Seagate has confirmed that it now has a PS5-compatible SSD that should be a worthwhile drop-in replacement for the PS5's user-replaceable storage. This isn't a new product, mind you: the company has announced the Firecuda 530 for some time now. However, the company did announce that this SSD can be used in the PS5 system - even if just barely. With space being so constrained in the PS5's NVMe SSD slot, not all SSDs can even physically fit the available space (110 x 25 x 11.25 mm) - and especially not all SSDs featuring a heatsink, even if PS5's compatibility requirements demand such an heatsink to be present so as to avoid thermal throttling.

The FIrecuda 530 1 TB can easily best Sony's 5500 MB/s sequential read requirements for SSD compatibility with the PS5 - the PCIe 4.0 Firecuda 530 offers 7,300 MB/s on that regard, so it more than fits the part. The user-replaceable SSD storage on the PS5 will only be available for Beta users at first, via an upcoming software update for the console, and there are some hoops to jump through in migrating data to it. Seagate is also releasing a 2 TB version ($569.99) and a 4 TB version ($1,049.99). Seagate's own user-replaceable SSD for the Xbox Series X|S, the Storage Expansion Card, is available in 1 TB capacity for $219.

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced two new solid state drive (SSD) series scheduled to be released in the fourth quarter of 2021. The EXCERIA PRO and EXCERIA G2 Series are the company's latest consumer-grade solutions for today's hardcore enthusiasts and mainstream DIY system builders. Kioxia's new SSDs, which are products under development, will be on reference exhibit at the China Digital Entertainment Expo and Conference (ChinaJoy) in Shanghai from July 30th to August 2nd.

Using the next generation PCIe Gen4 x4 interface, the EXCERIA PRO Series is built for demanding PC environments. This brand new series will offer more than 2x the max sequential read speeds of the PCIe Gen3 based EXCERIA PLUS Series, delivering a high performance storage experience for content creators, gamers and professionals.

Intel's 12th Generation Core "Alder Lake-S" desktop processor will see a limited launch in 2021, according to an Igor's Lab report. This will be restricted to PC enthusiast-relevant SKUs bearing the -K and -KF brand extensions, and compatible Socket LGA1700 motherboards based only on the top Z690 (Z590-successor) chipset. The series will ramp up to other (locked) models, along with more affordable chipset models (B560-successor), only by Q1-2022, on the sidelines of the 2022 International CES. Sources tell Igor's Lab that these select few models could be launched between October 25 and November 19.

Intel is expected to make several technological leaps over AMD with "Alder Lake-S." To begin with, it has the first hybrid core technology that combines high-performance "Golden Cove" cores with high-efficiency "Gracemont" cores, in a heterogenous multi-core setup comparable to Arm big.LITTLE. Next up, it is expected to debut the PCI-Express Gen 5 I/O, and DDR5 memory support. While PCIe 5.0 GPUs remain under development, the first devices to take advantage of it are expected to be NVMe SSDs, benefiting from 128 Gbps bandwidth (Gen 5 x4). It is also learned that the next-gen motherboards will retain the current ATX 24-pin + EPS power interface, and Intel won't force adoption of ATX12VO. The new ATX12VO standard increases motherboard costs as it essentially transfers DC-to-DC switching components from the PSU to the motherboard (12 V to 5 V; 12 V to 3.3 V, etc), and adds output connectors.

GIGABYTE rolled out the X570S Gaming X motherboard, expanding its line of AMD X570S motherboards that debuted in June with a trio of AORUS Gaming and AERO series products. The Gaming X sticks to GIGABYTE's main brand, and is usually priced below its AORUS Gaming models. Built in the ATX form-factor, the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and single 8-pin EPS connectors. It uses a 6-layer PCB for better memory and PCIe signalling. A 14-phase (12+2 phase) VRM powers the CPU, with an enlarged MOSFET heatsink. The AMD X570S chipset is cooled by a fanless heatsink.

The AM4 socket is wired to a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 slot, and M.2 NVMe slot with PCI-Express 4.0 x4 wiring. There are two additional M.2 NVMe slots wired to the X570S chipset, both capable of PCI-Express 4.0 x4. Other expansion slots include a PCI-Express x16 (Gen 4 x2 electrical), and two Gen 4 x1 slots. USB connectivity includes two 10 Gbps USB 3.2 ports on the rear panel, one of which is type-C; and seven 5 Gbps USB 3.2 ports, from which four are on the rear panel, one is an internal type-C port, and two ports via headers. The sole network interface is a 2.5 GbE, driven by a Realtek 8125B controller. The 8-channel onboard audio is basic Realtek ALC892 fare. The board comes with out-of-the-box support for Ryzen 5000 "Vermeer," and Ryzen 5000G "Cezanne" processors, besides Ryzen 3000 series. The company didn't reveal pricing, but we expect this to go for well under $180.

