SSD

PCIe-based NVMe solid state drives are pretty common in consumer devices these days. Seagate, however, would like to bring them to another area -- network attached storage for business. You see, today, the company unveils the all-new IronWolf 510 -- a PCIe Gen3 M.2 NVMe NAS SSD. Performance is quite respectable, with a top read speed of up to 3,150 MB/s and a top write speed of up to 1,000 MB/s (depending on capacity, of course).

But what exactly makes the drive a "NAS SSD" anyway? Is that just marketing? Actually, no. The IronWolf 510 provides higher endurance and reliability than a normal such SSD -- ideal for network attached storage. You even get a limited five-year warranty. While the drive is designed for both businesses and professionals in a network attached storage application, but they can obviously work for other things too.

Earlier today, Microsoft revealed a ton of new information about its upcoming new game console -- the terribly named Xbox Series X. This is just three months after the game system was first unveiled to the world. Despite its terrible name, the Xbox Series X is looking to be an incredibly powerful console. The AMD-powered system features 12 Teraflops of power, 4K gaming, and an insane 16GB of GDDR6 memory.

The Xbox Series X will come with a super-fast 1TB SSD too, which sounds like a lot of capacity, but it really isn't. Look, with more and more people downloading games and forgoing optical disks, a terabyte of storage will fill up very quickly. Thankfully, Xbox Series X has a special storage expansion port on the rear that will allow owners to easily increase capacity without opening up the device. Best of all, this port will apparently allow the same speed as the internal drive. Unfortunately, however, Microsoft has opted for a proprietary port -- one that will only work with this console.

USB flash drives are rather ho-hum these days. Sure, they are still very useful products, but for the most part, they are all the same. You plug the drive into your computer to read and write files, and that's all that it does. Well, TEAMGROUP has a new such drive that does much more than just deal with files. Called "T193 Stationery," this flash drive also serves as a protractor, ruler, and magnifying glass. It even has a built-in magnet for good measure -- you can use it to pick up dropped screws or paper clips with ease. And no, the magnet isn't strong enough to interfere with other storage devices.

In addition, the company is also releasing a new USB-C portable solid state drive. Called "PD1000," this drive is only about storage, sadly. There are no useful tools built into it, like the T193 has. With that said, it is both attractive and fast, putting it in similar territory with the ADATA SE7760 we told you about a couple days ago. The PD1000, however, is also very rugged, offering protection from water, dust, and drops.

With more and more people forgoing traditional desktops for laptops and tablets nowadays, consumers are having less of an opportunity to upgrade the internal components of their devices. Sadly, over time, having a non-upgradeable computer has become very commonplace. Hell, many components -- such as memory and storage -- are soldered into the damn board. Sigh. We largely have Apple to thank for that trend...

Thankfully, consumers can often turn to external components to expand the capability of their laptops and tablets. USB-C in particular has been a godsend for this -- there are many excellent adapters, dongles, and more that can take advantage of that tiny reversible port. If you need to add storage, for instance, there are many USB-C external drives on the market. Today, ADATA unveils its latest such portable solid state drive. Called "SE760," it is small, fast, and absolutely beautiful.

When you are a technology enthusiast, it is easy to get wooed by the latest and greatest tech products. Sure, it is exciting to see computer components offering the top performance, but let us not forget, most folks do not need (nor can they afford) the best. And you know what? That's fine. Bragging rights aside, there are probably many system builders that waste money on performance they really don't need.

Today, PATRIOT launches a new solid state drive that should appeal to those that are willing to spend a bit of money to get better performance, but don't have enough cash for top-of-the-line. Called "P300," this M.2 PCIe Gen3 x4 SSD isn't the fastest such drive on the market, but it will be a significant upgrade to those still using SATA-based drives. This SSD uses the Phison E13T Series controller, and best of all, it is very affordable -- the starting MSRP is below $65. You know what, though? You can actually score one now for less than 50 bucks. Seriously.

If you own a Thunderbolt 3 computer, and you have a need for external storage, I highly recommend you buy a TB3 solid state drive. The speed provided by a Thunderbolt 3 NVMe SSD is simply amazing -- it puts a USB hard disk drive or external SATA SSD to shame.

Aren't sure which model to buy? You should check out our review of the Plugable Thunderbolt 3 NVMe SSD here. The drive is fast, well-built, and very attractive. The problem? It is a bit expensive -- although worth every penny (if you can afford it). For instance, the 1TB variant costs $299, while the 2TB model is $499. If you don't need that much capacity, and would rather save some money, I have some good news. Starting today, Plugable is launching a 512GB version of its popular drive that costs less than the two aforementioned models.

Solid state drives are extremely popular with consumers these days, and it isn't hard to see why. Not only are they much faster than traditional mechanical hard disk drives, but they have dropped in price dramatically over the last several years.

Consumers aren't the only ones loving solid state drives nowadays. Even the enterprise is getting aboard the SSD train. After all, data centers can benefit greatly from the faster performance provided by an SSD. The major downside to a solid state drive, however, is capacity -- they typically hold much less data than hard disk drives. Today, Kingston unveils a new M.2 NVMe PCIe 2280 SSD that is primarily designed to be a boot drive for servers. Called "DC1000B," it can be used in conjunction with larger capacity storage drives.

