasks. If you need a fast SSD and want to save a little money, this is a great value option at $118 (as of current writing), check the prices below in our pricing widget.
