Whether it be by a unique heatsink on its tiny M.2 devices, or by some flashy RGB lighting effects on the company’s other SATA SSDs, Team Group has long been at the forefront of developing SSDs with aesthetics in mind. Today, we take a look at the company’s latest SATA device, the T-Force Vulcan. With a premium finish and competitive pricing, there’s little holding back a recommendation from us.
Aesthetically, the Vulcan kills it. This SSD has to be one of the best-looking SATA SSDs I’ve ever tested. It’s got Samsung-like looks with some extra style. A sleek matte-black and metal-etched silver finish commands your gaze just as much -- if not more so -- than RGB lighting.
The drive has both class and style. But, that’s not all it's packing. With Silicon Motion’s SM2258 controller and Micron’s 64-layer 3D TLC flash powering it, it also has what it takes to boot your PC blazingly fast and load up your favorite games and apps within a moment’s click. And, because it features a DRAM-based architecture, it should be able to withstand most consumer workloads and then some.
Specifications
| Product | T-Force Vulcan 250GB | T-Force Vulcan 500GB | T-Force Vulcan 1TB |
| Pricing | $35.99 | $58.99 | $96.99 |
| Capacity (User / Raw) | 250GB / 256GB | 500GB / 512GB | 1000GB / 1024GB |
| Form Factor | 2.5" 7mm | 2.5" 7mm | 2.5" 7mm |
| Interface / Protocol | SATA 6Gb/s | SATA 6Gb/s | SATA 6Gb/s |
| Controller | Silicon Motion SM2258 | Silicon Motion SM2258 | Silicon Motion SM2258 |
| DRAM | DDR3 | DDR3 | DDR3 |
| NAND Flash | Micron 64L 3D TLC | Micron 64L 3D TLC | Micron 64L 3D TLC |
| Sequential Read | 560 MB/s | 560 MB/s | 560 MB/s |
| Sequential Write | 500 MB/s | 500 MB/s | 510 MB/s |
| Random Read | 90,000 IOPS | 90,000 IOPS | 90,000 IOPS |
| Random Write | 80,000 IOPS | 80,000 IOPS | 85,000 IOPS |
| Encryption | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Endurance | 120 TBW | 240 TBW | 480 TBW |
| Part Number | T253TV250G3C301 | T253TV500G3C301 | T253TV001T3C301 |
| Warranty | 3-Years | 3-Years | 3-Years |
Team Group’s T-Force Vulcan comes in capacities of 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB. Pricewise, it is entry-level, but aesthetics, performance and endurance say otherwise.
Rated performance specs come in at 560 MBps read at all capacities, but write differs. At 250GB and 500GB, the Vulcan offers up 500 MBps write and at 1TB, up to 510 MBps. In order to attain its rated write speeds, the drive has a pseudo-SLC write cache, So extended write performance may degrade. In terms of random IOPS, the drive is rated at up to 90,000 IOPS read and 85,000 IOPS write.
The Vulcan comes backed by a three-year warranty and features competitive endurance ratings. At 250GB, it’s rated for up to 120TB written and it doubles as the model’s capacity doubles. This is twice the endurance of the company’s Delta RGB we reviewed last year. It features SMART and Trim support, and it can be securely erased without any issues.
Software and Accessories
Team Group doesn’t supply the Vulcan with any accessories, but the company does offer an SSD Toolbox. With it, you can monitor the SSD’s health, estimated lifespan, and S.M.A.R.T. data. It also has a data migration option built-in. But in testing, it wouldn’t function on our system.
A Closer Look
Inside our 1TB sample, we see a half-sized black-colored PCB with four NAND packages, the SMI SM2258 controller and a Samsung DRAM cache. The NAND is branded as Team Group’s own, but actually, our sample features Micron’s 64L 3D TLC
Team Group’s T-Force Vulcan is a SATA III / 6 Gbps SSD that comes in a 2.5-inch, 7mm form factor. So it should be an easy upgrade for a laptop or big enough to show off inside your PC case too with its premium finish. Although it would be a shape to shove an SSD that looks this good in a laptop where it will never be seen.
MORE: Best SSDs
MORE: How We Test HDDs And SSDs
MORE: All SSD Content
