ADATA Technology (Taiwan Stock Exchange: 3260.TWO), a manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, mobile accessories, gaming products, electric power trains, and industrial solutions today announced the LEGEND 850 PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 2280 solid state drive (SSD). The new LEGEND 850 delivers a new level of performance for advanced design applications, such as 3D modelling and animation.

The ADATA LEGEND 850 gives users a major upgrade in performance with sequential read and write speeds of 5,000/4,500 MB per second. This makes it up to 3 times faster than a standard PCIe Gen3 SSD and 9 times faster than a SATA SSD. What's more, it supports the latest Intel and AMD platforms, desktop and notebook PCs, and is backward compatible with PCIe 3.0 for added convenience.

Inspired by the way people work today, Western Digital Corp. introduced the Western Digital PC SN740 NVMe SSD to help address the unique needs of the hybrid workforce and elevate the computing experience. "Hybrid and remote work environments have become the 'new normal' for businesses over the past few years and have driven tremendous growth in PC shipments," said Eric Spanneut, vice president, Client and Enterprise SSDs, Flash Business Unit, Western Digital. "As work habits and locations change, there is a tremendous opportunity to support our corporate and commercial PC OEMs with storage solutions that are thin and light, have advanced security features and pack more performance while preserving power efficiency."

Featuring a DRAM-less architecture and leveraging Western Digital's in-house SSD controller design, BiCS5 3D NAND, firmware development, and vertical integration, the new SN740 NVMe SSD underscores the company's strengths in developing innovations that allow customers to unlock the potential of data.

Today at its What's Next event, Western Digital Corp. announced two new additions to its growing WD_BLACK gaming portfolio, the WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD and WD_BLACK P40 Game Drive SSD. Designed to elevate the gaming experience, the expanded portfolio offers players more options to upgrade their PC or console storage. "AMD is delighted with its continued collaboration with Western Digital to deliver exceptional gaming experiences," said Joe Macri, Compute and Graphics CTO and Corporate Fellow at AMD. "As games become more immersive, the expectation for fast, seamless gameplay increases. AMD strives to remove latency between the system, memory and connected devices like Western Digital's SSD gaming solutions with the adoption of the latest PCIe technologies and memory and latency optimizations within AMD CPUs and GPUs. Our combined solutions enable richer visuals, faster load times and more consistent gameplay."

"We're inspired by the unique ways in which players experience their games and are committed to working with the best technology partners, like AMD, to develop solutions that help them break barriers," said Rob Soderbery, executive vice president and GM, Flash Business Unit, Western Digital. "Our diverse WD_BLACK portfolio ensures that gamers are equipped to conquer today's games and prepared for what's next."

Apacer, a leading manufacturer of storage and memory, has launched a god-tier M.2 Gen4 x4 SSD, the AS2280Q4U. 7,400/7,000 MB/s read-write speeds mean you can load a world in a moment. The SSD is protected by heat dissipation fins that keep temperatures low and performance sky-high. It meets the M.2 SSD requirements for PS5 in all respects, making it a simple solution to gain extra storage space on PS5. And a 5-year global warranty makes it an easy choice for both gamers and digital content creators like animators, YouTubers and video editors.

AS2280Q4U's blazing-fast PCIe Gen4 x4 interface is fully compliant with the NVMe 1.4 standard. With sequential read/write performance of up to 7,400/7,000 MB/s, it is twice as fast as a Gen3 SSD, and 15 times faster than a SATA SSD, providing unparalleled performance for gamers and video creators.

In a move that bolsters its comprehensive PCIe 4.0 solid-state drive (SSD) portfolio, Kioxia Corporation has introduced the KIOXIA XG8 Series of client SSDs for high-end notebooks, desktops, gaming systems, workstations, as well as data center boot applications. Designed to bring next-generation performance to demanding client environments, the XG8 Series enables power users to take advantage of PCIe Gen4 x4 speed and ample storage space.

