SSDs
SK Hynix announced this week that it had started volume production of its 238-layer TLC NAND memory. The new device promises higher bit density and lower NAND bits cost for the manufacturer and enables ultra-high-performance SSDs as it features a very high interface speed of 2400 MT/s. SK Hynix's first 238-layer 3D TLC NAND device has a 512 Gb capacity (64 GB). It has a number of benefits when compared to its 176-layer predecessor, including a 34% higher manufacturing efficiency (i.e., smaller die size, lower usage of materials, and expensive process steps, etc.), a 21% lower power consumption during read operations thanks to the ONFI 5.0 interface with the NV-LPDDR4 signaling method, and a 2400 MT/s interface transfer rate, which is a 50% increase. The latter...
Western Digital Unveils Xbox Series X|S Expansion Cards
Ever since Microsoft introduced its Xbox Series X/S game consoles in late 2020, Seagate has been exclusively selling storage expansion cards for these systems. But to the chagrin of...
7 by Anton Shilov 2 days agoTeamGroup Goes Big on SSD Cooling, Demos 120mm AIO Liquid Cooler For M.2 Drives
TeamGroup is demonstrating at Computex 2023 what it claims to be the world's first all-in-one liquid cooling system for hot-running M.2 SSDs. The SSD-sized Siren cooler is meant to...
10 by Anton Shilov on 6/1/2023Phison Unveils PS5031-E31T SSD Platform For Lower-Power Mainstream PCIe 5 SSDs
At Computex 2023, Phison is introducing a new, lower-cost SSD controller for building mainstream PCIe 5.0 SSDs. The Phison PS5031-E31T is a quad channel, DRAM-less controller for solid-state drives...
9 by Anton Shilov on 5/29/2023Kioxia BG6 Series M.2 2230 PCIe 4.0 SSD Lineup Adds BiCS6 to the Mix
Kioxia's BG series of M.2 2230 client NVMe SSDs has proved popular among OEMs and commercial system builders due to their low cost and small physical footprint. Today, the...
2 by Ganesh T S on 5/22/2023Solidigm D5-P5430 Addresses QLC Endurance in Data Center SSDs
Solidigm has been extremely bullish on QLC SSDs in the data center. Compared to other flash vendors, their continued use of a floating gate cell architecture (while others moved...
7 by Ganesh T S on 5/16/2023Micron Updates Data Center NVMe SSD Lineup: 6500 ION TLC and XTR SLC
Micron is expanding its data center SSD lineup today with the introduction of two new products - the 6500 ION and the XTR NVMe SSDs. These two products do...
7 by Ganesh T S on 5/16/2023Corsair Introduces MP700 PCIe 5.0 SSDs: 1 TB Starting At $169.99
After a few teasers and months of waiting, Corsair has finally launched the MP700, the company's first PCIe 5.0 SSD. The MP700 aims to win enthusiasts over with its...
19 by Zhiye Liu on 5/4/2023Solidigm Synergy 2.0 Amplifies P41 Plus and P44 Pro Performance with Custom Driver
Solidigm has been active in the PC client SSD market with the QLC-based P41 Plus and the traditional TLC-based P44 Pro for the high-end market. While introducing the P41...
14 by Ganesh T S on 5/3/2023Corsair Launches MP600 Mini: M.2 2230 SSD Brings Big Performance
Corsair has introduced its first ever SSD in an M.2-2230 form-factor that is aimed at ultra-compact systems like Valve's Steam Deck as well as Microsoft's Surface Pro 8 and...
7 by Anton Shilov on 4/26/2023Kioxia and Western Digital Debut 218-Layer 3D NAND: 1Tb TLC with 3.2 GT/s IO Speed
Kioxia and Western Digital formally introduced their 8th Generation BiCS 3D NAND memory with 218 active layers. The new storage device offers a 1Tb capacity in 3D TLC mode...
34 by Anton Shilov on 3/31/2023Crucial Preps T700 PCIe 5.0 SSD With Write Speeds Up To 12.4 GB/s
Crucial has started to tease the T700, the company's first mainstream PCIe 5.0 SSD. Not to be confused with the Terminator T-700, the T700's product page has already gone...
28 by Zhiye Liu on 3/23/2023NAND Flash Prices Have Dropped Rapidly In Recent Quarters - And So Have SSD Prices
Softened demand for PCs and smartphones coupled with NAND memory bits oversupply has sent prices of 3D NAND memory into a dive in recent quarters. In Q4, global NAND...
20 by Anton Shilov on 3/20/2023Apex Storage X21 Carries 21 M.2 SSDs: 168 TB of NAND at up to 31 GB/second
Riser cards carrying multiple M.2-2280 SSDs are nothing new, but Apex Storage went above and beyond with its new X21 board, which can carry up to 21 M.2 drives...
9 by Anton Shilov on 3/15/2023First PCIe Gen5 SSDs Finally Hit Shelves - But The Best Is Yet To Come
This week, consumer-grade PCIe 5.0 M.2 drives have finally hit the U.S. market, well over a year since the first client PC platforms supporting PCIe Gen5 became available. The...
29 by Anton Shilov on 3/3/2023OWC Envoy Pro Mini Review: SSD in a Thumb Drive Exceeds Expectations
OWC has been a key player in the storage industry over the last few decades, particularly for Apple users. Their lineup of portable flash-based direct-attached storage devices has a...
19 by Ganesh T S on 3/2/2023Silicon Motion SM2268XT DRAM-less NVMe SSD Controller: PCIe 4.0 Speeds on a Budget
The excitement in the client SSD space recently has understandably been on the Gen 5 front. However, cooling requirements have made it difficult for vendors to bring effective M.2...
17 by Ganesh T S on 2/16/2023Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield 4TB Review: IP65 PSSD Gets a Capacity Upgrade
Samsung has been enjoying market success with their lineup of portable SSDs, starting with the T1 back in 2015. The company has been regularly updating their PSSD lineup with...
13 by Ganesh T S on 1/31/2023Micron Launches 9400 NVMe Series: U.3 SSDs for Data Center Workloads
Micron is taking the wraps off their latest data center SSD offering today. The 9400 NVMe Series builds upon Micron's success with their third-generation 9300 series introduced back in...
18 by Ganesh T S on 1/9/2023CES 2023: QNAP Brings Hybrid Processors and E1.S SSD Support to the NAS Market
Over the last few years, the developments in the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) network-attached storage (NAS) market have mostly been on the software front - bringing in more business-oriented value...
15 by Ganesh T S on 1/8/2023