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.

Seagate Technology Holdings plc today introduced the new family of Star Wars Beskar Ingot Drives, the first release in a collaboration to bring designs inspired by the Star Wars franchise to its line of PC gaming storage devices, taking gamers' battle stations to the next level. The first release in the collaboration celebrates the legends of the Star Wars Mandalorian galaxy. These drives bring the iconic Star Wars "precious metal" aesthetic to the FireCuda line-up. The special edition designs will be available in M.2 NVMe, 2.5-inch SATA, and external HDD formats. Each drive resembles an ingot of Beskar, including its Imperial stamp featured prominently in the series, making these drives the ultimate collectible for Star Wars fans.

"We are thrilled to bring unique, iconic designs from one of the world's most popular franchises to the forefront of every gamer's battle station," said Jeff Fochtman, Senior Vice President of Business and Marketing at Seagate Technology. "This collaboration appeals to global audiences including gamers, PC builders, and Star Wars enthusiasts alike."

Micron Technology, today announced availability of the Micron 7400 SSD with NVMe, delivering industry-leading form factor flexibility, PCIe Gen4 performance, and leading-edge security to meet the storage needs of demanding data center workloads. With this portfolio, Micron is providing the broadest selection of mainstream data center SSDs available. Featuring seven form factors, the Micron 7400 SSD enables the transition to next-generation server architectures. Data centers continue to evolve thanks to the rapid growth of data and proliferation of applications that demand high performance. The need to process, analyze and secure data that provides valuable insights is fueling the modernization of the data center, requiring new levels of storage innovation.

XPG, a fast-growing provider of systems, components, and peripherals for Gamers, Esports Pros, and Tech Enthusiasts, today announces the latest evolution of its XENIA 15 KC gaming notebook platform, following the success of a series of collaborations between XPG and Intel. The all-new XENIA 15 KC comes equipped with an 11th Gen Intel i7 H CPU, an NVIDIA RTX 30 series GPU, and XPG's own hand selected memory and SSD.

Designed in collaboration with Intel, the new XPG XENIA 15 KC takes full advantage of the latest 11th Gen Intel i7-11800H processor, NVIDIA RTX 3070 graphics, and top of the line XPG memory and SSD, to deliver top of the line benchmarks, close to or even outpacing higher spec systems in gaming performance and pixel-perfect productivity. To strike a satisfying balance between fast-paced action and rich, detailed visuals, a spacious 15.6-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) 165 Hz IPS panel delivers the best of both worlds, perfectly tailored for its performance envelope. What's more, it achieves 100% sRGB color coverage for accurate color reproduction for content creation.

5G and AIoT need more speed and more capacity. And PCIe 4.0 delivers, doubling the speed of PCIe 3.0 and providing the much-needed performance boost to keep pace with innovation and industry trends. Not only speed and capacity, but tolerance of wide-range temperature is also crucial. Consumer-grade products aren't tough enough to withstand the high temperatures of outdoor and industrial settings, so Innodisk is introducing the first industrial-grade PCIe 4.0 SSDs built to handle those challenging conditions.

PCIe 4.0 increases the maximum capacity to 4 TB, doubles the bandwidth, and raises the speed to 16 GT/s which is twice that of PCIe Gen3. Although third-generation PCIe offered only modest speed increases over the popular SATA III for storage applications, it did provide the much sought-after advantages of full forward and backward compatibility. PCIe 4.0 retains that coveted compatibility while also adding noticeable speed increases.

be quiet!, the German manufacturer for premium PC components, is proud to announce that its MC1 M.2 SSD cooler is a perfect match for the brand-new PlayStation 5 SSD expansion capabilities.

For those running out of storage space on the built-in solid-state drive of the PlayStation 5, Sony has recently released a firmware update that unlocks the M.2 SSD expansion slot, allowing users to add an additional solid-state drive to the console. These drives can run very hot, which could cause SSD throttling, prompting Sony to recommend only using M.2 SSDs with a heatsink. be quiet! offers gamers the ideal solution with its MC1 cooler, which is compatible with any single-sided or double-sided 2280 M.2 SSD that does not feature a built-in heatsink. It is also one of the only M.2 SSD coolers on the market compact enough to perfectly fit inside the expansion slot of the PlayStation 5 and able to cool double-sided SSDs, protecting the memory modules on both sides of the PCB from overheating. The result is much lower and safer SSD temperatures, which translates into trouble-free gaming sessions and an increased lifespan of the drive.

The Chinese Electronics company Jingjia Micro have recently completed the tapeout of their JM9 GPU series almost 2 years after they first announced the lineup. The JM9 series will consist of two GPUs with the entry-level JM9231 targeting GTX 1050 performance while the higher-end JM9271 aims for the GTX 1080. The JM9231 is stated to feature a clock speed above 1.5 GHz, 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, and will provide 2 TFLOPS of performance within a 150 W TDP through a PCIe Gen3 x16 interface. The JM9271 increases the clock speed to above 1.8 GHz and is paired with 16 GB of HBM memory which should offer 8 TFLOPS of single-precision performance to rival the GTX 1080. The card manages to do this within a TDP package of 200 W and also includes PCIe Gen4 x16 support. The two cards both support HDMI 2.0 in addition to DisplayPort 1.3 for the JM9231 and DisplayPort 1.4 for the JM9271.