Infortrend Technology, Inc., the industry-leading enterprise storage provider, has launched U.2 SSD solution for EonStor CS scale-out NAS. The new all-flash CS 4014U satisfies high performance-demanding requirements for high throughput and low latency workloads, such as media & entertainment (M&E), HPC, Big Data, etc.

EonStor CS is a scale-out NAS storage able to expand capacity and linearly increase performance by adding more nodes. CS provides complete data protection and high availability to avoid data loss and system downtime caused by disk damage or system failures. Each node of CS 4014U model can be installed with 14 U.2 SSDs, and a 5-node cluster can reach 20 GB/s throughput.

Microsoft DirectStorage API, a game-changing technology that seeks to lower game load times and improve performance, will not be a Windows 11 exclusive, but make it to Windows 10. Shortly following the Windows 11 announcement, it was learned that Microsoft might wall off DirectStorage to Windows 11, which no longer appears to be the case. The DirectStorage Developer Preview is now available, and it works on Windows 10 version 1909 (or later), letting game developers begin exploring the technology and consider integrating it with their current or ongoing game development.

DirectStorage lets a GPU directly stream compressed game assets from an NVMe SSD, where they are uncompressed using compute shaders; cutting out a significant amount of back-and-forth with the CPU, freeing up its hardware resources, resulting in a net gain from reduced game-loading times. This would give gamers on Windows 10 one more reason to remain on the OS until Windows 11 matures. The new OS, however, could have an advantage over Windows 10 on machines with hybrid CPU cores, such as the upcoming "Alder Lake" processors, as its scheduler purportedly has greater awareness of hybrid core topologies.

The upcoming Steam Deck device has recently been confirmed to feature a M.2 NVMe 2230 slot on all three models. This confirmation comes after Valve CEO Gabe Newell confirmed in various emails the presence of the slot and this information has since been updated on the Steam Deck website. The official device specifications now list all models as featuring socketed 2230 M.2 modules with a notice that they are not intended for end-user replacement. The base Steam Deck model features just 64 GB of eMMC flash so the availability of this upgrade option will be appealing to many users. The M.2 2230 form-factor is the smallest currently available measuring just 22 mm x 30 mm which does come with the disadvantage of less available products and higher prices compared to full size M.2 drives.

PNY announced today the launch of the LX2030 and LX3030 line of ultra high endurance SSDs to the company's assortment of solid-state drives. The new LX families of SSDs offer ever higher levels of endurance designed for "proof of space and time" applications like Chia (XCH) Plotting.

The PNY LX2030 and LX3030 M.2 NVMe SSDs are the ideal solution for "proof of space and time" applications like plotting Chia Coin. To secure the blockchain, the data needs to be first created in a process called "plotting", which is only required once per plot file. This process is write intensive, so a desirable SSD for plotting has high sustained write bandwidth and endurance (TBW, or terabytes written). Typically this level of write performance and endurance was only seen on enterprise class SSDs.

The EVGA Z590 DARK once again strikes fear into the hearts of other Z590 motherboards by combining every ounce of power available to the Intel Z590 chipset and fine-tuning it to perfection. This armed and fully-operational motherboard is born from a 10-layer PCB and powered by a 21-Phase VRM. With support for PCIe Gen4 graphics cards and M.2 NVMe SSDs, overclockers have nothing to fear when shooting for the highest scores in any benchmark.

For everyone else, the Z590 DARK is loaded with over a dozen USB options, eight SATA ports, two 2.5 Gbps NICs + WiFi 6/BT 5.1, 7.1 Channel HD Audio, three M.2 Key-M slots, and two fan headers dedicated to AIO CPU Coolers. As a wise overclocker once said, "Once you start down the DARK path, forever will it dominate your destiny." and with the EVGA Z590 DARK, that destiny is sure to be filled with shattered records and countless victories on the battlefield.

To meet the market demand for large-capacity data storage, TEAMGROUP today announced two high-performance, huge-capacity storage products: the TEAMGROUP MP34Q M.2 PCIe SSD, which utilizes QLC Flash and the PCIe Gen3x4 interface and comes with capacities up to 8 TB; and the HIGH ENDURANCE CARD designed for high-resolution surveillance systems. Whether it is for computer equipment or security systems used at home or a business, TEAMGROUP provides reliable upgrade solutions for those who seek the best performance and stability.

