Zadak Spark 2TB — PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD Review
The Zadak Spark 2 TB is a Phison E12-based PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive from the Apacer sub-brand, delivering proven Gen3 throughput with SK Hynix DRAM and Micron TLC in a boutique-designed package.
The Spark is part of Zadak's value-oriented lineup, positioned below the TWSG4S flagship. It uses the Phison PS5012-E12, the same eight-channel PCIe 3.0 x4 controller found in the Sabrent Rocket and Corsair MP510, paired with Micron 96-layer 3D TLC NAND and 1 GB of SK Hynix DDR4-2400 DRAM. The E12 platform is a mature, well-understood design — its firmware has been refined across dozens of OEM implementations over multiple years, and it remains the benchmark for DRAM-equipped Gen3 performance.
The 2 TB variant sits at the top of the Spark lineup, delivering 3,400 MB/s sequential reads and 3,000 MB/s sequential writes with 604 TBW endurance. The TBW figure is notably lower than the 1,200–1,600 TBW typical of 2 TB E12 drives from Sabrent and Silicon Power, suggesting Zadak set a more conservative warranty ceiling. The drive uses a single-sided M.2 2280 PCB with a compact aluminium heat spreader — a simpler design than the elaborate liquid-cooling aesthetic of the TWSG4S, but functional and compatible with thin laptops.
In the 2 TB PCIe 3.0 segment, the Spark competes against the Samsung 970 EVO Plus, WD Black SN750, and other E12 reference drives. The 2 TB capacity is increasingly rare in the Gen3 market as manufacturers shift Gen4 for higher capacities, making the Spark one of the few remaining options for buyers who want a large, DRAM-equipped Gen3 drive for a legacy platform or external enclosure.
✅ Storage Comparisons:
🚀 Performance and benchmarks
Rated at 3,400 MB/s sequential reads and 3,000 MB/s sequential writes, the 2 TB Spark delivers the full Phison E12 performance envelope. The eight-channel controller and 2 TB of Micron TLC ensure consistent throughput across the entire capacity range, with the large pseudo-SLC cache absorbing 100+ GB of burst writes before transitioning to native TLC speeds around 600–800 MB/s.
Zadak Spark 2 TB vs M.2 3.0 x 4 peers
Switch between sequential throughput and random IOPS to see how this drive stacks up against other M.2 3.0 x 4 SSDs in our database. The highlighted bar is the drive on this page — click any other bar to open that drive.
- ADATA SX 8800 Pro 512 GB: 3,500 MB/s read, 2,700 MB/s write
- ADATA SX 8800 Pro 1 TB: 3,500 MB/s read, 2,700 MB/s write
- ADATA XPG Spectrix S40G RGB 256 GB: 3,500 MB/s read, 3,000 MB/s write
- ADATA XPG Spectrix S40G RGB 512 GB: 3,500 MB/s read, 3,000 MB/s write
- Zadak Spark 2 TB (this drive): 3,400 MB/s read, 3,000 MB/s write
For gaming on a PCIe 3.0 platform, the Spark delivers load times indistinguishable from any other Gen3 NVMe drive. The 2 TB capacity is the real asset — enough space for a substantial game library without juggling installs. In an external USB 3.2 Gen2x2 enclosure, the Spark's 3,400 MB/s reads exceed the 2,000 MB/s enclosure limit, making it a fast external SSD that will not bottleneck on the drive side. For content creators working with large media files on a Gen3 workstation, the sustained TLC write speeds and DRAM-equipped consistency make the Spark a viable scratch drive.
🖥️ Endurance and warranty
Zadak covers the Spark 2 TB with a five-year warranty, bounded by a 604 TBW endurance rating. At 30 GB/day, this endurance budget spans roughly 55 years. The 302-TBW-per-terabyte ratio is conservative for a Phison E12 TLC drive — competing implementations at 2 TB often carry 1,200 TBW or higher — and likely reflects Zadak's warranty policy rather than a physical NAND limitation. The 1 TB Spark carries 302 TBW. Warranty service operates through Zadak's support channel, which as a boutique brand has smaller RMA infrastructure than tier-one vendors.
📊 Specs
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity [?] | 2 TB |
| Interface [?] | M.2 3.0 x 4 |
| Controller [?] | Phison PS5012-E12 |
| Memory type [?] | Micron 3D TLC |
| DRAM [?] | SK Hynix 1GB DDR4-2400 |
| Read speed (MB/s) [?] | 3400 |
| Write speed (MB/s) [?] | 3000 |
| Read IOPS [?] | 560000 |
| Write IOPS [?] | 560000 |
| Endurance (TBW) [?] | 604 |
| MTBF (million hours) [?] | 1.8 |
| Warranty (years) [?] | 5 |
Conclusion
The Zadak Spark 2 TB is a solidly competent Phison E12 drive wearing a boutique heatsink. Its 3,400 MB/s reads and DRAM-equipped design make it a fast, reliable 2 TB option for PCIe 3.0 systems, and the single-sided PCB keeps laptop compatibility open. The conservative 604 TBW endurance rating and boutique-brand warranty infrastructure are the trade-offs versus a Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2 TB or WD Black SN750 2 TB, both of which offer higher endurance and broader RMA support. Buy the Spark if you find it at a meaningful discount to the tier-one alternatives and value the unique aesthetic — otherwise the Samsung or WD options are the safer long-term bets.
+ Pros
- 3,400 MB/s reads — saturating PCIe 3.0 x4
- Phison E12 with SK Hynix DDR4 DRAM — no HMB compromises
- 2 TB single-sided M.2 2280 — fits thin laptops
- Micron 96L TLC NAND — consistent sustained write performance
- 5-year warranty from the Apacer premium sub-brand
- Cons
- 604 TBW endurance is conservative vs 1,200+ TBW on competing E12 2 TB drives
- Boutique brand — limited retail availability and RMA reach
- PCIe 3.0 ceiling — Gen4 drives offer double the peak reads
- No hardware encryption support on E12 consumer firmware
🛒 Buy this or similar SSD Storage:
✨ Video Review
✅ZADAK SPARK PCIe GEN 3X4 M.2 RGB 1TB SSD Review
