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The TeamGroup MP44Q (begins at $69.99 for 1TB; $129.99 for 2TB as examined) does very properly as a funds inner solid-state drive (SSD). It’s competitively priced and holds its personal in our efficiency benchmarks in opposition to a set of drives with comparable rated speeds, a lot of which price considerably extra. The MP44Q additionally has a surprisingly good sturdiness score for a QLC-based drive. Though it lacks the backup software program and safety features principally present in higher-priced drives, in addition to a full-fledged heatsink, this Editors’ Alternative-winning funds SSD is a wonderful worth amongst PCI Specific (PCIe) 4.0 drives.Design: Surprisingly Sturdy QLC MemoryThis SSD is constructed within the M.2 Kind-2280 “gumstick” type issue widespread amongst at this time’s inner SSDs. It employs the NVMe 1.4 protocol over its PCIe 4.0 bus. (Baffled by a few of these phrases? Try our glossary of SSD terminology.)The MP44Q is a four-lane PCI Specific (PCIe) 4.0 drive, using YMTC 232-layer quad-level cell (QLC) 3D NAND flash reminiscence and a MaxioTech MAP1602A Falcon Lite controller. Maxio makes a speciality of making controllers that lack a dynamic random-access reminiscence (DRAM) cache. DRAM-less SSDs such because the MP44Q make the most of the pc’s personal reminiscence (host reminiscence buffer, or HMB) as an alternative. Each the DRAM-less structure and QLC NAND assist hold the MP44Q’s worth down.
To assist cool the drive, the MP44Q is provided with a graphene heat-spreader sticker affixed to the highest. TeamGroup promotes this as an enhancement to the warmth dissipation of a motherboard’s personal heatsink reasonably than an alternative choice to a heatsink, although. It would be best to get a third-party cooler in case your motherboard would not have an SSD heatsink over the M.2 slot you imply to make use of. When geared up with a compact (that’s, low-profile) heatsink, it ought to match the spare M.2 slot in a Sony PlayStation 5—it simply meets Sony’s necessities for a PS5-friendly SSD. (Simply ensure that the drive with heatsink hooked up would not exceed the 11.25mm most peak to slot in the PS5’s case.)
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
The MP44Q is competitively priced, itemizing at very comparable costs to the TeamGroup MP44 for the capacities they share; the MP44 additionally is available in an 8TB stick, which is almost double the fee per gigabyte of the smaller capacities.
Stable-state drives based mostly on QLC NAND flash reminiscence are usually much less sturdy for heavy write exercise than both TLC or MLC drives, as indicated by decrease terabytes written (TBW) scores. The MP44Q is a welcome exception to this pattern, with a lot better sturdiness than most QLC SSDs. For instance, the Sabrent Rocket This autumn is rated at 200TBW for its 1TB mannequin, 400TBW for 2TB, and 800TBW for 4TB. The Essential P310 is rated at 220TBW for 1TB and 440TBW for 2TB, whereas the Corsair MP600 Core XT’s scores are 250TBW for 1TB, 450TBW for 2TB, and 900TBW for 4TB. Sturdiness scores for TLC drives are a lot greater; the ADATA Legend 850, as an illustration, is rated at 1,000TBW (1TB) and a couple of,000TBW (2TB), and TeamGroup’s TLC-based MP44 is rated at 1,450TBW for 1TB, 2,500TBW for 2TB, 3,000 for 4TB, and 6,000TBW for its 8TB stick.The terabytes-written spec is a producer’s estimate of how a lot knowledge could be written to a drive earlier than some cells start to fail and get taken out of service. TeamGroup covers the MP44Q with 5 years of guarantee or till you hit the rated TBW determine in knowledge writes, whichever comes first.Testing the MP44Q: Distinctive Outcomes for a Low-Priced SSDWe check PCIe 4.0 inner SSDs utilizing a desktop testbed with an MSI X570 motherboard and AMD Ryzen CPU, 16GB of Corsair Dominator DDR4 reminiscence clocked to three,600MHz, and a discrete Nvidia GeForce graphics card.We put the MP44Q via our normal suite of solid-state drive benchmarks, comprising Crystal DiskMark 6.0, PCMark 10 Storage, and 3DMark Storage. Crystal DiskMark’s sequential velocity exams present a standard measure of drive throughput, simulating best-case, straight-line transfers of huge information. As comparability drives, we included different PCI Specific 4 SSDs with elite throughput speeds just like that of the MP44Q and added the Samsung SSD 990 EVO, our earlier general funds PCIe 4.0 SSD champ.
