INTRODUCTION
Storage has quietly become one of the biggest quality‑of‑life upgrades in modern PCs. Moving from spinning disks to SSDs eliminated noise, lag, and long waits, while NVMe over PCIe made systems feel instantly responsive. Today, Gen4 SSDs sit at the practical sweet spot: they deliver high real‑world speeds, run cooler, and, crucially, offer a far better price‑to‑performance ratio than Gen5 drives, which often cost more for gains that only show up in niche workloads. That balance makes Gen4 the mainstream choice for gaming rigs, creator systems, and budget‑conscious builds alike. ANACOMDA leans into personality with its anime‑themed lineup, and the I4S 1TB ANA Series brings that flair to a compact Gen4 NVMe model.
The anaconda in our logo stands for the phenomenal speed and immense capacity of our products, as well as the connection between our products, global trends, and human development. ANACOMDA believes that data storage products should be technology encased in fine works of art. Our products are produced under strict manufacturing standards. In addition to various customer services, our brand also offer designs that are aesthetically pleasing. The original concept of ANACOMDA is to "turn memory into luxury" and offer customers a brand new electronic product experience. This led us to our ultimate brand concept: Luxury For Memory.
The entire I4S line of Μ.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 Gen4 SSDs (not just the ANA series) is available in 4 capacities (512GB/1TB/2TB/4TB) all of which are based on the 12nm SM2268XT2 DRAM-less NAND flash controller by Silicon Motion. The SM2268XT2 is an NVMe 2.0 NAND controller (v1.4 however is reported) that sports a dual-core ARM Cortex R8 CPU (4 channels up to 3,200 MT/s / 16 CE) and features their 4K+ LDPC engine together with HMB data path protection, programmable RAID, global wear-levelling, real time AES 128/256-bit encryption, hardware SHA 384 and TRNG, secure boot for FW authentication and support for ONFI 5.0 and Toggle 3.0. For the I4S ANACOMDA has used 3D TLC NAND flash without however providing details regarding the brand and model. As for warranty ANACOMDA covers the entire I4S line with a 5-year limited one and as for endurance numbers they just report an MTBF (meantime between failures) of 1.5 million hours.
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS
ANACOMDA ships the I4S ANA Series inside a blister package at the front of which we find the company name, drive name and country of manufacture.
The drive capacity, read/write performance, warranty and contact information for ANACOMDA are all located at the rear.
Just the drive is included in the package.
THE I4S 1TB ANA EDITION
The drawing on the heatspreader located on the I4S ANA Series is what steals the spotlight (now if only ANACOMDA would make a Gundam themed line).
Under the heatspreader we find SM2268XT2F NAND flash controller by Silicon Motion and two NAND flash modules.
On the opposite side we only find a sticker (single sided model) with the serial numbers, barcodes, capacity and drive electrical requirements.
TEST BED
TESTING METHODOLOGY
Not long after I first started testing SSDs back in 2008, I concluded that it's almost impossible for any single benchmark suite to accurately measure their performance and that's why in certain benchmark suites we see amazing read/write performance numbers with some drives while in other things are quite different. The reason behind this is that some benchmarking suites are configured to read and write random chunks of data while others read and write constant (sequential) ones. So that's why i always use a very wide selection of benchmarking suites including AIDA64, HD Tach RW, HD Tune Pro, Crystal Disk Mark, Sisoftware Sandra Pro, AS SSD, IOmeter and ATTO. To get the most accurate results each test gets repeated a total of 6 times with the average performance numbers recorded into the charts. Also, as of February 25th, 2015, our results will also include the Storage Networking Industry Association’s (SNIA) IOMeter tests. These tests include a 12 Hour write test used to “simulate” performance degradation over time and a mixed workload test which basically shows what you can expect when using an SSD continuously for roughly two hours. Unfortunately, due to the time required for these tests they get repeated a total of 3 times and not 6 as the above.
Many people have made inquiries about our charts in the past so once again please do keep in mind that the Charts have the average performance numbers of each drive recorded and not the peak (highest) ones. Also, although every single one of these programs can help potential buyers choose the right drive for their needs you should also remember that from any kind of benchmark up to real world usage the gap is not small (and usually most differences will go unnoticed by most people). All tests were performed in a fresh Windows 10 Pro x64 installation complete with every update up to the date of this review.
* As of January 2025, Gen4 SSDs will be tested on the 13900K/Z790 system while Gen5 SSDs will be tested on the 285K/Z890 system.
TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO
TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO
TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK
TEST RESULTS - AS SSD / IOMETER
TEST RESULTS - IOMETER SNIA
CONCLUSION
The ANACOMDA I4S 1TB ANA Series stands out because it brings something unusual to a category that’s usually all numbers and no personality. Its Gen4 performance is exactly what you expect from a competent mainstream NVMe drive, quick boot times, smooth game loading, and stable throughput for everyday workloads. But the real charm is the anime‑themed presentation, which hits differently when you’ve been watching anime since the late 80's. For me, it taps into the era of VHS fansubs, late‑night TV blocks, and the kind of art style that shaped an entire generation of viewers (although it's clear that the ANA series with its soft aesthetic is primarily aimed toward girls and women). That sense of identity carries through the broader ANA lineup as well. The 2.5‑inch SATA model, the themed mouse pad, and the Kingsnake DDR5 kit (as showcased in the above picture) all share the same playful aesthetic, making it feel like ANACOMDA is building a small ecosystem for people who enjoy hardware with character. The downside however is once again availability. The ANA Series isn’t consistently stocked, and depending on where you’re shopping, it can feel more like a limited‑run collectible than a regular retail product. That scarcity doesn’t affect the drive’s performance, but it does make it harder for builders to plan around. Still, when you manage to get your hands on it, the I4S ANA Series delivers a blend of reliable Gen4 speed and nostalgic anime flair that’s rare in the SSD world.
The I4S 1TB M.2 Gen4 NVMe ANA series is a limited-edition model and so at the time of my review USA and EU availability is zero. Last known prices from a few months back were set at around USD60-70/60-75Euros but there’s no way of knowing when (and if) this model will be back in stock (and the same roughly applies for the “regular” I4S version). Even with availability sitting at zero, the ANA Series still feels like the kind of anime‑themed hardware that could spark a niche of its own. If ANACOMDA ever commits to wider distribution (and more designs, even licensed ones), this blend of functional storage and character‑driven design could easily become a recognizable sub‑category in a market that rarely experiments with personality.
PROS
- Good Overall Performance
- ANA Series (Anime Theme)
- Heatspreader
- Single Sided SSD
- Reported Capacities (512GB/1TB/2TB/4TB)
CONS
- Current Availability