Today the company announced the TEAMGROUP MP34Q M.2 PCIe SSD, which utilizes QLC Flash and the PCIe Gen3x4 interface. It also supports NVMe 1.3 and the Dual Cache technologies: SLC Caching and DRAM Cache Buffer. The MP34Q M.2 PCIe SSD offers a massive capacity of up to 8 TB, excellent read/write speeds of up to 3,400/3,000 MB/s, and an official five-year warranty with purchase, so consumers can buy and upgrade with confidence.

SilverStone today introduced the Raven RVS03, a unique M.2 SSD enclosure that supports both NVMe and SATA drives. Typically M.2 enclosures only support either of the two. The drive is based on the Realtek RTL9210B-CG controller that takes advantage of 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 and UASP protocols, and offers sequential transfer rates of up to 1000 MB/s. The Raven's body is made entirely of aluminium, with a high-conductivity thermal pad being included, letting you transfer heat from the drive inside to the enclosure body. The enclosure uses a single USB 3.2 cable for both power and host connectivity. Cables are included for both type-A and type-C. It measures 105.7 mm x 35 mm x 13.5 mm (LxHxW), dry-weighing 52.2 g. The company didn't reveal pricing.

A lightweight M.2 SSD is a great way to add significant performance gains to any laptop or PC workstation. Silicon Power (SP) is releasing a new enclosure that will give your SSD the ability to not only achieve these gains but also take it wherever you go. The PD60 turns your M.2 M-key NVMe or SATA SSD into a portable hard drive for whenever and wherever you need it. Transfer data rapidly up to 10 Gbps via its USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface with the included Type-C to Type-C cable. It's also backwards-compatible with USB 3.1/3.0/2.0 at their respective speed limits.

The aluminium body is durable enough to protect your SSD, yet light enough to toss in your bag and hardly notice it, making it the perfect travel companion. It also provides superior heat dissipation, which is further enhanced by its slide design, allowing excess heat to escape when the cover is removed.

OWC, the premier zero-emissions Mac and PC technology company, and a respected provider of Memory, External Drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions, and performance upgrade kits, announces the OWC U2 ShuttleOne. This innovative "build your own" heat dissipating full metal adapter brings U.2 SSD performance and capacity to the mainstream in a flexible, easy-to-use design. Performance enthusiasts, IT admins, M&E pros, gamers, and more can now use a readily available and affordable NVMe M.2 "blade" style SSD in a 2.5-inch U.2 bay. Whether you have a U.2 bay equipped server, workstation, gaming rig, or external drive, the OWC U2 ShuttleOne gives you access to a new world of storage possibilities.

The OWC U2 ShuttleOne offers a full-metal housing that solidly protects your drive and data while providing cooling that's superior to adapters made with other materials. The OWC U2 ShuttleOne delivers complete drive reliability and takes your workflow beyond the limits. Small form factor NVMe M.2 SSDs can pack a powerful performance but swapping them can damage the connector and make the drive unreadable. The OWC U2 ShuttleOne lets you change your NVMe M.2 SSD at will in any 2.5-inch U.2 drive bay with the peace of mind that your drive will stay protected. This innovative adapter is fully certified and rated up to PCIe Gen 4, meaning the OWC U2 ShuttleOne supports your drive's fastest performance up to 8,000 MB/s. The OWC U2 ShuttleOne can make your dream of mind-blowingly fast speeds a reality.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, a professional manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards, all-in-one gaming and multimedia solutions, and high-performance storage, is proud to announce the launch of the COLORFUL X15-AT gaming laptop powered by the latest 11th generation Intel Core processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics. The gaming laptop comes equipped with a 15.6" display with 144 Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB coverage for fluid gameplays and vivid colors. It also features Thunderbolt 4 connectivity and fast Wi-Fi 6. The COLORFUL X15-AT is not only powerful but also very portable. It uses a durable CNC milled aluminium chassis with an ultra-thin 23.9 mm thickness. It weighs at just 1.93 kilograms.

Powerful high-performance components require powerful cooling. With that, COLORFUL fitted the gaming laptop with the improved Storm Blade 3.0 cooling design featuring dual turbo fans and supersized cooling fins. The COLORFUL X15-AT also features a larger trackpad and RGB backlit keyboard. The gaming laptop has an intricate aesthetic design inspired by Leizhenzi - a powerful thunder god from the ancient Chinese mythology.

