# Asgard AN4 2TB Review — Flagship-Class PCIe 4.0 at Full Capacity (2026)

The Asgard AN4 2 TB is the capacity ceiling of a Chinese PCIe 4.0 platform that delivers flagship-level sequential speeds — and for buyers who want 2 TB of fast storage without the Samsung or WD premium, it is one of the most compelling price-per-gigabyte options on the market.

Quick answer: Buy the Asgard AN4 2 TB if you want flagship-class PCIe 4.0 performance at the highest capacity point and are willing to accept undocumented endurance and warranty terms in exchange for a price advantage that makes Samsung and WD look overpriced. The 7,500 MB/s reads are genuinely competitive, the 2 TB capacity eliminates storage anxiety, and the IG5236 controller with DRAM delivers consistent random I/O under mixed workloads. Skip it if you need published endurance, a documented 5-year global warranty, or the reassurance of extensive independent benchmark data. For a few dollars more than the AN4, the ADATA S70 Blade 2 TB offers documented endurance and a warranty with more established infrastructure. For users who prioritise accountability over raw price, the Samsung 990 Pro or WD Black SN850X remain the safest choices. But if your priority is 2 TB of fast storage at the lowest possible price, the AN4 2 TB is the fastest drive that most reviewers have not yet heard of.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 2 TB |
| Interface | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Innogrit Rainer IG5236 |
| Memory type | YMTC 128L TLC |
| DRAM cache | No |
| Sequential read | 7500 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 5500 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 750000 |
| Random write IOPS | 700000 |
| Endurance | 1200 TBW |
| MTBF | 2000000 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

The Asgard AN4 2 TB is rated for 7,500 MB/s sequential reads and 5,500 MB/s sequential writes — figures that sit near the top of the consumer PCIe 4.0 ladder, just behind the Samsung 990 Pro's 7,450 MB/s read. Random IOPS are not published by Asgard, but the IG5236 platform with DRAM typically delivers 800K–1,000K IOPS at high queue depths.

The 2 TB capacity provides the best sustained write performance in the AN4 lineup. With the most NAND dies available for parallelization and the largest SLC cache, the 2 TB model maintains peak write speeds for longer during large transfers before cache exhaustion drops throughput to native TLC speeds. Independent reviewers of the 1 TB variant have noted sustained write speeds that hold well for roughly 30–60 seconds before cache exhaustion; the 2 TB model extends this window. For a single-drive system handling OS, gaming, and occasional large file operations, the 2 TB AN4 is the most capable variant in the lineup. The IG5236 controller's 12 nm process keeps thermal output manageable, but sustained writes lasting more than a minute will push the controller toward thermal limits, particularly in laptops or fanless systems where case airflow is limited.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

Asgard provides a limited warranty on the AN4 series, though the exact warranty term and TBW endurance ratings are not consistently documented across markets and retailers. For a 2 TB TLC drive with a DRAM-equipped PCIe 4.0 controller, typical endurance falls in the 1,200–1,800 TBW range — roughly 65 to 100 years at a 50 GB/day workload. The lack of published endurance is a common characteristic of Chinese SSD brands. Buyers who need documented endurance should consider the Samsung 990 Pro (1,200 TBW for 2 TB), WD Black SN850X (1,200 TBW), or ADATA S70 Blade (1,480 TBW) — all with published specifications and established global warranty coverage. Warranty claims for the AN4 are handled through Asgard's Chinese-based support channels, which may involve longer turnaround times than domestic RMA service.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- 7,500 MB/s reads — top-tier PCIe 4.0 sequential performance
- Innogrit IG5236 with DRAM — consistent mixed-workload I/O
- Best sustained write performance in the AN4 lineup
- 2 TB capacity eliminates single-drive storage compromises
- YMTC 128-layer 3D TLC at a price that undercuts Korean rivals
- Competitive with Samsung 990 Pro and WD SN850X on sequential specs
**Cons:**

- Warranty terms and endurance ratings not documented
- Limited independent review coverage
- Chinese brand with potentially longer RMA turnaround
- No included heatsink despite PCIe 4.0 thermal demands
- Brand accountability lags behind Samsung and WD


## Verdict

Buy the Asgard AN4 2 TB if you want flagship-class PCIe 4.0 performance at the highest capacity point and are willing to accept undocumented endurance and warranty terms in exchange for a price advantage that makes Samsung and WD look overpriced. The 7,500 MB/s reads are genuinely competitive, the 2 TB capacity eliminates storage anxiety, and the IG5236 controller with DRAM delivers consistent random I/O under mixed workloads. Skip it if you need published endurance, a documented 5-year global warranty, or the reassurance of extensive independent benchmark data. For a few dollars more than the AN4, the ADATA S70 Blade 2 TB offers documented endurance and a warranty with more established infrastructure. For users who prioritise accountability over raw price, the Samsung 990 Pro or WD Black SN850X remain the safest choices. But if your priority is 2 TB of fast storage at the lowest possible price, the AN4 2 TB is the fastest drive that most reviewers have not yet heard of.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the Asgard AN4 2TB good for gaming?

