The selected 2 TB GA PRO comes with a thin graphene spreader. It can fit beneath a motherboard cover more easily than a tall factory cooler. That is a physical advantage, but it leaves an important question for sustained transfers: where will the heat go once it leaves the chips?
In depth
TEAMGROUP T-FORCE GA PRO review
Published · Updated
Best forBuilders who want a Gen 5 project drive and can give it a cooled M.2 location.
At a glance
- Capacity
- 1TB2TB4TB8TB
- Interface
- PCIe 5.0 x4
- Form factor
- M.2 2280
- Sequential read
- Up to 10,000 MB/s
- Sequential write
- Up to 8,500 MB/s
Pros
- The low-profile spreader suits systems with their own M.2 cooling.
- Write endurance rises with capacity, from 600 TBW at 1 TB to 4,800 TBW at 8 TB.
Cons
- The thin spreader and an actively cooled test setup produced very different temperatures. 1
- An exact post-cache transfer rate for a partly full 2 TB drive was not established.
Cooling Performance
- 2 TB sample
- Graphene pad versus separate air cooler
Wccftech reported 89°C with the 2 TB sample’s graphene pad and 49°C with a separate air cooler in its comparison. Those figures describe the reviewer’s two installations. They do not establish that every case needs a fan, or tell us the write speed after the cache fills. They do give the owner of a cramped case a good reason to check airflow and monitor a long job. 1
Capacity & Installation
- 1–4 TB: graphene spreader
- 8 TB: AirFlow I active heatsink
The 1, 2 and 4 TB models measure 3.9 mm thick with their graphene spreaders. The 8 TB package includes an AirFlow I cooler that is 62.3 mm tall. Check the space below the graphics card or above the M.2 slot before ordering it. All four capacities share the same rated sequential speeds. The changes at 8 TB are the space for files, the write allowance and the cooling hardware.
Transfer Performance
- PCIe 5.0 ×4
- Up to 10,000 MB/s read
- Up to 8,500 MB/s write
The GA PRO’s rated sequential figures apply to all four capacities. If the only source is a USB drive or a gigabit network share, that device will usually set the pace of an ingest long before the GA PRO reaches its maximum. Copies between two fast internal drives give the Gen 5 interface more to do. The exact 2 TB cooling test tells you why the installation matters, but it cannot supply a dependable average for a long copy after the cache fills.
Endurance & Monitoring
- 600 TBW per TB
- Five-year limited warranty
- TEAM SMART TOOL
The 2 TB model carries a 1,200 TBW rating. Move to 4 TB and the allowance rises to 2,400 TBW, which can be more relevant to a scratch disk than either drive’s identical peak speed. TEAMGROUP ends coverage at the earlier of the time or write limit and uses its own SMART tool if software counters disagree. A workstation that rewrites project files daily can use the same counter to track how its normal workload compares with that allowance.
Alternatives
TEAMGROUP’s similarly named GC PRO and GE PRO are different drives. Someone comparing a GA PRO against an existing Gen 4 SSD should look at a copy long enough to exceed the fast cache, using a second device capable of supplying data at that speed.
Verdict
Buy the 2 TB GA PRO for a fast slot with a credible thermal path. Its form factor is useful and its peak rating is easy to understand. For a workflow dominated by extended writes, seek a matching sustained test before assuming how quickly the project will finish.
About this review
This is a research-based review. The Fasit has not physically tested this SSD.
Sources & Research
1 reference
Independent sources cited in this article.
- WccftechWccftech • TEAMGROUP T-FORCE GA PRO Gen5 2 TB review (opens in a new tab)https://wccftech.com/review/team-group-t-force-ga-pro-gen5-2-tb-nvme-ssd-review-tuned-specs-for-entry-level-gen5-builders/
2 TB TM8FFJ002T0C129; tested with graphene pad and separate air cooler; distinction from 8TB factory packaging.