The XG8 Series is available in an M.2 type 2280 form factor and supports optional security features using the latest TCG Pyrite 2.01 and TCG Opal 2.01 standards to ensure data is kept secure at home, in the office or on the road. In addition, the XG8 Series features end-to-end data path protection for greater data integrity.

Seagate Technology Holdings plc, a world leader in mass-data storage infrastructure solutions, and Phison Electronics Corp., a global leader in NAND flash controller and storage solutions, announced today plans to expand their SSD portfolio of next-gen high-performance, high-density enterprise NVMe SSDs. The new SSDs will help enterprises lower total cost ownership (TCO) through increased storage density, lower power consumption, and higher performance. The companies also announced that they have entered a long-term partnership that will strengthen the development cycle and distribution of enterprise-class SSDs.

Seagate and Phison have collaborated on Seagate's mainstream SATA SSD products since 2017. That close cooperation has continued through the company's performance-leading line of FireCuda consumer gaming NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 SSDs and the world's first purpose-built NAS NVMe SSDs. The partnership will now focus on meeting the evolving global enterprise demand for higher density, faster, and smarter storage infrastructure needs that complement HDD storage to enable comprehensive enterprise applications such as hyperscale data center, high-performance computing and AI.

5G's rapid deployment is spiking demand for large amounts of data storage. Emerging 5G applications such as telemedicine, smart healthcare and smart poles require storage devices that can offer high-speed, low-latency and stable operation during high-quality, high-resolution image data transmission to permit AI image recognition and auxiliary diagnoses. Luckily, Apacer's latest PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD is stepping up to the plate. It adopts the latest BiCS5 112-layer 3D NAND Flash memory technology. This means ultra-high performance and reliability, a stable supply and - crucially - a more competitive cost per unit.

Real-time imaging data plays an important role in 5G healthcare applications. But to be effective, it requires high-resolution images that are extremely clear and focused. According to a recent report, "5G in Healthcare Market" released by MarketsandMarkets, telehealth and robotic surgery both grew in response to the challenges posed by COVID-19, and 5G wearable medical devices also became more prevalent for the same reason. Currently, the 5G healthcare market "is valued at an estimated USD 215 million in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 3,667 million by 2026, at a CAGR of 76.3% during the forecast period."

Intel's Arc discrete lineup of graphics card are set to hit the notebook/laptop segment first, and today's discovery is no different. BHPhotoVideo, one of the largest US tech retailers, has posted a listing of Samsung's Galaxy Book2 Pro laptop, spotting Intel's Arc discrete graphics solution. According to the listing, this model was spotting an undisclosed Intel Arc Graphics, 2.1 GHz 12-core CPU, 16 GB of LPDDR5-6400 memory, 512 GB of NVMe PCIe Gen4 storage, 15.6-inch 1080p AMOLED display, WiFi-6E, and came in just 1.13 KG body weight. All of this is packed at 1349.99 USD, which is an early sign of the structure of laptop prices carrying Intel's Arc GPUs.

BHPhotoVideo has now taken down the website listing; however, we still have evidence thanks to the leaker, which you can see below. For more information regarding the exact SKU and more Arc Alchemist data, we have to wait for the March 30th launch.

ASRock Industrial launches a new range of industrial motherboards powered by 12th Gen Intel Core Processors (Alder Lake-S) with up to 16 cores and 24 threads, supporting the new Intel 600 Series W680, Q670, and H610 chipsets. Featuring high computing power with performance hybrid architecture and enhanced AI capabilities, rich IOs and expansions for up to quad displays 4K@60 Hz, USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (20 Gbit/s), triple Intel 2.5 GbE LANs with real-time TSN, multi M.2 Key M, ECC memory, plus TPM 2.0, and wide voltage support. The new series covers comprehensive form factors, including industrial Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, and ATX motherboards for diverse applications, such as factory automation, kiosks, digital signage, smart cities, medical, and Edge AIoT applications.

