Teamgroup Invincible T-FORCE CARDEA Z540: PCIe 5.0 SSD with up to 12,000 MB/s

Manufacturer Teamgroup has introduced a new PCIe 5.0 Gen5 SSD that aims to score with outstanding speeds. The Teamgroup Invincible T-FORCE CARDEA Z540 is primarily aimed at gamers, uses the latest PCIe Gen 5 x 4 interface and supports the latest NVMe 2.0 protocol.

Teamgroup Invincible T-FORCE CARDEA Z540 in detail

With sequential read and write speeds of up to 12,000 MB/s and 10,000 MB/s, respectively, the new Teamgroup Invincible T-FORCE CARDEA Z540 achieves around twice the speed of PCIe 4.0 SSDs and is, of course, intended to appeal primarily to performance-hungry gamers with these speeds.

Thus, at least on paper, it is superior to other manufacturers’ solutions like the Gigabyte AORUS Gen5 10000 SSD or the Corsair MP700 in terms of speed. How it looks in practice, however, remains to be seen.

The T-FORCE CARDEA Z540 M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD features an exclusive ultra-thin graphene heatspreader that combines multiple patented technologies. It is made of 100 percent recyclable graphene material and takes advantage of hexagonal honeycomb lattice structures to quickly and evenly distribute heat horizontally, providing the Z540 SSD with premium cooling.

Exceptionally thin design

With a thickness of less than one millimeter, this makes the PCIe 5.0 SSD suitable for almost all setups and compatible with various PCIe 5.0 motherboard heatsinks. According to internal testing, the SSD’s operating temperature is said to be 3-5°C lower with a combination of motherboard heatsink and graphene heat dissipation than with a motherboard heatsink alone.

“In addition, the CARDEA Z540 uses the latest intelligent thermal regulation technology with built-in temperature measurement to automatically adjust performance and prevent overheating,” promises the manufacturer.

The patented S.M.A.R.T. monitoring software from Teamgroup makes it easy to keep an eye on the SSD’s condition and performance. In addition, the manufacturer grants a 5-year warranty on the Teamgroup Invincible T-FORCE CARDEA Z540.

Price and availability

The Teamgroup Invincible T-FORCE CARDEA Z540 is initially only offered with a storage capacity of 2 terabytes. According to the manufacturer, however, this only applies to the first batch, so other capacities should follow.

The market launch is scheduled for the second quarter of 2023. The recommended retail price is $499.99. More details can be found on the official website of Teamgroup.