TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 1TB SLC Cache 3D NAND QLC 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal Solid State Drive SSD (R/W Speed up to 550/470 MB/s) T253TY001T0C101

I recently upgraded my rig with the TEAMGROUP T-FORCE VULCAN Z 1TB SATA SSD as my new SSD for my Steam library, and it’s been a great addition overall. This drive offers a budget-friendly boost for gamers looking to ditch slow HDDs, though it comes with a few trade-offs.Quality and Build: The SSD is well-made and understated. Its black casing is sturdy yet lightweight, slipping easily into my 2.5-inch drive bay. It’s got a no-frills design that feels durable enough for constant gaming use, and the 1TB capacity is a perfect fit for my needs. The build inspires confidence without any unnecessary flash.Performance: As my new Steam library SSD, it shines. Games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and GTA V load noticeably faster than on my old HDD—cutscenes and levels kick in quick, shaving off precious seconds. The SATA III speeds (up to 550MB/s read) keep things smooth, and 1TB holds a solid chunk of my collection. It’s a big leap from spinning drives, even if it’s not the fastest tech out there.Value for Money: For the price, this 1TB drive is a bargain. It’s cheaper than many SSDs with similar capacity, making it an awesome value for upgrading a Steam library on a budget. You’re getting reliable performance and plenty of space without the premium cost of NVMe drives—perfect for cost-conscious gamers like me.Pros:• Fast Load Times: Cuts down game loading significantly compared to HDDs.• Great Capacity: 1TB fits a hefty Steam library with room to spare.• Affordable Price: Excellent value for the performance and storage offered.Cons:• SATA Limits: Not as blazing fast as NVMe SSDs—speed caps at SATA III.• No Extras: Lacks mounting hardware or fancy software; it’s bare-bones.• Basic Design: No RGB or standout looks, if that matters to you.Minor Notes: It’s SATA, not NVMe, so don’t expect top-tier speeds—check your setup if you want more. No screws or brackets included, so have those ready for installation. It’s quiet and efficient, but it’s all function over form.Overall: The TEAMGROUP T-FORCE VULCAN Z 1TB SSD is a dependable, wallet-friendly choice that’s now powering my Steam library. The pros—speed, size, and cost—make it a winner, though the cons keep it from perfection. I’m loving the upgrade and would recommend it—5 stars for value and solid gaming performance!

This has worked for about 1-3 years, and it's still going strong, it's fast for what I need it for which is gaming and video editing, fits my case, but just barely, and yeah, my advice is if you think you need 512GB, maybe just go for a 1TB ;)

Used it for a few days. Works well but you are getting what you paid for. That means it is not top of the line SSD. There are faster products out there but also more expensive.Sequential read and write tests are nice but not really representative of real world performance.I've read a review of this SSD before purchasing and the review basically stated that it is an average product compared to others but the price is also "average" compared to others.The reviewer confirmed the top sequential speeds that are advertised and my own benchmark software shows that too.What struck me in the review was something I have not really thought about previously when approaching SSD performance.While pure (100%) reads and pure writes are fast. Once you have a mix of read & write requests, that is where an average SSD is separated from a top one. Even at 99% read and 1% write the performance starts to degrade and it is the lowest at 50% read/write.I have a Samsung 850 Pro 256gb SATA, Samsung 850 EVO 500gb SATA, Samsung 970 Pro 512gb NVMe and now this Vulcan Z 1tb.For all these drives I took a 21GB file and copied it within the same directory on my PC. The exception being 850 EVO which was tested on an 8 year old laptop which can lead to lower performance. This simulates a 50% read/write scenario where the drive reads data and then writes it back to itself until the file is copied (cloned essentially). In between the tests I have restarted Windows because otherwise the next test would have read the file from RAM (cached by windows on first test) instead of the disk.The results below are what I call a "stable" transfer. Initially the transfer will be faster, then as internal SSD caches are filled the transfer will stabilize at a lower value.Samsung 970 Pro (NVMe) stabilized at 700MB/sec.Samsung 850 Pro (SATA) stabilized at 200MB/sec. The file took 1min30sec to copy (windows copy window disappeared).Samsung 850 EVO (SATA) stabilized at ~180MB/sec. The file took 1min40sec to copy.Vulcan Z (SATA) was jumping between 60-90MB/sec, no stable transfer. The file took 3min30sec to copy.All drives, with exception of NVMe where I did not pay attention to this, took up to an additional 1 minute (drive still registered writes) to move over cached remainder of the file which was not done at full drive speed, not sure why.For an OS drive I recommend the Samsung Pro (gaming pc) or Samsung EVO (laptop). Not sure if I would want a Vulcan Z as my OS drive and I'm not using it as such.There appears to be no temperature sensor on the Vulcan Z as 33C is constantly being reported even by the TeamGroup SMART Tool. My other SSDs vary in temperature over time but Volcan Z never does, not once, even when testing or after a cold boot. It doesn't bother me but that is a fact.Finally, the serial number written on the drive (correct one) and reported by software is different. Again not a big deal but would make it easier to check warranty without accessing the physical drive.

Easy to install as well as copy all my data too. Fit better than the hard drive I replaced. There is no noise coming from the hard drive and it performs really well.

I've purchased so many of these over the years for different use cases and they've all been reliable and quick. They breath new life into computers still using a hard drive.

This SSD provides a noticeable speed boost, making my system feel more responsive. It loads applications quickly and improves overall performance. The large storage capacity is great for storing games, media, or work files without worrying about running out of space. It’s a solid upgrade for improving computer performance without spending too much.What I Like:• Quick loading times – Programs and files open much faster.• Large storage space – Plenty of room for games, media, or backups.• Good performance boost – Helps speed up an older system.

Look, we all know these SSDs are cheap, and yes they're QLC, but here's the deal...if you're the average laptop user, IE web browsing, email, Facebook...these MASSIVELY speed up a cheap laptop or desktop that has a spinning hard drive. They fit anywhere a 2.5" drive fits, and you can replace 3.5" with them too. They're reliable enough to last several years with everyday use.