Today, Intel announced the Intel NUC 12 Extreme (code-named Dragon Canyon) and the Intel NUC 12 Extreme Compute Element (code-named Eden Bay), a highly modular desktop PC kit engineered to provide phenomenal performance for high-end gaming and content creation tasks. With the latest 12th Gen Intel Core desktop processors, capacity for full-size 12-inch discrete graphics cards and a full range of I/O ports including Thunderbolt 4, the Intel NUC 12 Extreme delivers massive performance and features that enthusiast gamers and professional creators need in a compact and modular form factor.

The Intel NUC 12 Extreme brings Intel's new performance hybrid architecture and a socketed motherboard to the NUC line for the first time. For those who want a powerful system with a small footprint and more versatility than ever before, the Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit is an outstanding option. The most powerful Intel NUC yet encompasses new features, like performance hybrid architecture and access to faster PCIe interfaces, accelerating load times, all in a footprint that can fit on any desk.

Transcend, recently released its industrial-grade 112-layer PCIe M.2 SSDs. Coming with a M.2 2280 form factor and up to 2 TB capacity, this new series of SSDs is embedded with high-speed PCIe Gen4 x4 and PCIe Gen3 x4 interfaces. Leveraging advanced technologies and manufacturing process, Transcend enhances the drive performance and reliability, offering another durable storage solution for AI, 5G communication, enterprise servers, and IPC.

Thanks to the new generation of 3D NAND flash technology, memory cells can be vertically stacked to 112 layers, and the storage density per cell reaches 1
TB, a two-fold increase compared to 96-layer SSDs. 112-layer 3D NAND also delivers higher transfer speeds, 50% higher throughput than its predecessor. Transcend's 112-layer 3D NAND SSDs offer an endurance rating of 3K P/E cycles, and are able to operate securely under an extended temperature range (-20°C~-75°C). All drives have undergone robust tests to ensure that optimal reliability can fully support heavy industrial workloads.

Phanteks announced the launch of the new Eclipse P600s and Evolv X Matte White Edition along with the Gen4 PCI-e Riser Cables. Its stunning all-new matte white look makes the Evolv X and Eclipse P600s a perfect combination for color-themed builds while maintaining a wide range of flexibility and premium materials.

Evolv X & Eclipse P600S Matte White Edition
The Evolv X and Eclipse P600s are mid-tower cases that offer dual system capabilities, massive storage, and extensive water-cooling support. The Evolv X features a 3 mm aluminium exterior with hinged clear tempered glass, improved airflow, smart spacing, and additional mesh elements. The P600s, a hybrid forged between silent and high-performance chassis. Designed with an effective soundproofing panel and Phanteks' new high-airflow fabric, the Eclipse P600s offers the full potential of two opposites, minimum noise, and maximum airflow. Whether it's a high-end water-cooling build, professional data storage system, or even a dual-system PC, both cases can accommodate your desired configuration thanks to the effective interior design that utilizes the space efficiently.

PATRIOT, a global leader in performance memory, SSDs, gaming peripherals, and flash storage solutions, is pleased to announce the PATRIOT P400 PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe M.2 SSD with capacities of 512 GB and 1 TB. The PATRIOT P400 was built using the latest PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe controller and best-in-class components to deliver faster data access, multi-application processing, and quick transfer speeds up to 5000 MB/s in sequential. The PATRIOT P400 can offer double the transfer speeds compared to standard PCIe 3x4 solutions with lower power consumption making it the best solution for laptop battery efficiency. In addition, the exclusive thin graphene heatshield provides outstanding heat dissipation, especially in systems with limited space.

"The PATRIOT P400 M.2 is designed to be an ideal solution for budget-minded users looking to achieve a cost-efficient storage solution with PCI Express gen4x4 performance. Our design team has created an excellent thermal solution using a slim graphene heatshield which can avoid any physical interference when using this drive-in system with limited space, such as a thin laptop." Said Roger Shinmoto, the vice president of PATRIOT MEMORY.