CES 2020 has been very exciting for those interested in data storage. Just yesterday, Western Digital unveiled a prototype 8TB portable SSD plus a diminutive 1TB flash drive with both USB-C and USB-A connectivity. Both of these drives should prove very popular with consumers -- if/when they hit stores.

Today, it is Samsung's turn to wow the data storage community. The company's latest SSD, called "T7 Touch," is an external drive that uses USB-C for connectivity and features USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds. What makes it particularly interesting however, is its integrated fingerprint reader which is used for secure hardware encryption.

Western Digital is a name often associated with quality hard disk drives, but the company's solid state drives are quite excellent too. They are reliable and fast, making them a good choice amongst other trusted brands of SSD, such as Samsung and Intel.

Today, Western Digital unveils its latest solid state drive. Called "WD Blue SN550," it is an M.2 2280 NVMe SSD with read speeds up to 2,400 MB/s. As a sign of the company's confidence in the drive's reliability, it comes with a respectable 5-year warranty.

Do M.2 PCIe solid state drives need heatsinks? Need? No, but believe it or not, sticking a piece of aluminum on the drive won't only potentially extend its life, but it can make it faster too. Yes, really. You see, when these SSDs get hot, read and write performance can take a hit. And so, cooling can matter. Keep in mind though, a heatsink can prevent an SSD from being used in a laptop if there isn't enough room for it.

Today, Patriot (under its VIPER GAMING brand) is launching a new solid state drive that not only has a big aluminum heatsink, but it is very beautiful too. Called "VPR100," this M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 x4 RGB SSD features customizable lighting and impressive read and write speeds. Does RGB lighting on an SSD really matter, though? Possibly. In some computers, the PCIe SSD can be hidden from view, making it a non-factor.

PC gamers used to turn their noses up at laptops, as they weren't capable of playing top-tier games. While most gamers still prefer desktops -- which are more powerful -- there are notebooks that are capable of running modern PC games. Thanks to Thunderbolt 3, laptop owners can even expand their machines with high-end devices, such as PCIe-based storage and even graphics cards.

Today, Seagate unveils two new products that laptop gamers will want to keep an eye on -- the FireCuda Thunderbolt 3 Gaming Dock and FireCuda 520 PCIe 4.0 SSD. What is a gaming dock? Well, it is your typical TB3 docking station, but also, it houses a 4TB HDD for storing your games. It even features adjustable RGB lighting -- something many gamers love. As an added bonus, it also has a PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD expansion slot, but it is only Gen3.

Portable solid state drives are great, as they are fast and very reliable since they have no moving parts. They are particularly useful for content creators, as they often have a ton of media that they need to access quickly. Currently, the best option for those wanting fast external storage is an NVMe drive connected with Thunderbolt 3. If you own a computer with TB3 from manufacturers such as Apple, Dynabook, or Dell, you should absolutely try and get an external SSD that can maximally utilize it.

Today, Plugable is launching such a drive, and it is quite incredible. The drive comes in two capacities -- 1TB and 2TB -- and offers insane read and write speeds. How fast is it? It is rated as being able to exceed 2800 MB/s read and 1800 MB/s write. I've been testing the 2TB variant of the drive lately, and I can confirm that it is fast as heck -- but that's not all.

If you are a computer enthusiast, you likely have a solid state drive in your computer, but if it a SATA variant, you are truly missing out. PCI Express-based NVMe SSDs are far faster, and if your PC can accommodate such a storage drive, it is well worth the upgrade. Prices on these drives have dropped significantly, making them a "no-brainer" for those that crave speed and top performance.

Today, ADATA launches its latest such drive. The unimaginatively named "IM2P33E8," as it is called, is mostly designed for harsh industrial applications, but it can, of course, be used in consumer laptops and desktops as well. Since it is a PCIe Gen3 x4 drive, it is insanely fast.

For some people, it makes sense to store your data on someone else's drives -- that's what cloud storage is, after all. For others, they want full control of their data by storing it locally on their own storage devices. Keep in mind, just because you are storing data yourself, doesn't mean it can't be accessed remotely or by other machines on the same network. By using network-attached storage (NAS) you can easily access your data on your own terms.

Today, Western Digital unveils new WD Red NAS storage drives, and it is very exciting. You see, the WD Red NAS line no longer just includes mechanical hard drives -- there are solid state drives now too! Called WD "Red SA500," there are two types of the NAS SATA SSD available -- 2.5-inch and M.2.

Believe it or not, there are people still running computers without a solid state drive. With prices so low nowadays, there is really no reason for your operating system to be installed on a mechanical hard drive. Seriously, folks, an SSD is one of the best -- and most cost effective -- upgrades you can make.

Today, Kingston unveils its new line of solid state drives. Called "KC600," the drives are designed for upgrades, as they feature a 2.5-inch form factor and SATA connectivity. In other words, it should be a simple drop-in when removing the old hard drive. Best of all, it is very affordable, with pricing starting under $50!