While the JM9271 may target GTX 1080 performance it only features OpenGL and OpenCL API support lacking DirectX or Vulkan compatibility greatly reducing its use for gaming. The cards were originally expected to be available in 2020 but after various delays they are now ready to enter production. These products are highly unlikely to make their way outside of the Chinese mainland and if they did we wouldn't expect them to have much impact on the global market.

CORSAIR, a world leader in enthusiast components for gamers, creators, and PC builders, today announced the launch of a new Gen4 PCIe x4 NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive - the MP600 PRO XT. Available in capacities up to an immense 4 TB, the MP600 PRO XT stores massive amounts of data in a convenient form-factor that neatly fits nearly any PC build. For those who need to run games, load applications, and transfer files at lighting speed, the MP600 PRO XT delivers incredible sustained performance with a pre-installed heatspreader, leaving standard M.2 SSDs in the dust.

The MP600 PRO XT boasts extreme performance paired with exceptional cooling and compatibility, breaking the 7,000 MB/sec barrier with up to 7,100 MB/sec sequential read and 6,800 MB/sec sequential write speeds (performance and endurance vary by capacity), as well as more than one million input/output operations per second (IOPS). The MP600 PRO XT is built with high-density 3D TLC NAND, delivering both great performance and endurance - up to 3,000 TB Written. Leading-edge PCIe Gen4 technology ensures that your drive achieves maximum bandwidth, and backward-compatibility with PCIe Gen3 gives you the versatility to bring fast storage to a host of systems (lower performance on PCIe Gen3).

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.

XPG, a fast-growing provider of systems, components, and peripherals for Gamers, Esports Pros, and Tech Enthusiasts, today announces the XPG XENIA 14 lifestyle ultrabook. The 14-inch XENIA 14 is geared towards users that require a lightweight and thin ultrabook that offers the performance they need for work and play. The XENIA 14 meets this need perfectly with 11th Gen Intel Core i7 or i5 processors with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, a Full HD IPS display with a 92% screen ratio, up to 10 hours of battery life, and more.

Made from lightweight magnesium alloy, the XENIA 14 is an ultra-portable device that users can take anywhere with ease. Weighing in at just 970 g (2.14lbs), the ultrabook is easy to carry around by hand or in a bag, ideal for business travel or running from meeting room to meeting room. Not only is the XENIA 14 lightweight, but it is also thin too, measuring in at just 15 mm thin.

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.

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.

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.

The EUROCOM Sky Z7 R2 has unmatched levels of upgradeability through the Mobile Supercomputer's modular slots, allowing the safe removal and replacement of important hardware components such as the laptop's CPU, GPU, Memory, Storage, LCD, and more. Having slots or sockets allows the Sky Z7 R2 to customized, upgraded and modified with compatible parts- giving this Eurocom Mobile Supercomputer the ability to run the most demanding applications and perform high level tasks for a very long time. As newer and improved technologies emerge within the same chipset, the EUROCOM Sky Z7 R2's hardware components such as the CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, LCD, to name a few, can all be upgraded and replaced relatively easy in order to acquire more power as desired. Having modular components greatly increases the laptop's lifespan for many years and prevents the cycle of having to buy new laptops every few years, which can be the case with most laptops that have non-upgradeable components.

Eurocom's Sky Z7 R2 is one of the few laptops that utilizes modular GPU technology based on the MXM 3.1 version 2.0 socket technology. This means the Mobile Supercomputer's high performance GPU can be replaced at any time as long as it is compatible in the chipset, allowing the EUROCOM Sky Z7 R2 to perform at an extremely high level throughout the duration of its long lifespan. This Mobile Supercomputer can be configured up to the GeForce RTX 3080 which delivers twice the performance as its previous generation counterpart (GeForce RTX 2080). The EUROCOM Sky Z7 R2 offers seamless and stutter-free 4K gaming at 60 FPS, as well as 8K video editing, rendering and gaming.

Today at its Flash Perspective event, Western Digital Corp. unveiled three new SSDs for its WD_BLACK portfolio of products, providing gamers around the world with fast, high-performance storage solutions to upgrade their PC and next-gen console gaming experience.

"Our WD_BLACK brand delivers a clear and simple promise to gamers - fast and reliable storage that enhances their gameplay," said Rob Soderbery, executive vice president and GM, Flash Business, Western Digital. "With today's new products, the WD_BLACK portfolio has diverse flash-powered solutions so that every gamer - whether they're just starting out or more advanced - can explore the rich worlds of today's most inventive games."

Phison Electronics Corp, a global leader in NAND flash controller integrated circuits and storage solutions, today announces shipping of its PS5018-E18 PCIe Gen4 controllers to manufacturer partners with new 176-layer replacement gate NAND.

The new E18 paired with 176-layer fills the crucial role in the Phison product stack as the highest performing E18 to date. The potent combination delivers up to 7,400 MB/s sequential reads and 7,000 MB/s sequential writes.

The largest gains arrive in random read latency where the new premium tier shows a 35% performance increase over previous models at low queue depth improving user experience in system responsiveness. The new E18 delivers the best game load times of any consumer SSD in its class.TPU had the chance to test this drive and we posted our review here.