MSI is announcing the launch of its solid state drive (SSD) product line with the introduction of SPATIUM. The initial product offering will include M480, M470, and M370, which are Gen4 and Gen3 PCIe NVMe SSDs in compact M.2 2280 form factors that can be installed into compatible desktop motherboards and laptops.

MSI continues to refine its identity as a high-performance PC brand and SPATIUM was envisioned to expand our ecosystem and cover the high-performance storage category. These SSDs are built with high-quality, high-density 3D NAND flash that deliver the best compromise of performance and endurance for professionals, content creators, and gamers. Among the performance improving technologies include a DRAM cache buffer for M480 and M470, and a SLC cache for all announced models.

GIGABYTE is giving finishing touches to its new motherboard targeted at creators who like to game, and premium desktop builders, the X570S AERO G. This marks the debut of the company's AERO brand, associated with notebooks, over to the desktop PC components segment. The board's aesthetics appear more in line with the company's VISION line of products. The Socket AM4 motherboard is based on the new AMD X570S chipset, a low-power version of the X570 that can make do with fanless cooling.

What sets the X570S AERO G apart is its five M.2 NVMe Gen 4 slots, leveraging the PCIe Gen 4 downstream connectivity of the X570S. You also get two PCI-Express 4.0 x16 slots (x8/x8 with both populated), and creator-relevant connectivity that includes 2.5 GbE wired LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, and GIGABYTE's highest onboard audio grade. Thunderbolt connectivity is unlikely to be found. The board will come with out-of-the-box support not just for Ryzen 5000 "Vermeer" processors, but also Ryzen 5000G "Cezanne" APUs, which it wires out through DisplayPort and HDMI ports.

Update Jul 5th: GIGABYTE formally launched the X570S AERO G. It lacks 10 GbE, unlike previously reported, offers 2.5 GbE, and comes with USB 3.2x2 (20 Gbps) ports.

GIGABYTE Technology, one of the top global manufacturers of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, today announced the AORUS XTREME Gen4 AIC SSD with 28 GB/s ultra-fast access speed. This high capacity and extreme performance SSD builds in eight 4 TB 2nd generation PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSDs with PHISON PS5018-E18 controller, AORUS XTREME Gen4 AIC SSD offers ultra-high transfer bandwidth and superior access performance through RAID configuration.

The AORUS Xtreme Gen4 AIC SSD features ultimate thermal design with large aluminium finned heatsink, M.2 baseplate for passive cooling, 10 temperature sensors and active dual-fan heat dissipation design, while the exclusive SSD Tool Box offers users real-time status and temperature monitoring of SSDs. GIGABYTE AORUS Storage Manager allows users to configure a RAID array with a single click and 3-phase fan speed adjustment, which enabling AORUS XTREME Gen4 AIC SSD to keep cool and performing at a high level. It promises a non-throttling experience for users who phase for high capacity and breakthrough performance.

Intel has partnered with Sabrent to ship NUC 11 Pro Mini PCs with pre-installed Sabrent Rocket 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSDs, on the NUC11TNKv7. The drives feature Toshiba 96-layer 3D TLC NAND flash, and are capable of up to 5 GB/s sequential reads, and up to 4.4 GB/s sequential writes, taking advantage of the PCI-Express 4.0 x4 host interface. On machines with PCIe Gen 3, the drives can attain up to 3.4 GB/s reads, with up to 2.75 GB/s writes. Lower models of the pre-built NUC 11 Pro feature Transcend TS512GMTS430S M.2 SATA drives.

Kingston, the flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced the availability of the DC1500M, a U.2 data center NVMe PCIe SSD for mixed-use workloads. Leveraging a high-performance Gen 3.0 x4 PCIe NVMe design, the DC1500M delivers predictable random IO performance as well as predictable latencies over a wide range of workloads.

"DC1500M adds support for multiple namespaces making it ideal for environments including virtualisation and web hosting," said Tony Hollingsbee, SSD business manager, Kingston EMEA. "From high-performance cloud services, media capture and transport to a range of big-data applications, DC1500M sets the standard for applications where QoS and predictability of performance are paramount. Data centers need drives that are reliable, have serviceable form factors and are equipped with the enterprise-grade features that make it easier to maintain SLAs."

Microsoft's ambitious DirectStorage API, which attempts to solve the storage bottleneck in games, facilitating faster game load times, has been walled off from Windows 10. To use it, games now require the new Windows 11 operating system, and a GPU that supports the DirectX 12 Ultimate API. This limits the GPU choices to NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 20-series, RTX 30-series, and AMD's Radeon RX 6000 series.