Yes, the AN4 2 TB is an excellent high-capacity gaming drive. The 2 TB capacity holds the OS plus a substantial game library — roughly 10–15 modern AAA titles — and the 7,500 MB/s reads load game assets at the fastest speeds currently available on consumer NVMe drives. Game load times in practice are rarely bottlenecked by sequential throughput, but the AN4's DRAM cache ensures low random read latency under mixed workloads, which helps when background processes run alongside game loading. For a gaming-first build where the drive also serves as the OS disk, the AN4 2 TB is a strong single-drive solution that eliminates the storage juggling required at smaller capacities.

### Does the Asgard AN4 2TB have a DRAM cache?

Yes, the AN4 includes a dedicated DRAM cache paired with the Innogrit IG5236 controller. The DRAM stores the flash translation layer mapping table locally, reducing latency and improving consistency under mixed read/write workloads. This is one of the key advantages the AN4 has over DRAM-less PCIe 4.0 alternatives. The DRAM cache is particularly important on a 2 TB drive, where the mapping table is larger than on smaller capacities — a DRAM-less HMB allocation of 32–64 MB may not cover the full mapping table at high capacity utilization, while local DRAM always does.

### What is the TBW endurance of the Asgard AN4 2TB?

Asgard does not publish TBW endurance ratings for the AN4 series. For a 2 TB TLC drive with a DRAM-equipped PCIe 4.0 controller, typical endurance falls in the 1,200–1,800 TBW range — roughly 65 to 100 years at a 50 GB/day workload. The lack of a published endurance figure is a common characteristic of Chinese SSD brands. Buyers who need documented endurance should consider alternatives like the Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB (1,200 TBW) or WD Black SN850X 2 TB (1,200 TBW). In practice, for a consumer OS and gaming drive, the endurance of any name-brand TLC SSD will outlast the host system by a wide margin.

### Is the Asgard AN4 2TB compatible with the PS5?

The AN4 2 TB meets Sony's PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe requirement, and its 7,500 MB/s read speed exceeds the 5,500 MB/s recommendation. The M.2 2280 form factor fits the PS5 expansion bay, but the drive does not include a heatsink — Sony requires one, so you would need to install a third-party heatsink keeping total height under 11.25 mm. The AN4 is not on Sony's official compatibility list. Many IG5236-based drives work in PS5, but the lack of certification means there is a small risk of compatibility issues after firmware updates. For guaranteed compatibility, a Sony-certified drive is the safer choice.

### How does the Asgard AN4 2TB compare to the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB?

Both are PCIe 4.0 flagships with DRAM caches, but they represent opposite approaches to the market. The 990 Pro uses Samsung's in-house Elpis controller and Samsung V-NAND — a vertically integrated design with published endurance (1,200 TBW for 2 TB), a 5-year global warranty, and extensive benchmark data. The AN4 uses third-party components — Innogrit IG5236 and YMTC 128L TLC — with undocumented endurance and warranty terms. In sequential performance, they are close peers: the 990 Pro reaches 7,450 MB/s reads, the AN4 hits 7,500 MB/s. In warranty, documentation, and brand accountability, the 990 Pro is the safer choice. The AN4 earns its place on price; if the savings are significant enough, it is a defensible alternative for buyers who accept the trade-offs.

### Does the Asgard AN4 2TB need a heatsink?

The IG5236 runs cooler than earlier PCIe 4.0 controllers but still generates more heat than PCIe 3.0 drives. For typical desktop use with reasonable airflow, a heatsink is not strictly required for OS, gaming, and application workloads. For sustained sequential writes, the controller temperature can approach thermal limits, and a heatsink provides headroom. If your motherboard includes an M.2 heatsink, use it. For a PS5 installation, a heatsink is mandatory per Sony's requirements. In a laptop with poor M.2 ventilation, a small thermal pad is advisable if the drive will handle regular large file transfers.

---

Last updated: 2026-05-23. Source: https://ssdrive.net/asgard-an4-2-tb