We tested the Netac NV7000 NVMe 2TB SSD earlier. Netac showcased the new SSD NV7000-Q probably during Computex, last year. At that time, only 1TB variant was displayed with little to no data. However, we have received a 2TB variant of this new series for testing.

This new series of SSD is being driven by MaxioTech MAP1602A Falcon Lite controller which has proven to be an efficient controller suitable for DRAM-Less storage drives. This SSD is also a DRAM-Less design. The letter ‘Q’ gave away the 3D NAND flash chips on this drive. These drives use QLC not TLC using YMTC 232-layer 3D NAND.

The Orico O7000 2TB SSD that I tested earlier is also a DRAM-Less design and uses the same controller with the same NAND Flash manufacturer. However, the catch is that Orico’s is randomly using TLC and QLC in these SSDs which is quite odd.

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Key Takeaways

• The Netac NV7000-Q 2TB NVMe SSD uses a very efficient MaxioTech MPA1602A controller and features speeds of up to 7100MB/s read and 6200MB/s write.
• You should buy the Netac NV7000-Q 2TB NVMe SSD if you have a PS5 and want to expand its storage with a high-speed SSD without spending a ton.
• You should skip the Netac NV7000-Q 2TB NVMe SSD if you’re specifically after an SSD with TLC NAND flash.

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The salient specifications include:

Capacities	1TB/2TB/4TB
Form Factor	M.2 2280
Interface	NVMe 1.4 PCIe Gen 4×4
Controller	MaxioTech MAP1602A
NAND	YMTC 3D QLC NAND
DRAM Cache Size	No DRAM Chip
NAND Cache Size	Dynamic SLC
TBW	640 TB
MTBF	1.8 Million hours
Sequential Read	Up to 7100MB/s
Sequential Write	Up to 6200MB/s
4K Random Read	N/A
4K Random Write	N/A

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How Is The Netac NV7000-Q 2TB Different?

The Netac NV7000-Q 2TB uses an efficient MPA1602A controller to ensure less power draw. It uses QLC NAND Flash from YTMC. This is a DRAM-Less SSD that competes against the likes of Orico O7000 2TB and BIWIN NV74000 NVMe SSDs. It has competitive performance across the board.

Packaging And Unboxing

The drive is shipped inside a slim size paperboard packing box that has a black color theme. There is a transparent container inside that holds the drive. The following are provided:

• 1x SSD
• 1x Installation Manual
• 2x Screws

Design

The top sticker or label is black. It has black and white crossed pattern lines with blue color lines for some outlook. NI7000-Q is printed along with the Netac brand name. This SSD has a dimension of 22x80x2mm.

These DRAM-Less, MaxioTech-powered SSDs are perfectly suited for PS5 given their high density, low pricing, and size. The NI7000-Q is no exception to that either since its overall height is way less than the supported 11.25mm height on PS5. This is a PCIe Gen 4×4 drive. The drive has an M.2 2280 form factor using M Key Type.

The sticker on the backside shows the model, serial number and QC Pass data of this drive. This is a 2TB capacity drive, made in China. The drive conforms to the NVMe 2.0 protocol.

The drive supports S.M.A.R.T, TRIM, and NCQ features. It seems like this drive does not provide an AES encryption feature. No other data is available on the manufacturer’s website.

This SSD is a single-sided design as the components are on one side.

What About Components?

MaxioTech MAP1602A is the main driving force of this SSD. This controller is based on ARM 32-bit Cortex R5 chip and it has 4 channels. This drive has a 4x die package from YMTC in the form of 232-layer 3D NAND flash chips. These packages operate at 2400MT/s.

There is no DRAM chip on this SSD hence this controller. This is a DRAM-Less design and it uses HMB and SLC caching to make up for no dedicated DRAM chip. HMB simply means that this SSD will use your PC’s main memory and SLC means it will dedicate some free space on the SSD for caching.

Testing

The below-mentioned test build is used:

• Intel i7 13700k
• DeepCool LQ360
• MSI Z790 ACE MAX WiFi
• Netac Z RGB DDR5 7200MHz, CL34 Kit
• GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3060 VISION OC
• Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB NVMe SSD [OS Drive]
• Fractal Design ION+ 2 860W Platinum PSU
• Thermaltake Core P6 TG Snow Edition in an open frame layout

We have used the following software:

• ATTO Disk Benchmark
• CrystalDiskMark
• Anvil Pro Storage Utilities 1.1.0
• DiskBench
• Blackmagic Disk Benchmark
• 3DMARK Storage Benchmark
• PCMARK10 Storage Benchmark

Microsoft Windows 11 23H2 is used for the testing.

I ran CrystalDiskInfo after installing the disk. The firmware version is H230827a. The interface is listed as NVM Express using 2.0 as standard. It also confirmed that the drive is operating at PCIe 4.0 at an x4 speed link. The supported features are S.M.A.R.T, TRIM, and VolatileWriteCache.

This SSD uses over-positioned. 162MB is reserved.

