Over 12,000 MB/s and a graphene cooling pad - TeamGroup T-Force Z540 SSD for gamers and content creators reviewed
PCIe 5.0x4 SSD.
PCIe 5.0 SSDs are potentially much faster than their PCIe 4.0 predecessors. TeamGroup sent us a 2 TB sample of the T-Force Z540, rated for up to 12,400 MB/s in sequential read speed. So, we removed the SSD from the XMG Pro 16, installed the Z540, and checked whether the drive delivers on its promises!Christian Hintze, ✓ (translated by DeepL / Ninh Duy) Published 🇩🇪
Verdict - Fast, but graphs alone are not enough
The TeamGroup T-Force Z540 doesn't quite reach the blazing speed of the Kingston Fury Renegade G5. Even so, its results are excellent, and the SSD is impressively fast.
However, that only applies if proper cooling is ensured. Apparently, PCIe 5.0 SSDs get even hotter than their predecessors. The graphene sticker alone isn’t sufficient, especially in a tightly packed laptop case. The resulting heat initially caused the performance to drop significantly. Only with additional cooling pads and contact with the laptop chassis could the heat be dissipated, allowing the T-Force to make full use of its speed potential. Whether the graphene layer provides any real benefit or is mainly a marketing gimmick cannot be definitively determined in this test.
Pros
Cons
Price and availability
The 2 TB version we tested costs about €232 (approximately $272) on Amazon (Germany).
Our SSD leaderboard is currently dominated by the Kingston Fury Renegade G5 with 4 TB, which achieved sequential read and write speeds of over 10,000 MB/s in our test. Teamgroup sent us their new, internal PCIe Gen 5x4 SSD, the T-Force Z540, for comparison. We measure whether it works.
| TeamGroup T-Force Z540 | |
|---|---|
| Form factor | M.2 (2280) |
| Interface | PCIe 5.0 x4 |
| Memory | 3D-NAND TLC |
| Cache | LPDDR4 4GB |
| Controller | Phison |
| Weight | 13 g |
| Available capacities | 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB |
| Sequential Read/Write (manufacturer data) | 1 TB Read/Write: up to 11,700/9,500 MB/s 2 TB Read/Write: up to 12,400/11,800 MB/s 4 TB Read/Write: up to 12,400/11,800 MB/s |
| IOPS | 1,400,000 read, 1,400,000 write |
| Average operating time | 1,700,000 h |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Manufacturer No. | TM8FF1002T0C129 |
Packaging & scope of delivery: Cardboard and plastic
TeamGroup ships the M.2 SSD in a small black cardboard box, which contains a protective plastic cover for the storage strip. The packaging is recyclable, though it doesn’t appear to be made from recycled materials.
A very thin graphene cooling sticker is also included, which is simply applied to the top of the SSD. You just peel off the protective film and position the sticker as centrally as possible over the components.
Test system - XMG Pro 16 laptop
Since maximum performance requires an M.2 slot with PCIe 5.0 x4 support, we chose the current Schenker XMG Pro 16 for our test. The laptop’s primary SSD slot supports the modern standard, while the secondary slot unfortunately only runs on PCIe 4.0.
So we remove the notebook's main memory and insert our T-Force Z540. Initially, we left out XMG’s cooling plate—which normally connects to the chassis via an additional thermal pad—and relied solely on the included graphene sticker for cooling.
Transfer rates
1. Test without XMG cooling plate
Without a cooling plate, the results are disappointing. Only in CrystalDiskMark 6 and 9 do the sequential read speeds come close to the specified potential, while the sequential write speeds fall far short.
2. Test with XMG cooling plate
Since the results seemed unusual, we reinstalled the XMG cooling plate so the T-Force’s heat could be dissipated through the thermal pad into the laptop’s base plate.
On the second attempt, the results look much better: according to CrystalDiskMark 6, the drive reaches almost 12,000 MB/s in both read and write speeds—an impressive result. CrystalDiskMark 9 shows even slightly higher numbers, while AS SSD is a bit more restrained.
In our endurance test with DiskSpd, the T-Force Z540 also maintained consistently high performance. It doesn’t quite match the speed of the Kingston Fury Renegade G5, but the results are still remarkably strong
| Drive Performance rating - Percent | |
| Kingston Fury Renegade G5 4 TB | |
| Eurocom Raptor X17 Core i9-14900HX | |
| TeamGroup T-Force Z540 | |
| Kingston KC3000 2 TB | |
| SCHENKER XMG Pro 16 (E25) | |
| AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D | |
| Global Average -3 | |
| Average of class | |
* ... smaller is better
Read continuous performance: DiskSpd Read Loop, Queue Depth 8
Conclusion
The TeamGroup T-Force Z540 is a very fast PCIe 5.0x4 SSD. However, you should not rely solely on the graphene cooling pad, as performance will drop significantly if it gets too hot.
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was given to the author by the manufacturer free of charge for the purposes of review. There was no third-party influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