KINGMAX today unveiled the PQ4480, an interesting "entry-level" M.2 NVMe SSD. While it features a PCI-Express 4.0 x4 host interface, it doesn't really utilize that kind of bandwidth, and should offer nearly-identical performance with both PCIe Gen3 and Gen4 M.2 slots. While the company doesn't mention the controller + NAND flash combination in play, we predict this to be a Phison PS5019-E19T PCIe Gen4 DRAM-less controller, paired with 3D TLC NAND flash memory.

The PQ4480 comes in capacities of 250 GB, 500 GB, and 1 TB. All three capacity variants offer sequential read speeds of up to 3600 MB/s. The 250 GB variant writes at up to 1200 MB/s and has 4K random access speeds of up to 150k/300k IOPS reads/writes, the 500 GB variant up to 2300 MB/s with up to 300k/350k IOPS, and the 1 TB variant up to 3000 MB/s, with up to 400k/450k IOPS. Endurance is rated at 150 TBW for the 250 GB variant, 300 TBW for the 500 GB variant, and 600 TBW for the 1 TB variant. KINGMAX is backing these drives with 3-year warranties. The company didn't reveal pricing.

A disturbing trend among entry-level M.2 NVMe SSDs is a complete disregard from manufacturers for consistency in the brands and types of the various key components of the drives. The companies simply advertise a certain set of performance and endurance numbers, which serve as ends to reach by whatever means (of controller or NAND flash combos). This was recently illustrated with the Kingston NV1, which presents an extreme case of "hardware lottery." You can get either a SMI or Phison controller, and either a TLC or QLC NAND flash (combinations thereof).

Cutting through all this, ADATA is making a reassuring guarantee with regards to its recently announced entry-level NVMe product, the XPG Atom 50. In an exclusive comment to TechPowerUp, the company said that all XPG Atom 50 drives in the market will come with a consistent combination of controller and NAND flash. The drive combines an Innogrit IG5220 RainierQX controller with Micron "B47R" 176-layer 3D TLC NAND flash chips, a combo ADATA guarantees it will never break. We recently reviewed the 1 TB variant of this drive, and found it to offer excellent performance leveraging PCIe Gen4, at a price you'd typically find PCIe Gen3 drives at.

The all-new XPOWER XS70 PCIe 4.0 SSD from Silicon Power (SP) is about to take gaming to new highs with its thrilling performance and unique design that will give hardcore gamers the boost to take on opponents for hours on end.

With a standard data transfer rate that's 2x faster than the 3.0 version, the XS70 PCIe Gen4 x4 with 3D NAND flash memory and NVMe 1.4 support is exactly what serious gamers need to crush the competition. Mind-blowing continuous read and write speeds up to 7,300 MB/s and 6,800 MB/s, respectively, enable the XS70 to push the limits of what an SSD can do so you can break new records.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced it has begun volume shipments of the world's first 176-layer QLC NAND SSD. Built with the most advanced NAND architecture, Micron's 176-layer QLC NAND delivers the industry's leading storage density and optimized performance for a broad range of data-rich applications. Designed for use cases spanning client and data center environments, Micron's transformative new NAND technology is now available with the introduction of the Micron 2400 SSD, the world's first 176-layer PCIe Gen4 QLC SSD for client applications. The new 176-layer QLC NAND will also be incorporated into select Micron Crucial consumer SSDs, and available as a component for system designers.

Micron's groundbreaking 176-layer QLC NAND provides a layer count and density unprecedented in QLC NAND flash and follows Micron's delivery of the industry's first 176-layer TLC NAND. Additionally, Micron's 176-layer QLC NAND enables 33% higher I/O speed and 24% lower read latency than Micron's prior generation solution. Its replacement-gate architecture is the only mass production QLC flash storage that combines charge trap with a CMOS-under-array design. These improvements are driving adoption of QLC SSDs in the client PC market, which is expected to triple QLC adoption by 2023, exceeding 35%, and reaching nearly 80% bit share in 2025.