Test Results

CrystalDiskMark

Let’s start with three different runs of CrystalDiskMark. This is a good performance from the Netac SSD. The sequential read speed is 7000MB/s whereas the sequential write speeds are 6400 MB/s. The 4K Random performance in the Q1T1 quadrant is fine as well. The overall performance in CrystalDiskMark is satisfactory.

This SSD performs slightly slower than the Orico O7000 2TB NVMe SSD. The partial reason for that is TLC on the Orico drive compared to QLC on the Netac drive.

ATTO Disk Benchmark

This SSD performs similarly to Orico’s O7000 2TB drive. The reason I am comparing these two drives in particular is because they have the same design and use the same controller.

Anvil Storage Utilities Benchmark

Next, I ran the Anvil Storage Utilities benchmark to test the performance of the drive. Orico O7000 2TB NVMe drive has the upper hand over the Netac NV7000-Q drive.

I also ran Threaded Writes in queue depth of 32 and 64. The maximum IOPS were 507880.

Next, I ran the Threaded Reads in queue depths of 32, 64, and 128 threads. The maximum speed was 787807 IOPS using 128 QD.

Since we don’t know the rated 4K random read and write stats, we can’t confirm if the drive has attained the ratings or otherwise. However, the writes are slow.

3DMark Storage Test

3DMark Storage test is relatively a new test bench measuring the gaming-only performance of the given drive using three games. It measures the load time of the games, recording the gameplay, saving the game and moving the game. The overall score is given in the bandwidth and access time.

Netac NV7000-Q 2TB drive managed to take a good lead over the Orico O7000 2TB drive.

PCMARK10

We ran two tests from Storage benchmarks in this suite. These are Data Drive Benchmark and Quick System Drive Benchmark.

Blackmagic Disk Benchmark

We have used the Blackmagic disk benchmark as well. This is a critical benchmark from the point of view that it monitors the three video compression coders against multiple formats and checks if the drive in hand supports that format and if it does then at what speed.

Real World Testing

Now, it is time for a real-world use. For that, we have used DiskBench in multiple scenarios to check the real-world data transfer rates. We prepared a data set of mixed files and folders including compressed files.

Performance Test

Next, I prepared heavy data of 530GB and 944 GB. The tests were repeated. I have used HWInfo64 to record the drive’s sensor to see how it performed over time.

The operation for 530GB was completed in 1.47 minutes at a rate of 2526 MB/s.

The operation for 944GB was completed in 12.94 minutes at a rate of 1105 MB/s. This is a good performance from this drive. I wanted to see the impact once the drive starts to get fill. Since this SSD uses SLC Caching, the write speeds would take a hit once the drive is filled near to its capacity. However, this drive has shown a good performance. The lowest write speed this drive hit was 697MB/s with an average of 1200MB/s. This is an impressive performance for a DRAM-Less drive.

Gaming Load Time

This is the time when gamers are using NVMe SSDs for their games for faster loading. This is why we also test the game load times. This is done using the Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Benchmark using High settings.

It took 6.376 seconds in total to load the game. This is a competitive performance within its category.

Thermals

The maximum operating temperature on this drive was 63ᵒC at an ambient temperature of 20ᵒC.

Should You Buy It?

Buy It If

✅You want to enhance the storage capacity of the PS5: The Netac NV7000-Q 2TB NVMe storage is a fast and cost-effective solution (hoping so!) that is compatible with the PS5 console.

✅You are looking for a high-speed drive: The Netac NV7000-Q 2TB NVMe drive operates in 7000MB/s sequential reads and 6400MB/s sequential writes making it among the fast PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSDs.

Don’t Buy It If

❌You are after a cost-effective TLC storage solution: Netac NV7000-Q uses QLC NAND flash which would explain a relatively lower price tag. If you are into TLC NAND flash, look for other options.

Final Words

I have put Netac NV7000-Q 2TB NVMe SSD through its paces in this review. This drive is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities if you can find one! We don’t have pricing data for this drive from the manufacturer yet as it is a new release.

This drive is 2280 form factor having M-key type. It is governed by the MaxioTech MPA1602A controller. Orcio O7000 2TB NVMe drive uses the same controller. This is an efficient controller suitable for DRAM-less SSDs. It has 4 channels and is based on ARM 32-bit Cortex R5 chip.

This drive uses QLC 3D NAND Flash from YTMC. The QLC and DRAM-Less would explain the possible lower price tag. The 2TB variant has 4 NAND flash packages each of 1TB operating at 2400 MT/s.

The drive has a dimension of 22x80x2.3mm. This SSD is compatible with Sony Play Station 5. This drive features TRIM, S.M.A.R.T and Garbage Collection. This drive is using NVMe 2.0 standard over the PCIe 4 x4 link speed.

I don’t have the rated sequential and 4K random read-and-write data of this drive. The endurance rating stands at 640 TBW for the 2TB variant. This SSD weighs 8gm. MTBF is 1.8 Million hours.

This drive has performed quite well on our test bench and more importantly, the performance was almost consistent throughout the testing be it synthetic or real world. However, this drive was marginally slower than the Orico O7000 2TB NVMe drive. Both drives fall under the same category.

This drive comes with a 5-year warranty from the manufacturer.