While I am not a "Mac guy," I recently bought a 2020 Mac mini. Why? Well, I was quite intrigued by Apple's new M1 processor, and the $699 starting price was actually reasonably affordable. And so, I went with the base model (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD), as Apple's prices for more memory and storage are a total rip-off. For instance, to go from 8GB to 16GB RAM costs $200. Sorry, but I can't drop two bills on 8GB. Not happening, Apple.

Unfortunately, you cannot upgrade the RAM, so the 8GB decision might bite me in the ass one day, but I'll cross that bridge later. However, since the little computer has two Thunderbolt and two USB ports, I knew I could always add fast storage later on. And now, Other World Computing (aka OWC) has a new rugged drive (for macOS and Windows 10) that is perfect for this.

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There was this big hope that 2021 would be wonderful after 2020 was so terrible. Well, folks, so far that's certainly not the case. People are dying of COVID-19 at record numbers, while vaccinations for the virus remain woefully low. Oh, and here in the USA, we had a friggin' coup attempt. Sigh. 2021 is already garbage.

Thankfully, we have distractions from the bad news with things like sports and technology. Speaking of the latter, this week is CES 2021 and we are already seeing some cool new products. For instance, today, PNY announces the XLR8 CS3140 M.2 NVMe Gen4 x4 SSD. It offers insanely fast speeds -- up to 7,500MB/s read and up to 6,850MB/s write. This NVMe Gen 4.0 SSD can even be had with a monstrous heatsink to assist in cooling.

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RGB lighting is amazing -- it's a fact. It has the ability to make a great product even better. True, some people hate the inclusion of RGB in so many products nowadays, but to them I say, either buy a different product or simply turn the lighting off. You see, many of these products allow you to turn off the lighting effects entirely, so there really is no downside.

Today, ADATA announces its latest solid state drive, and yes, it features RGB lighting. Called "SPECTRIX S20G," this PCIe Gen3x4 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD carries the company's XPG branding, meaning it is intended for gaming. With that said, even non-gamers can enjoy the performance and good looks of this SSD.

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M.2 NVMe solid state drives are much faster than 2.5-inch SATA versions -- the former is clearly the future. And yet, companies continue to manufacture new models of the latter. But why? It is quite simple -- many computers don't have M.2 ports, so those types of drives are of no use to people with older computers. Not to mention, SATA SSDs are still fast enough, making them great drop-in upgrades.

With all of that said, today, Lexar launches a new 2.5-inch SATA SSD. Called "NQ100," it is rather unremarkable, making it just another SATA drive on the market. However, its affordable $36.99 starting price should make it attractive for those on a budget -- especially consumers upgrading from a mechanical hard drive.

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Solid state drives continue to get faster, with PCIe 4.0 variants leading the pack nowadays. Of course, most PCs don't have PCIe 4.0 support, so these ultra-fast drives are reserved for enthusiasts and those with brand new computers.

If you have such a cutting-edge PC, you will probably want to get a PCIe 4.0 SSD to maximize your performance. True, it is largely for bragging rights and benchmarks -- you probably won't notice a difference in actual use -- but still, you might as well go for the best if the difference in price isn't totally obscene.

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It was damn near a year ago when we told you about the Western Digital WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD. This drive was very fast thanks to its PCIe 3.0 interface. In fact, the drive could achieve an impressive 2,400 MB/s read. It was a no-nonsense SSD that provided excellent performance at a competitive price. For instance, the 1TB model can be had here for under $100.

Unfortunately, that 1TB variant was the top capacity, with the other two being 250GB and 500GB. What if you needed more than a terabyte of storage? Thankfully, starting today, the WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD now comes in 2TB -- double the previous top capacity.

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Nowadays, many laptops utilize solid state drives, with capacities often ranging from 250GB to 1TB. For many consumers, that is more than enough for all of their files, and if it isn't, they can always purchase an external drive to easily expand it. USB SSDs in particular are very popular, as they are small and have no moving parts.

Today, ADATA launches an all-new external solid state drive, and it is quite special. Called "SE770G," the USB-C SSD stands out from the crowd with RGB lighting. The drive functions as any other USB-C SSD does, but it also has customizable lighting. Is that feature necessary or important? No, not at all. However, it is certainly fun, and it makes the SE770G very pretty. In fact, it might just be the most attractive USB SSD I have ever seen.

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When shopping for a bus-powered external storage device, speed is definitely important, but it is certainly not the only thing to look for. My advice would be to first focus on durability of the enclosure and reliability of the internal drive by sticking with a reputable brand. With SSD prices so low nowadays, a mechanical hard drive really shouldn't be considered anymore.

If you take my advice and focus on durability and speed from a reputable company, then the all new Envoy Pro Elektron from Other World Computing, Inc. should absolutely be considered. Not only is the aluminum body dust-, water-, and crush-proof, but OWC is a name you can trust.