Phanteks debuts a host of new products for the upcoming year at CES 2022 - The brand new Evolv Shift XT Mini-ITX Chassis and Revolt SFX Power Supplies, Matte White Editions for the Evolv X & Eclipse P600S Chassis, white SK PWM D-RGB Fans, white AMP Power Supply and a complete range of Gen4 PCIe Riser Cables and Gen4 Vertical GPU Bracket.

Brand new and unique Evolv Shift XT Mini-ITX Chassis and super compact Revolt SFX Power Supplies
Evolv Shift XT - Compact, Powerful, Futureproof
The Evolv Shift XT brings a unique small form factor that can extend in size to tailor to your cooling performance needs. The Evolv Shift XT has no compromise on performance with support for powerful hardware, whether in Compact, Aircooled, or Liquid Cooled Mode.

Wonderful news can't come sooner at the beginning of the new year. MSI launched the latest mainstream H670, B660 and H610 Series motherboards that everyone has been looking forward to ever since Intel released the 12th Gen Core processors. After MSI received high praises for the new Z690 motherboards last year, it's the B660 Series motherboards' turn to come under the spotlight. Some benefits of the B660 Series motherboards include affordable prices and remarkable performance. What else do MSI B660 motherboards use to draw our attention?

As promised to all of our fans and users, MSI is dedicated to offering a huge selection of choices. For the latest platform, MSI launched MAG and PRO segments and most of them are available in both DDR4 and DDR5 versions. The overclocking memory frequency of MSI B660 DDR5 motherboards can achieve 6200 MHz as a result of MSI OC LAB's tuning and MSI Memory Boost. All MSI B660 Series motherboards support PCIe 4.0, which provides 64 GB/s of transfer bandwidth. Equipped with up to 12 DrMOS with Duet Rail Power System, MSI MAG B660 motherboards have 6 layers PCB with 2-oz copper to guarantee stable current delivered to the core processors.

Phison Electronics Corp., a global leader in NAND flash controller integrated circuits and storage solutions, will showcase its lineup of next-generation gaming solutions for customers, partners, media and other interested parties during CES 2022, January 5-8 exclusively by private virtual demos. The new-class of solutions include the company's first PCIe Gen5 controller for high-end desktop gaming, a future high-performance Gen4 solution, and demonstration of the next-generation game workload coming soon to PCs.

Phison, the leader in gaming-optimized SSDs pushes the boundaries of performance. The company's solutions power seamless experiences for modern console, desktop/notebook and mobile gaming, which are delivered to consumers through an extensive and diverse group of partners.Update Jan 4th: Added presentation slides, product images and closeups of the PCB designs.

SK hynix today unveiled the Platinum P41, the fastest M.2 NVMe SSD under the NAND flash and DRAM manufacturer's own marquee. Built in the M.2-2280 form-factor, the drive is targeted at the DIY PC enthusiast segment, and is the company's first client-segment drive to take advantage of the PCI-Express 4.0 x4 host interface. The drive combines an in-house controller design by the company, codenamed "Aries," with the company's latest 176-layer 3D NAND flash, and a DDR4 DRAM cache.

The SK hynix Platinum P41 comes in three variants based on capacity—500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB. All three feature a compact design. The company didn't release variant-specific performance numbers, but made broad performance claims for the series. It offers sequential reads of up to 7,000 MB/s, with up to 6,500 MB/s sequential writes, up to 1.4 million IOPS 4K random reads; and up to 1.3 million IOPS 4K random writes. The endurance claims for the 500 GB variant are 500 TBW, for the 1 TB are 750 TBW, and for the 2 TB variant are 1,200 TBW. The drives are backed by 5-year warranties. The company will release pricing and availability later into Q1 2022 (before April).

Update Jan 4th: Additional technical details on the 176-layer NAND flash can be found here and here.

