Biwin NV7200 2TB SSD: The Ultimate Budget Winner?

For those seeking a high-capacity solid-state drive without draining their wallet, the Biwin NV7200 2TB SSD presents a compelling case. It delivers reliable performance, solid power efficiency, and most importantly, an aggressively competitive price point. In an era where storage costs often climb alongside new releases, this drive proves you can secure substantial NVMe storage affordably. While it may not boast the latest exotic technology, its current value proposition makes it a top contender for budget-focused builds.

This model shares its core components with other Biwin-produced drives like the Acer FA200 and TeamGroup MP44Q. We’ve also evaluated newer QLC offerings such as the Crucial P310 and SanDisk WD Blue SN5100, which lead this category in raw speed. However, their current pricing sits noticeably higher than the NV7200. Comparing 4TB models illustrates this clearly: the NV7200 costs $27 less than the MP44Q and $25 less than the P310, with the other models often difficult to locate. At the 2TB capacity, the savings are $18 and $30 respectively, plus a $15 advantage over the SN5100. These figures underscore its status as a remarkable bargain.

Potential buyers should note the NV7200 isn’t ideal for every scenario. It excels as a PlayStation 5 upgrade or a secondary system drive, but we hesitate to recommend it as a primary boot drive for demanding users. Opting for a TLC-based model could be wiser for that role. Top-tier choices like the SanDisk WD Black SN7100 and Samsung 990 EVO Plus are superior, especially if you find them on sale at the 4TB size. Older alternatives such as the TeamGroup MP44 and Lexar NM790 remain viable, though their performance advantage over the NV7200 is often negligible in everyday use. For many, the slower performance mode won’t even be noticeable. This makes the NV7200 a sensible primary drive for someone upgrading from SATA to NVMe, needing extra capacity, or running lighter workloads on a laptop or desktop. It’s a sound choice, provided you don’t overanalyze the specifications.

The Biwin NV7200 is offered in multiple capacities spanning 500GB to 4TB, aligning with other drives using the same hardware like the Acer FA200 and HP FX700. The TeamGroup MP44Q misses the smallest size, while the Silicon Power US75 and UD90 have variants sharing the controller and flash. Given the FX700’s limited availability, the NV7200 primarily competes with the FA200, though that model itself can be scarce.

Current pricing sets the 1TB model at $69.98, the 2TB at $114.99, and the 4TB at $219.99. Calculating cost per terabyte reveals the NV7200 as the best deal across its three largest capacities. The closest competitors offering superior performance are the Lexar NM790 at 1TB and the SanDisk WD Black SN7100 at 4TB. The Black SN7100 represents a better value and is the preferable option at 2TB, but the significant price difference makes the NV7200 most appealing at the 2TB mark. This capacity hits the sweet spot for most users, and we recommend choosing it if your budget allows.

Performance-wise, the drive achieves up to 7,200/6,200 MB/s for sequential read/write speeds and up to 1,000K/800K random read/write IOPS. These speeds are attainable even on the 1TB model, with no performance degradation at 4TB, thanks to newer versions of the Maxio MAP1602 controller designed for higher capacities. Biwin supports the NV7200 with a five-year warranty and endurance ratings up to 400TB written per terabyte of capacity. While this endurance is roughly two-thirds that of TLC drives, it is respectable for a QLC-based model and sufficient for its intended use cases, which do not include intensive write caching.

A single-sided design with a heat-spreading label on the component side characterizes the NV7200. Single-sided drives generally offer broader compatibility and simpler cooling. Biwin’s graphene label, also used on the HP FX700 and Acer FA200, performs better than it might appear. Since the controller is typically the hottest component and the main cause of throttling, this is crucial. The Maxio MAP1602 controller is known for a hotspot issue not found in Phison’s E25 and E27T controllers.

A heatspreader effectively addresses this by drawing heat away from the controller and distributing it across a larger area, which aids dissipation and transfers some warmth to the NAND flash. While NAND has a specified operating temperature range, heat can be beneficial in certain situations, particularly during sustained writes where flash programs more efficiently at elevated temperatures. Overall, flash temperature isn’t a major concern for consumer SSDs, but redirecting heat from the controller is both effective and safe.

The back label indicates a power rating of 3.3V at 2.0A, suggesting a maximum power draw around 6.6W. SMART data confirms a highest power state of 6.50W, aligning with this estimate. Actual power consumption is usually lower, especially for smaller capacities. Power draw provides insight into a drive’s operating temperature, efficiency, and suitability for laptops. Modern consumer NVMe drives range from approximately 5W to over 11W, placing the NV7200 in the medium-to-low bracket.

As a DRAM-less design, the NV7200’s main components are the controller, NAND flash, and power management circuitry. The controller is the Maxio MAP1602 F3C variant, which, as noted, handles higher capacities more effectively. DRAM-less controllers are a budget-driven choice, reducing costs by eliminating DRAM and simplifying the controller design by removing the DRAM management module.

Further savings come from reducing flash channels from eight to four. This directly impacts potential capacity and performance ceilings, but also indirectly improves efficiency by simplifying high-speed operation across fewer channels. Collectively, these design choices typically result in budget drives that are more power-efficient, particularly for common daily tasks.

Identifying hardware on your own drive can be an educational process. Manufacturers often warn that removing labels voids the warranty, though this isn’t legally enforceable in many regions, including the United States. We advise careful label removal so it can be reapplied if a warranty return becomes necessary later.

For example, you can often determine manufacturing dates. The “2440” on the flash likely indicates week 40 of 2024, or early October. The controller’s “2446” suggests production about six weeks later in November. We’ve already identified the “F3C” controller designation. Examining the flash, expectations point to QLC type and, given the MAP1602 pairing, YMTC flash.

Decoding the flash markings: “BW” signifies Biwin. “N0” denotes NVMe NAND flash, and “AQ” indicates 1Tb QLC dies per package. “F1” specifies nominal voltages and 8-bit architecture, common for consumer flash. “B1” refers to the package form factor, while “HC” provides additional details, here, 4 dies per package (4Tb or 512GB), a standard 0°C to 70°C temperature rating, and confirmation of client/consumer flash. Finally, “AD” indicates the interface speed and generation: ONFi 5.0 or 2,400 MT/s Gen 4 X3-6070 QLC flash. Specialized tools can assist with hardware identification, though they’re generally only needed with obfuscated or counterfeit components.

(Source: Tom’s Hardware)