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Western Digital makes damn good storage products, and its WD_BLACK line is probably its most intriguing. While primarily designed for gamers, WD_BLACK is also a great choice for enthusiasts that crave high performance and elegant designs.

Today, Western Digital unveils a trio of new WD_BLACK gaming NVMe SSD products, and all three look incredible. There is the SN850 which is a PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD, the AN1500 PCIe Gen 3 NVMe SSD Add-in card, and the drop-dead gorgeous D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD -- a Thunderbolt 3 docking station with integrated NVMe SSD.

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You can never go wrong by purchasing SanDisk storage products. From memory cards to solid state drives, they are consistently excellent. Not only are the drives often quite fast, but more importantly, they are extremely reliable too. While not the only company making great flash storage products, I try to only use SanDisk SD cards in my camera when taking family photos -- the content is too important to lose.

SanDisk's Extreme and Extreme PRO Portable SSDs are quite popular thanks to their high-end performance and durable housings, and today, the company launches the next generation. Designated as "V2," both the Pro and non-Pro drives feature 256-bit AES hardware encryption and IP55 ratings for both water and dust resistance. SanDisk says both feature drop protection of up to 3 meters.

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The solid state drive market is getting very exciting lately, with many manufacturers releasing PCIe 4.0-based drives. Just yesterday, we told you about a new model from ADATA. With a compatible motherboard/computer, you can achieve speeds that make SATA SSDs look downright pathetic.

Today, Samsung finally releases a PCIe 4.0 SSD for consumers. Called "980 PRO," it promises truly impressive speeds. Most importantly, it should be very reliable, as Samsung solid state drives have proven to last -- this is why many system builders swear by them (including me).

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Want to know a secret? Solid state drives can get hot. Very hot, actually. Super-fast M.2 drives in particular can generate quite a bit of heat, so sometimes, manufacturers will put heatsinks on them. Are these heat spreaders "snake oil" rather than something truly useful? Believe it ort not, no. Not only will a heatsink help the drive to last longer, but it can improve performance too. You see, when the drive gets hot, its read and write speeds can throttle down. By adding some metal to pull away some of the heat, your drive can perform better when under heavy load.

Today, ADATA launches its latest solid state drive, and it is a speed demon. Called "GAMMIX S70," this NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 M.2 2280 SSD is being released under the company's XPG brand, which is designed for gamers and enthusiasts. The drive is so insanely fast, that ADATA has put an absolutely massive heatsink on it. The company calls it "CoolArmor," and it claims the "terraced" design will allow it to provide superior cooling. While I don't doubt it will do a great job keeping heat at bay, I do worry that its huge heatsink may make it impossible to fit inside some computers -- it could end up impeding the installation of other components, such as a GPU. You can, of course, forget about putting it into any laptop.

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All solid state drives are fast -- when compared to mechanical hard drives. With that said, not all SSDs are created equally. SATA based SSDs are the slowest amongst them, with PCIe-based drives being the fastest. Of course, there are different generations of PCIe that have gotten continually faster. Currently, consumers have access to some computers and motherboards with PCIe Gen 4.0.

For those of you with PCIe Gen 4.0 systems, there is a new solid state drive from ADATA that you should definitely check out. Called "GAMMIX S50 Lite," the PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD is being offered under the company's gamer/enthusiast "XPG" brand.

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Encrypting your data can be very important -- particularly for businesses that deal with sensitive information and trade secrets. However, working with encrypted media isn't always a walk in the park. Quite frankly, the concept of encrypting and decrypting a drive can be very confusing for some end users. And so, out of convenience, encryption is sometimes skipped -- tragic but understandable.

Thankfully, thanks to things like biometrics, working with encrypted drives can be easier, although that isn't always ideal for an IT department looking to work with many users and drives. Hell, with remote work exploding, it may not be possible to set up an employee's fingerprint. To simplify things, Western Digital has developed a new platform called "ArmorLock" that allows users to lock and unlock a drive using their smartphone (Bluetooth and an app). IT departments can easily set up the drive and authorize users before shipping it out to them. Today, under its "G-Technology" brand, Western Digital launches its first-ever drive to use the platform -- the ArmorLock encrypted NVMe SSD

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When it comes to storage, consumers typically need to choose between a solid state drive for speed and a mechanical hard disk drive for large capacity. Over the years, however, SSDs have gotten bigger capacities, but for the most part, they still trail HDDs in that regard -- particularly in the consumer market..

Today, TEAMGROUP launches a new consumer solid state drive that offers the best of both worlds. Simply called "QX," this 3D QLC SATA 2.5-inch SSD offers an insane 15.3TB capacity. Before you get too excited, you should know the price -- it costs nearly $4,000.

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