The other hardware requirement intrinsic to DirectStorage is for you to use an NVMe SSD that uses Microsoft's "Standard NVM Express Controller" driver that's included with Windows. Another hardware requirement that's baffling is that the SSD should be at least 1 TB in capacity. DirectStorage facilitates compressed game asset data to be transferred directly to the GPU from the storage device, and for it to be uncompressed by the GPU (using compute shaders), so there is a significant reduction in storage sub-system latency, and CPU utilization, impacting game load times.

TEAMGROUP unveils the T-FORCE CARDEA Z44Q PCIe 4.0 SSD with two patented cooling modules, QLC Flash, and PCIe Gen 4x4 interface that supports the latest NVMe 1.4 standard and provides a massive capacity of up to 4 TB. Consumers can opt for different specs based on their preference and needs, and gamers can have everything from cooling, performance, and capacity in one SSD, and explore the infinite possibilities with T-FORCE CARDEA Z44Q PCIe4.0 SSD.

Equipped with QLC Flash, the T-FORCE CARDEA Z44Q PCIe 4.0 SSD supports the latest PCIe Gen 4x4 interface and NVMe 1.4 standards, meaning that it is compatible with PCIe Gen3.0 interface while offering up to 4 TB in capacity. The read/write speeds reach up to 5,000/4,000 MB/s, which are 10 times faster than traditional SSDs, making it a pioneer for the new TB M.2 era and the best choice for players in terms of cooling, speed, and capacity.

Seagate today announced its newest PC gaming SSD, the FireCuda 530, at the company's inaugural virtual gaming event, SG21. The new drive offers gamers the latest PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD technology and the fastest performance from the company's line of PC gaming storage products - bringing speed, endurance, and high capacity to the peak of PC performance.

Delivering sequential read speeds of up to 7300 MB/s, the FireCuda 530 catalyzes PCIe Gen4 power with transfer rates up to two times faster than PCIe Gen3 SSDs and 12 times faster than SATA-based SSDs. The drive is built with a Seagate-validated E18 controller and the latest 3D TLC NAND to provide the most advanced speed and durability for PC gaming. Seagate also offers a minimalist heatsink option, specially designed by EKWB that swaps out cooling fins for a more massive, high-grade aluminium block with a finely textured finish, maximizing cooling.

Western Digital is reportedly preparing a firmware update for its WD Black SN850 M.2 NVMe SSD that restores the drive's write performance levels on PCs based on the AMD X570 platform. This problem is localized to X570, specifically to when the drive is installed on an M.2 NVMe slot that is wired to the X570 chipset. Drives that are installed on the slot that's directly wired to the Ryzen processor perform as expected (Ryzen 3000 "Matisse" and Ryzen 5000 "Vermeer").

The drive performs as intended on AMD B550, as well as Intel platforms that support PCIe Gen 4, as the only Gen 4-capable M.2 slots are the ones directly wired to the processor. Western Digital localized the problem to certain X570 motherboards that have their PCIe maximum payload size (MPS) value set at 128 bytes. This dictates the maximum transaction layer packet (TLP) that goes through the PCIe controller, and a low MPS value cripples performance. The firmware update by Western Digital possibly works around this limitation. The company is expected to release the firmware update by 12 July, 2021.

When solid state drives were first manufactured, they were designed using form factors similar to hard disk drives. But, because they are made from flash memory, SSDs can be designed in various form factors that best take advantage of the unique needs of respective client, hyperscale and enterprise compute environments. The form factor that is best suited for rack storage over the current industry-standard M.2 drive is the E1.S, according to experts at Phison Electronics Corp., a global leader in NAND flash controller integrated circuits and storage solutions. Phison's own E1.S SSD with the world's highest capacity storage is coming to market soon.

When first released, the M.2 form factor was popular in hyper-scale data centers due to its small size, low-cost structure, flexibility and scalability of multiple drives per server. But the M.2 form factor is not hot-pluggable and typically a challenge to service with the SSD installed on an internal motherboard socket. The M.2 form factor dimensions are also not ideal to fully utilize the space available in a 1U rack height (1.75") for storage capacity.

Sabrent today released a firmware update for its Rocket 4 Plus M.2 NVMe SSD. The new version 1.2 firmware addresses several caching and performance issues with initial batches of the drive that shipped with the version 1.1 firmware. The latest batches should come with version 1.2 firmware pre-installed. The update is released as a click-to-run drive firmware updater that works from Windows. The company recommends those with version 1.1 firmware to update their drives. Usual precautions, such as a data backup, as well as power backup during the firmware update, are recommended.

DOWNLOAD: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus version 1.2 Firmware Update