# Team Group T-Force Cardea Ceramic C440 1TB NVMe Review (2026)

The Team Group T-Force Cardea Ceramic C440 1TB is a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD distinguished by its white ceramic composite heat spreader — an aerospace-inspired cooling solution for Phison E16 performance.

Quick answer: The Cardea Ceramic C440 1TB is a solid first-generation PCIe 4.0 drive with an unusual thermal solution and strong endurance. The ceramic heat spreader is both functional and aesthetic, keeping the drive cool while standing out visually in white-themed builds. Performance is on par with other E16 drives, meaning it trails the newer Phison E18 and Samsung Elpis generation in peak speeds and power efficiency. Builders who prioritize the white aesthetic and want a bundled cooling solution will find it a good match. For pure performance per dollar, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus or Samsung 980 Pro at 1TB are better alternatives.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 1 TB |
| Interface | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Phison PS5016-E16 |
| Memory type | Toshiba 3D TLC |
| DRAM cache | Hynix DDR4 |
| Sequential read | 5000 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 4400 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 750000 |
| Random write IOPS | 750000 |
| Endurance | 1800 TBW |
| MTBF | 1.7 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

Team Group rates the Cardea Ceramic C440 1TB at 5,000 MB/s sequential read and 4,400 MB/s sequential write with 750K random read/write IOPS. Tom's Hardware and StorageReview confirmed these numbers in synthetic benchmarks, with the drive performing on par with other Phison E16 drives like the Corsair MP600 and Sabrent Rocket 4.0.

The drive employs a dynamic SLC cache measuring roughly one-third of usable capacity (about 333 GB at 1TB). Within the cache, write performance holds at the rated 4,400 MB/s. Once the cache fills, sustained writes drop to approximately 1,500 MB/s in TLC direct mode. For gaming and general desktop use, the cache is generous enough that the drop-off is rarely encountered. The ceramic heat spreader keeps controller temperatures around 80 degrees Celsius under heavy sustained writes — cooler than many bare-drive E16 SSDs that can hit 85 degrees and throttle. Random 4K performance at low queue depths is comparable to other E16 drives and suitable for gaming and OS use.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

The 1TB model carries a 1,800 TBW endurance rating with a 5-year warranty. This is the same endurance level as other E16 drives using 96-layer TLC and is higher than what most E18-based drives offer at 1TB (typically 700 TBW). At 50 GB of writes per day, the 1,800 TBW rating translates to roughly 99 years. The MTBF is rated at 1.7 million hours. Team Group includes a case sticker and offers a basic SMART Tool utility for health monitoring and benchmarking, though it lacks the cloning and migration tools provided by Samsung and Crucial.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- 5,000 MB/s read, 4,400 MB/s write on PCIe 4.0
- Unique white ceramic heat spreader
- 1,800 TBW endurance exceeds most E18 drives
- 750K random read/write IOPS
- 5-year warranty
**Cons:**

- E16 controller surpassed by newer E18 generation
- Double-sided PCB limits laptop compatibility
- Blue PCB visible beneath white heat spreader
- No hardware encryption


## Verdict

The Cardea Ceramic C440 1TB is a solid first-generation PCIe 4.0 drive with an unusual thermal solution and strong endurance. The ceramic heat spreader is both functional and aesthetic, keeping the drive cool while standing out visually in white-themed builds. Performance is on par with other E16 drives, meaning it trails the newer Phison E18 and Samsung Elpis generation in peak speeds and power efficiency. Builders who prioritize the white aesthetic and want a bundled cooling solution will find it a good match. For pure performance per dollar, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus or Samsung 980 Pro at 1TB are better alternatives.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the Team Group Cardea Ceramic C440 1TB good for gaming?

Yes. With 5,000 MB/s reads and 750K IOPS, the C440 1TB handles game loading, DirectStorage, and OS responsiveness well. Independent reviews show game load times identical to other Phison E16 drives like the Corsair MP600. The ceramic heat spreader keeps temperatures well below throttling during extended gaming sessions. The 1TB capacity holds the OS plus 8 to 15 modern AAA titles.

### Is the Cardea Ceramic C440 compatible with PS5?

The bare drive meets the PS5's PCIe 4.0 NVMe requirement and exceeds the 5,500 MB/s read speed recommendation at 5,000 MB/s (slightly below the recommended threshold). The ceramic heat spreader is thin enough at roughly 5 mm total height to potentially fit under the PS5's M.2 cover, but users should measure clearance carefully. Sony does not officially list this model. Removing the ceramic spreader and using a PS5-approved heatsink is the safer approach.

### What is the TBW endurance of the Cardea Ceramic C440 1TB?

The C440 1TB is rated for 1,800 TBW (terabytes written) with a 5-year warranty. At a typical consumer write workload of 30 GB per day, the drive would take roughly 164 years to reach its endurance limit. This is notably higher than newer Phison E18-based drives at 1TB, which typically offer 700 TBW. The higher endurance is due to the E16 platform's lower operating speeds and the Kioxia 96L TLC flash characteristics.

### How does the ceramic heat spreader compare to aluminum heatsinks?

Independent testing from Tom's Hardware found the ceramic heat spreader kept controller temperatures around 80 degrees Celsius under heavy write loads, compared to 85 degrees on bare E16 drives and similar temperatures on drives with aluminum heatsinks. The ceramic material's thermal properties provide effective heat dissipation in a thinner profile than most finned aluminum designs. The practical advantage is that the thinner profile fits under more motherboard M.2 heatsinks.

### Does the Cardea Ceramic C440 have DRAM cache?

Yes. The 1TB model includes 1 GB of SK Hynix DDR4 DRAM split across two 512 MB packages, one on each side of the PCB. This is a full DRAM buffer for the flash translation layer, ensuring consistent random performance. The drive also uses a dynamic SLC cache of roughly 333 GB at 1TB capacity for burst write acceleration.

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Last updated: 2026-06-05. Source: https://ssdrive.net/team-group-cardea-ceramic-c440-1-tb