In Crystal DiskMark’s throughput testing, the MP44Q successfully matched its rated sequential learn and write speeds. Crystal DiskMark’s 4K learn check measures how lengthy it takes to entry a gaggle of information in 4K cluster sizes. The MP44Q’s learn rating on this check was close to the highest of a slim vary of scores tallied by our group of comparability drives, and its 4K write rating was in the midst of the pack. Notably, the MP44Q’s 4K write rating was significantly higher than that of the MP44, which is actually the identical drive besides that it employs triple-level-cell (TLC) NAND flash reminiscence as an alternative of QLC. Good 4K write efficiency is very necessary for an SSD used as a boot drive. (Be aware: We check inner SSDs put in as secondary knowledge drives.)The PCMark 10 General Storage check measures a drive’s velocity in performing numerous routine duties corresponding to launching Home windows, loading video games and inventive functions, and copying each small and enormous information. The MP44Q turned in a median General Storage Take a look at rating amongst our comparability group.
The MP44Q turned in strong leads to the person PCMark traces, that are simulated duties that comprise the person elements that go into the General Storage Take a look at rating. It tied for the excessive rating amongst our group within the Home windows bootup hint and held its personal on the opposite trials.In 3DMark Storage, which measures an SSD’s proficiency in performing a wide range of gaming-related duties, the MP44Q’s rating was within the decrease center of the pack, beneath the MP44 however above the Samsung SSD 990 EVO. Verdict: A Plain, Pockets-Pleasant SSD Constructed for SpeedWhat the TeamGroup MP44Q might lack in options, it greater than makes up for in its performance-to-price ratio, holding its personal in our benchmarking amid a gaggle of elite PCIe 4.0 SSDs.After we reviewed the TeamGroup MP44 in early 2024, we famous {that a} widespread concern with DRAM-less SSDs is that their write speeds may take a success with giant transfers in contrast with drives which have an inner DRAM cache, and the MP44’s outcomes on our exams appear to bear that out. Nonetheless, the MP44Q’s outcomes on Crystal DiskMark’s 4K write check and the PCMark 10 small-file copy check had been a lot better than the MP44’s, so we’ll maintain off on passing a verdict on that matter.
(Credit score: Joseph Maldonado)
The Samsung SSD 990 EVO, our earlier Editors’ Alternative winner for funds PCIe 4.0 inner SSDs, did higher than the MP44Q on the small-file copy check however fell properly in need of the MP44Q on almost each different hint check. The MP44Q has a lot greater throughput speeds than the SSD 990 EVO and posted higher scores on each the Crystal DiskMark 4K learn and write exams.General, the MP44Q is a wonderful performer for its worth. It lacks a full-fledged heatsink, so you may need to use your motherboard’s heatsink or get a third-party mannequin. (If it is quick sufficient, it’ll even match a PS5.) If you need an 8TB stick, you may should look to the likes of the MP44, although you may pay a treasured premium for it. In the event you want safety features and backup software program in a funds SSD, the SSD 990 EVO is the best way to go. However the MP44Q’s efficiency for its worth makes it worthy of our Editors’ Alternative award as a funds inner SSD.
The Backside Line
The TeamGroup MP44Q would not present any extras past its graphene warmth spreader, however this DRAM-less, QLC-based inner SSD boasts profitable efficiency at a cut price worth.
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About Tony Hoffman
Senior Analyst, {Hardware}
Since 2004, I’ve labored on PCMag’s {hardware} staff, protecting at numerous occasions printers, scanners, projectors, storage, and screens. I at present focus my testing efforts on 3D printers, professional and productiveness shows, and drives and SSDs of all kinds. Over time, I’ve reviewed iPad and iPhone science apps, plus the occasional digicam, laptop computer, keyboard, and mouse. I’ve additionally written a bunch of articles about astronomy, house science, journey images, and astrophotography for PCMag and its previous and current sibling publications (amongst them, Mashable and ExtremeTech), in addition to for the PCMag Digital Version.
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