Introduction

Neo Forza is a relatively young manufacturer of DRAM memory modules and flash memory products. The Taiwanese company was founded in 2018 as the enthusiast-focused brand of Goldkey, a well-established producer of computer hardware focusing on OEM manufacturing until recently.

Today we’re testing the Neo Forza NFP495, the company’s newest high-end PCI-Express 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD, which comes at amazing pricing of just $175 for the reviewed 4 TB version. What makes this drive even more special is that it’s using a controller made by TenaFE—a new American SSD controller design house that’s made up of former employees from Micron, Hynix and others. I also like that Neo Forza is releasing a 4 TB variant—a capacity that has become very desirable for power users because SSD prices have dropped so much. The NAND flash chips are YMTC 232-layer 3D TLC, just like on many competing drives using the MAP1602 controller. A DRAM cache chip is not included, to help achieve the highly competitive $175 price point (for 4 TB, not 2 TB). According to TenaFE, their controller is designed for DRAM-less operation and makes use of the HMB feature.

The Neo Forza NFP495 is available in capacities of 1 TB ($60), 2 TB ($100) and and 4 TB ($175). Endurance for these models is set to 700 TBW, 1400 TBW and 2800 TBW, respectively. Neo Forza includes a five-year warranty with the NFP495 SSD.