TeamGroup Unveils 120mm AIO Liquid Cooler For PCIe 5.0 SSDs
Keeping PCIe 5.0 SSDs as cool as a cucumber
TeamGroup has revealed many exciting products at this year's Computex event. However, the T-Force Siren GD120S may be one of the most overkill M.2 SSD coolers we’ve seen, and we’ve seen a lot of beefy coolers since PCIe 5.0 SSDs have started to arrive on the retail market. When you thought SSD coolers couldn't get any crazier, TeamGroup comes out with an 120mm AIO liquid cooler designed for cooling the PCIe 5.0 drives, which are habitually among the best SSDs.
The T-Force Siren GD120S, which comes in a pure white color, is a good-looking AIO liquid cooler for M.2 2280 drives. The cooler features a copper base plate that transfers the heat from the SSD via two tubes toward the aluminum radiator, which measures 266 x 215 x 136mm. The pump is pretty good, with rated speeds of up to 4,000 RPM, give or take, delivering a flow performance of up to 850 ml/min. Therefore, it should be able to move a decent amount of heat at a respectable rate.
The cooler consumes up to 4W; according to TeamGroup, the pump's noise level is around 22 dBA. There are louder components inside your case. Meanwhile, a single 120mm ARGB cooling fan is responsible for dissipating the heat from the radiator. The cooling fan spins between 600 and 2,200 RPM with a maximum noise level of 39.5 dBA, just a bit louder than a whisper.
TeamGroup hasn’t decided on the pricing for the T-Force Siren GD120S yet. However, the company is aiming for a third quarter launch. It’s not like there are tons of M.2 AIO liquid coolers on the market so we can’t even guess the pricing for the T-Force Siren GD120S.
TeamGroup also lifted the curtain for the brand's T-Force AirFlow series of PCIe 5.0 coolers that feature a more conventional style of air cooling. The company split the coolers into three models: T-Force AirFlow I, T-Force AirFlow II, and T-Force AirFlow III. The designs differ slightly, so consumers must decide which works best per their system configuration and clearance space. Graphics cards aren’t getting any smaller so it’s a challenge to fit aftermarket M.2 SSD coolers in a build.
The T-Force AirFlow series feature thick heat pipes, aluminum heatsinks with optimized fin stacks, and in some cases, a small cooling fan, similar to Phison's reference PCIe 5.0 cooler. TeamGroup claims that the T-Force AirFlow series can lower SSD temperatures by up to 30%.
TeamGroup also displayed the brand's Cardea Z5 series of SSDs at its booth. However, these aren't the same drives as the Cardea Z54A the brand had previously teased. Strangely, the brand didn't take the opportunity to reveal more information about the faster drive since the company was making a big deal about the SSD days before Computex 2023.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
The Cardea Z5, which comes in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities, is a couple of notches below the Z54A. The drives max out with sequential read and write speeds up to 12 GB/s and 11 GB/s, respectively. In comparison, the Cardea Z54A breaks the 14 GB/s and 11 GB/s barriers regarding sequential read and write performance. The manufacturer rates the Cardea Z5 with endurance levels up to 1,400 TBW. The PCIe 5.0 SSDs come with a standard five-year warranty.
TeamGroup's other displayed products include the latest T-Force XTREEM gaming and overclocking memory, which will arrive on the market in traditional and ARGB flavors. In addition, consumers can choose from different speeds up to 8,266 MT/s.
The T-Force Siren GA360 AIO liquid cooler also made an appearance. The cooler rocks a seventh-generation Asetek V2 pump and leverages AI for operation. Some of the smaller products include two USB 3.2 thumb drives. The C321 is Gen 2 with read and write speed peaking at 1 GB/s and capacities up to 2TB. Meanwhile, the C175 is a Gen 1 drive manufactured from 75% post-consumer recycled plastic.
Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.
- Paul AlcornManaging Editor: News and Emerging Tech
-
Lucky_SLS I wish OEMs to revive the modular quick disconnect AIOs like fractal and Alphacool models they once had. Having the option to integrate the SSD cooling is much more elegant than have a dedicated AIO wasting space and money...Reply -
salgado18 I'm so happy to have a PCIe 4.0 SSD that will last me a very long time. These 5.0 SSDs needing active cooling look like too much trouble for the extra performance. I mean, a dedicated AIO for just one SSD? A copper tower? Feels like overkill, or underdeveloped SSD tech.Reply -
PlutoDelic Actually they nailed the gimmick i have to admit, maybe a bit pricey, but many people have an exhaust fan there, and some will like the idea of "killing two birds with one stone" here.Reply -
InvalidError Give it a generation or two for PCIe controller designers to optimize the PHYs and the rest of the controller to also get power-optimized for that amount of bandwidth, then we'll be back to simple heat-spreaders being more than good enough again.Reply -
Lucky_SLS We will ofc get normal heatsink versions. Remember that this is a computex showcase, not an official press release. Its the place to showcase all the crazy designs XDReply -
bit_user
I expect PCIe 5.0 is always going to have a significant power increase over PCIe 4.0.InvalidError said:Give it a generation or two for PCIe controller designers to optimize the PHYs and the rest of the controller to also get power-optimized for that amount of bandwidth, then we'll be back to simple heat-spreaders being more than good enough again. -
bit_user
You're claiming they're unnecessary?TechieTwo said:These ridiculous cooling scams for gen 5 SSD's are just a gimmick for the gulible.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/pcie-50-ssds-generates-errors-shut-down-without-cooler-fix-on-the-way -
InvalidError
While they may never reach power-efficiency parity with 4.0 controllers, I'm sure they can close the gap quite a bit just like how 4.0 closed most of the gap with 3.0 after 3-4 generations mainly because manufacturers quit releasing new, more power-efficient 3.0 controllers.bit_user said:I expect PCIe 5.0 is always going to have a significant power increase over PCIe 4.0.