Hynix also confirmed to us that the Platinum P41 uses Hynix components exclusively: "The P41 uses TLC, SK hynix Aries controller, SK hynix NAND & DRAM." This also clarifies that the drive is TLC, so there's no chance for stealth component changes to QLC like on some other vendors.

KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced that its CM6 and CD6 Series of PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs have earned VMware vSAN 7.0 certification, enabling them to be shared across connected hosts in a VMware vSphere cluster. Users can pool KIOXIA SSDs together in a single, distributed, shared data-store and define the storage capabilities required (such as performance, capacity and availability) for each connected virtual machine within the VMware vSAN cluster. These capabilities not only further hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) options in virtual environments, but also ensure that storage policies are administered and maintained within the CM6 and CD6 Series with vSAN compatibility.

This certification allows VMware vSAN support for both hybrid and all-flash configurations using a two-tier storage architecture, capacity tier and cache. All write operations are sent to the cache tier and are subsequently de-staged to the capacity tier over time. When a CM6 or CD6 Series SSD is deployed within a hybrid configuration, its cache tier is used as both a read and write cache, staging hot data to improve system performance. In an all-flash configuration, 100 percent of the cache tier is used for the write buffer. Given the benefits of tiered storage, CM6 and CD6 SSDs are capable of meeting the demanding requirements of both enterprise and data center customers.

KIOXIA America, Inc. today announced that it has bolstered its lineup of PCIe 4.0 solid state drives (SSDs) with the addition of the KIOXIA BG5 Series. Designed to bring a suitable balance of performance, cost and power to everyday gamers and PC users, the KIOXIA BG5 Series is built with a PCIe 64 GT/s interface (Gen4 x4 lanes) and accelerated by the company's fifth-generation BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory technology.

As a virtual multi-LUN (VML)-enabled client SSD, the KIOXIA BG5 Series unlocks back-end flash performance while maintaining affordability, making it an especially attractive option for a wide range of commercial and consumer notebooks and desktops. KIOXIA BG5 SSDs also support the latest Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology to realize a finely optimized DRAM-less SSD. The KIOXIA BG5 ships in a compact M.2 2230 single-sided, thermally optimized form factor enabling mobility and work-from-home lifestyles. M.2 2280 single-sided form factor versions are also available.

ADATA Technology, a manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, mobile accessories, gaming products, electric power trains, and industrial solutions today announces a new series of solid state drives (SSD), the ADATA LEGEND series, geared toward creators of different needs and budgets. They include the ADATA LEGEND 740, 750, and 840.

The LEGEND 740 and 750 utilize PCIe Gen3 x4 and NVMe 1.3 to deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,500/2,000 and 3,500/3,000 MB per second, respectively, to give creators the performance they need to create without limitations. Their M.2 2280 specifications support the latest Intel and AMD platforms for creating on the latest PCs, including desktop and laptops. For users seeking a further boost, the LEGEND 840 takes advantage of PCIe Gen4 x4 and NVMe 1.4 to offer read and write speeds of up to 5,000/4,500 MB per second.

Kingston FURY, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced Kingston FURY Renegade SSD, its next generation PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 drive for gamers, enthusiasts, and high-power users. Kingston FURY Renegade SSD delivers cutting-edge performance in high capacities using the latest Gen 4x4 controller and 3D TLC NAND.

By maximizing the available bandwidth of PCIe 4.0, Kingston FURY Renegade SSD achieves speeds up to 7,300/7,000 MB/s read/write and up to 1,000,000 IOPS to deliver amazing consistency for an exceptional gaming experience. The drive is optimized to reduce game and application load times, stream and capture with ease and give your system an overall boost in responsiveness. Available in high capacities up to 4 TB, users can store an extensive library of their favorite games and media and still have space for the latest titles. In addition to formidable speeds and massive capacity options, Kingston FURY Renegade SSD combines a slim M.2 form factor and an advanced low profile, graphene aluminium heatspreader to keep your drive cool during intense usage and bring superior performance to the tightest of spaces in gaming PC's and laptops.