# Team Group Cardea Ceramic A440 2TB SSD — In-Depth Review & Specs (2026)

The Team Group Cardea Ceramic A440 2TB is the high-capacity flagship of Team Group's second-generation PCIe 4.0 lineup. Built on the Phison PS5018-E18 controller — a 12nm, 8-channel design — and paired with Micron's cutting-edge 176-layer TLC NAND and 2 GB of SK Hynix DDR4 DRAM, the 2TB A440 delivers 7,000 MB/s sequential reads, 6,900 MB/s writes, and an impressive 1,400 TBW endurance rating. It is a genuine all-in-one storage solution: fast enough for 4K video editing, spacious enough for a full game library, and durable enough to outlast any consumer PC build.

Quick answer: The Team Group Cardea Ceramic A440 2TB is a complete package: Gen4-maxing sequential performance, best-in-class post-cache write speeds courtesy of Micron's 176L TLC, a generous 1,400 TBW endurance rating, and a distinctive white aesthetic — all backed by a 5-year global warranty. It competes directly with the Samsung 980 PRO 2TB, WD Black SN850 2TB, and Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB, and it undercuts most of them on price while delivering equivalent real-world performance. If you need a single 2TB drive that can handle everything from OS boot to 4K video scrubbing to a massive Steam library without compromise, the A440 is one of the best-value options in the high-end Gen4 segment.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 2 TB |
| Interface | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Phison PS5018-E18 |
| Memory type | Micron 176L TLC |
| DRAM cache | SK Hynix 2GB DDR4 |
| Sequential read | 7000 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 6900 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 650000 |
| Random write IOPS | 700000 |
| Endurance | 1400 TBW |
| MTBF | 3 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

In sequential benchmarks, the 2TB A440 delivers the expected E18 numbers: 7,000 MB/s read and 6,900 MB/s write in CrystalDiskMark. Real-world large-file copies on a PCIe 4.0 platform land around 6,500–6,700 MB/s read and 6,300–6,500 MB/s write — essentially as fast as the Gen4 interface allows. The 2TB model's advantage over the 1TB version is most apparent in sustained write throughput: the SLC cache extends to roughly 400–500 GB before writes drop to native TLC mode, and even then post-cache speeds of 1,500–1,700 MB/s are faster than most Gen3 drives at their peak.

Random performance hits approximately 1,000,000 IOPS read and write, placing the A440 2TB in the top tier of Gen4 SSDs. In PCMark 10 and SPEC workstation storage benchmarks, it trades the top spot with the Samsung 980 PRO, WD Black SN850, and Seagate FireCuda 530 depending on the specific workload trace. For gaming, the drive is indistinguishable from any other high-end NVMe SSD — game load times are dominated by CPU and engine decompression, not storage bandwidth. The 12nm E18 controller is notably power-efficient for its performance class, peaking at around 8 W under full load and idling below 1 W. Thermal performance with the aluminum heat spreader keeps the controller in the 60–65°C range under sustained writes, well clear of throttling territory.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

Team Group provides a 5-year limited warranty on the Cardea A440 2TB, subject to the 1,400 TBW endurance limit. Warranty service is handled through Team Group's regional centers in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Register the drive online after purchase to facilitate any future RMA process.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- 7,000/6,900 MB/s — near the Gen4 interface ceiling
- Micron 176L TLC delivers exceptional post-cache write speeds
- 1,400 TBW endurance — twice the 1TB rating
- Single-sided 2TB design fits thin laptops
- 12nm E18 controller runs cool and power-efficient
**Cons:**

- No hardware encryption
- White PCB may not match all system builds
- Slightly behind Samsung 980 PRO in random read latency
- Included heatsink may not fit all M.2 slot layouts
- Not the cheapest E18 2TB option on the market


## Verdict

The Team Group Cardea Ceramic A440 2TB is a complete package: Gen4-maxing sequential performance, best-in-class post-cache write speeds courtesy of Micron's 176L TLC, a generous 1,400 TBW endurance rating, and a distinctive white aesthetic — all backed by a 5-year global warranty. It competes directly with the Samsung 980 PRO 2TB, WD Black SN850 2TB, and Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB, and it undercuts most of them on price while delivering equivalent real-world performance. If you need a single 2TB drive that can handle everything from OS boot to 4K video scrubbing to a massive Steam library without compromise, the A440 is one of the best-value options in the high-end Gen4 segment.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the 2TB A440 suitable for a PS5?

Absolutely. The A440 2TB exceeds the PS5's 5,500 MB/s requirement and the 2 TB capacity provides ample room for a large game library without the constant juggling that a 1TB or smaller drive requires. The included aluminum heat spreader fits the PS5's M.2 bay with room to spare.

### How does endurance compare to the Samsung 980 PRO 2TB?

The A440 2TB is rated at 1,400 TBW versus the 980 PRO 2TB's 1,200 TBW — a 17% advantage for the Team Group drive. Both figures are far beyond what any consumer will write in 5 years, but the higher rating gives the A440 an edge for write-heavy creative workflows.

### Is the drive double-sided?

No. Despite the 2 TB capacity, the A440 uses high-density Micron 176L NAND packages that allow all components to fit on a single side of the PCB. This ensures compatibility with thin-and-light laptops that cannot physically accommodate double-sided M.2 drives.

### Does it work in a PCIe 3.0 system?

Yes, the drive is fully backward-compatible. In a PCIe 3.0 slot, sequential speeds are capped at about 3,500 MB/s, but random I/O — which is what makes an SSD feel fast — is largely unaffected. You will need a PCIe 4.0-capable CPU and motherboard to see the full 7,000 MB/s potential.

### What is the difference between the standard and graphene versions?

The internal hardware is identical. The standard version includes an aluminum heat spreader that provides slightly better sustained cooling. The graphene version uses a thinner copper-graphene sticker that prioritizes compatibility with tight M.2 slot clearances. Choose based on your system's physical constraints rather than performance expectations.

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Last updated: 2026-06-05. Source: https://ssdrive.net/team-group-cardea-ceramic-a440-2-tb