# GOODRAM IRDM Pro Gen 5 4TB PCIe 5.0 NVMe Review (2026)

The GOODRAM IRDM Pro Gen 5 4 TB is the top capacity of Wilk Elektronik's flagship PCIe 5.0 line, combining 12,000 MB/s reads with a 3,000 TBW endurance rating and a 5-year warranty.

Quick answer: The GOODRAM IRDM Pro Gen 5 4 TB is the right pick for a PCIe 5.0-capable desktop owner who wants a single high-capacity drive for OS, game library, and working files without splitting storage across multiple SSDs, and who values the 3,000 TBW endurance rating for years of write-heavy use. Skip it if you are on a PCIe 4.0-only board (the drive runs but you waste the Gen5 premium), if you need a single-sided stick for a laptop or tight PS5 bay, or if your workload is read-mostly and you would not notice the difference from a cheaper 2 TB part. The direct alternative is the Crucial T705 family, which pushes the same E26 platform slightly harder on write speed and ships in a heatsink variant, though the 4 TB Crucial capacity commands a significant price premium. As a maximum-capacity, maximum-endurance Gen5 part with Micron 232-layer TLC and Graphreeze cooling, the IRDM Pro Gen 5 4 TB is the content-creator-leaning top of GOODRAM's lineup.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 4 TB |
| Interface | M.2 5.0 |
| Controller | Phison PS5026-E26 8 Channel |
| Memory type | Micron 232-L |
| DRAM cache | Yes |
| Sequential read | 12000 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 11000 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 1400000 |
| Random write IOPS | 1400000 |
| Endurance | 3000 TBW |
| MTBF | 1600000 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

On the 4 TB capacity GOODRAM rates the IRDM Pro Gen 5 for 12,000 MB/s sequential read and 11,000 MB/s sequential write over its PCIe 5.0 x4 link, with random performance quoted at up to 1,400,000 read IOPS and 1,400,000 write IOPS. These are the same numbers GOODRAM quotes on the 2 TB and they sit at the practical ceiling for a Phison E26 drive on Micron 232-layer TLC; the 4 TB's advantage over the 2 TB is endurance and sustained-write behaviour rather than headline throughput. In real terms, 12,000 MB/s sequential read is roughly double what the fastest PCIe 4.0 parts deliver, which matters most for moving very large files, capturing multi-stream 4K or 8K video to a scratch disk, and for DirectStorage-enabled games that can stream assets directly to the GPU.

As with every E26 drive, the headline sequential figures are burst numbers measured against the pseudo-SLC cache in a fresh-out-of-box state. Once the cache fills (its size scales with free space and is not published by GOODRAM), writes drop to the native TLC rate; on the 4 TB that native rate is the strongest in the family because there are more NAND dies to interleave, which is the real reason to step up from the 2 TB for write-heavy workflows. Independent reviews of E26 drives on this Micron NAND consistently find the platform hits its rated peak on reads in CrystalDiskMark-style benchmarks, but that real-world game load times and OS responsiveness are nearly indistinguishable from a good PCIe 4.0 drive. The 4 TB's value is in capacity plus sustained behaviour under load, not in measurably faster boot times.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

GOODRAM rates the 4 TB IRDM Pro Gen 5 at 3,000 TBW (Terabytes Written) over the lifetime of the drive and backs it with a 5-year limited warranty, whichever comes first. The 3,000 TBW figure scales linearly with capacity across the family (700 TBW on the 1 TB, 1,400 TBW on the 2 TB, 3,000 TBW on the 4 TB) and reflects the 3,000 P/E-cycle endurance rating of the underlying Micron 232-layer TLC. In practical use, 3,000 TBW allows roughly 1.64 TB of writes every single day for the full five-year warranty term, which is well beyond what even a heavy video-editing or database workload generates. A rig writing 500 GB of footage a day would take around 16 years to exhaust the endurance rating, so for the 4 TB capacity the warranty term rather than the TBW is the binding constraint. GOODRAM (Wilk Elektronik SA, based in Poland) services the warranty through its European distribution network; buyers outside the EU should confirm RMA handling with the retailer. The drive's rated MTBF is 1.6 million hours, consistent with other Phison E26 drives on the same Micron NAND.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- 3,000 TBW endurance at 4 TB
- Full 12,000 MB/s read and 11,000 MB/s write
- 1.4M random read and write IOPS
- Phison E26 with 4 GB LPDDR4 DRAM
- Micron 232-layer TLC NAND
- 5-year limited warranty
**Cons:**

- Premium price per gigabyte at 4 TB
- No metal heatsink included
- Double-sided PCB limits laptop fitment
- Phison E26 runs hot under sustained load
- Write speed drops once SLC cache fills


## Verdict

The GOODRAM IRDM Pro Gen 5 4 TB is the right pick for a PCIe 5.0-capable desktop owner who wants a single high-capacity drive for OS, game library, and working files without splitting storage across multiple SSDs, and who values the 3,000 TBW endurance rating for years of write-heavy use. Skip it if you are on a PCIe 4.0-only board (the drive runs but you waste the Gen5 premium), if you need a single-sided stick for a laptop or tight PS5 bay, or if your workload is read-mostly and you would not notice the difference from a cheaper 2 TB part. The direct alternative is the Crucial T705 family, which pushes the same E26 platform slightly harder on write speed and ships in a heatsink variant, though the 4 TB Crucial capacity commands a significant price premium. As a maximum-capacity, maximum-endurance Gen5 part with Micron 232-layer TLC and Graphreeze cooling, the IRDM Pro Gen 5 4 TB is the content-creator-leaning top of GOODRAM's lineup.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the GOODRAM IRDM Pro Gen 5 4TB good for gaming?

