Teamgroup MP44 vs MP44S vs MP44L: Which PCIe 4.0 SSD Should You Buy?

The MP44, MP44S, and MP44L are all part of the same family of SSDs from Teamgroup, leveraging the cutting-edge NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 interface. Choose the best SSD for your needs and budget. For the highest possible performance, the MP44 is the ideal choice. All three models feature graphene heatsink technology, effectively reducing heat generation and ensuring optimal performance even under demanding workloads.

Teamgroup is a well-known brand in the SSD market, offering a wide range of products for different needs and budgets. Among its latest offerings are three PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs: the MP44, the MP44S, and the MP44L. These three drives share some similarities, but also have some key differences that may affect your buying decision. In this article, we will compare the features, specifications, performance, and pricing of these three SSDs, and help you choose the best one for your system.

Features and Specifications

The MP44, MP44S, and MP44L are all M.2 2280 SSDs that use the PCIe 4.0 x4 interface and the NVMe 1.4 protocol. They are all compatible with the latest AMD and Intel platforms that support PCIe 4.0, as well as older systems that support PCIe 3.0. They are all also single-sided, meaning they have all the components on one side of the PCB, making them suitable for thin and light laptops.

The main difference between these three SSDs is the controller and the flash memory they use. The MP44 uses the Phison E18 controller and the Micron 232-layer TLC NAND flash, the MP44S uses the Phison E16 controller and the Micron 176-layer TLC NAND flash, and the MP44L uses the Phison E21T controller and the Micron 176-layer TLC NAND flash. These differences affect the performance, endurance, and power consumption of these SSDs, as we will see later.

Another difference is the capacity options. The MP44 is available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB, the MP44S is available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB, and the MP44L is available in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB. The MP44 is the only one that offers 4TB and 8TB options, making it ideal for users who need a lot of storage space. The MP44L is the only one that offers 250GB option, making it suitable for users who are on a tight budget.

None of these SSDs have DRAM cache, which is a common feature in high-end SSDs that helps improve performance and endurance. Instead, they rely on the Host Memory Buffer (HMB) feature, which allows them to use a small portion of the system memory as cache. This reduces the cost and power consumption of these SSDs, but also limits their performance and compatibility. Not all systems support HMB, and the amount of system memory available for HMB may vary depending on the workload and the operating system.

The MP44 is the fastest of the three SSDs in all the benchmarks, followed by the MP44S, and then the MP44L. The MP44 shows its advantage in sequential and random performance, especially at higher queue depths, thanks to its powerful E18 controller and its 232-layer flash. The MP44S and the MP44L are more similar in performance, as they both use the same 176-layer flash, but the MP44S has a slight edge due to its E16 controller, which has more channels and cores than the E21T controller of the MP44L. The MP44L is the slowest of the three SSDs, especially in random read performance, which is