Yes, and 4 TB is enough for an entire game library alongside the OS without juggling installs. The 12,000 MB/s sequential read and 1,400,000 random read IOPS are well above what current DirectX 12 titles actually demand, and GOODRAM explicitly lists DirectStorage compatibility for next-gen titles that stream assets straight to the GPU. The realistic caveat is that for today's game-load benchmarks the difference between this drive and a good PCIe 4.0 part is small; the Gen5 headroom pays off more in large-file work and in future DirectStorage titles that push the SSD harder.

### Is the GOODRAM IRDM Pro Gen 5 4TB compatible with the PS5?

It meets Sony's published read-speed requirement comfortably at 12,000 MB/s versus the 5,500 MB/s minimum, but two caveats apply before installing one in a PS5. GOODRAM does not include a metal heatsink, and the graphene Graphreeze coating alone does not satisfy Sony's heatsink requirement, so you must add a low-profile Gen5 heatsink. The drive is also a double-sided M.2 2280 PCB, which can foul PS5 slots that expect a single-sided stick; verify physical clearance under the bay cover before fitting, since 4 TB double-sided drives are among the tallest modules.

### Does the IRDM Pro Gen 5 4TB have a DRAM cache?

Yes. The 4 TB variant uses a 4 GB LPDDR4 DRAM buffer alongside the Phison PS5026-E26 controller to hold the flash translation layer, the same DRAM sizing GOODRAM uses on the 2 TB. A dedicated DRAM cache matters for consistent random I/O, metadata lookups across the larger address space of a 4 TB part, and keeping write amplification in check. This is one of the features that separates a flagship Gen5 drive from cheaper DRAM-less HMB designs that rely on host memory.

### What is the TBW endurance of the IRDM Pro Gen 5 4TB?

GOODRAM rates the 4 TB IRDM Pro Gen 5 at 3,000 TBW (Terabytes Written) over its lifetime, confirmed by the manufacturer product page. The figure scales linearly with capacity across the family: 700 TBW on the 1 TB, 1,400 TBW on the 2 TB, and 3,000 TBW on the 4 TB, reflecting the 3,000 P/E-cycle endurance of the underlying Micron 232-layer TLC. In practical terms, 3,000 TBW allows roughly 1.64 TB of writes every day for the full 5-year warranty period, so for any realistic gaming or content-creation workload the warranty term rather than the endurance rating is the binding constraint.

### Does the IRDM Pro Gen 5 4TB need a heatsink?

It needs active cooling beyond the graphene layer. GOODRAM ships the drive with its Graphreeze graphene coating rather than a metal heatsink, and on a Phison E26 part pulling 8 to 11 W under sustained writes that coating alone is not enough to prevent thermal throttling. On a desktop with a motherboard that has its own integrated M.2 heatsink you are covered; otherwise add a third-party Gen5-rated heatsink that can handle the higher power draw of the 4 TB capacity. A heatsink is mandatory in a PS5, where Sony explicitly requires one.

### How does the IRDM Pro Gen 5 4TB compare to the Crucial T705?

Both drives sit on the same Phison PS5026-E26 platform with Micron 232-layer TLC, so the core architecture is closely matched. The Crucial T705 family is rated marginally higher on sequential write at up to 12,600 MB/s versus 11,000 MB/s on the IRDM Pro Gen 5, and Crucial offers a factory-fitted heatsink variant. The GOODRAM counters with its Graphreeze graphene coating, a 5-year warranty serviced through Wilk Elektronik's European network, and typically keener pricing in EU retail. For sustained writes the T705 has a slight edge; for EU warranty support and value the GOODRAM is the stronger pick.

### Is the IRDM Pro Gen 5 4TB good for video editing and DaVinci Resolve?

Yes, this is the capacity class that makes the most sense for a working video editor. The 12,000 MB/s read and 11,000 MB/s write ratings are excellent for scrubbing multi-stream 4K and 8K footage, hosting a Resolve media cache, and exporting to a scratch disk, and the 3,000 TBW endurance absorbs many years of heavy write traffic without concern. The realistic caveat is that the 11,000 MB/s write is a burst figure against the pseudo-SLC cache; on long render-and-export sessions the drive eventually settles to the native TLC rate. The 4 TB's larger die count holds that native rate better than the smaller capacities.

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Last updated: 2026-06-21. Source: https://ssdrive.net/goodram-irdm-pro-gen-5-4-tb