Solid state drives are exploding in popularity thanks to their performance benefits and ever-increasing affordability. If you are still using a mechanical hard disk drive, there is probably no better upgrade you can make than moving to an SSD. You won't only see a boost in artificial benchmarks, but in actual usage too -- it is an upgrade you can truly feel.

Micron has two new solid state drives that are aimed towards consumers. Called "2210" and "2300," the former uses QLC flash, while the latter uses TLC. So while both are M.2 NVMe PCIe SSDs, the 2300 will be faster, while the 2210 should be cheaper. Both can be had in capacities of 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB, but the 2210 is also offered in 256GB.

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M.2 solid state drives often look the same. This shouldn’t be surprising, as there really aren’t many ways to customize them. You are pretty much limited to offering a unique heatsink to make the drive stand out.

ADATA has a new such drive that looks pretty cool and even has a neat name. Called “Falcon,” this PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 SSD has a golden heatsink, making it look quite attractive and unique. Hell, you could probably bring it to a jeweler, have it mounted to a chain, and then wear it around your neck — like a boss! Best of all, it is very fast too, with up to 3,100MB/s read and up to 1,500MB/s write.

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If you are still using a mechanical hard disk drive as your operating system boot drive, what the hell is wrong with you? No, really -- why are you like this? Look, I can understand using a HDD for data storage in 2020, but for your OS, you need to be using a solid state drive. Seriously, folks, the performance difference is "night and day" -- an SSD is significantly faster. Long gone is the excuse that SSDs are too expensive -- they are dirt cheap now. This is particularly true for the 2.5-inch SATA solid state drives, which are extremely affordable these days. Whether you have a desktop or laptop, an SSD should be in your computer.

ADATA has a new such 2.5-inch SATA SSD that should serve as a good drop-in upgrade for all you maniacs still using hard disk drives. Called "SU720," it is very unremarkable, but that is by design. Despite inexplicably having the word "ultimate" on the label, this SSD isn't meant to make enthusiasts drool or win any awards. Instead, it will offer a nice boost in performance to those still booting from a woefully deficient 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch SATA mechanical hard drive. And hopefully, it should be easy on the wallet too.

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There are some really great things happening in the solid state storage market lately. For instance, OWC just launched a 4TB M.2 drive, while Silicon Power released a very thin external SSD. KINGMAX even announced a super-fast NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 SSD. What a time to be alive!

Today, Kingston unveils a solid state drive that isn’t revolutionary, but it is still quite cool. Called “KC2500,” it is an M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen3x4 SSD. Best of all, it is quite affordable, with pricing starting below $74.

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Other World Computing (also known as OWC) is a very Apple-centric company. Its products are typically designed for Mac computers, such as the iMac, Mac Pro, and MacBook to name a few. Hell, the company's website is MacSales.com -- what does that tell you? Despite primarily focusing on Apple products, its offerings aren't exclusive to Mac. Many of its storage, memory, and docking products are compatible with Windows and Linux computers too.

OWC's latest storage product is sure to be cross-platform, as it is merely a solid state drive. The SSD is a very fast M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe variant, but that isn't what makes it so exciting. Actually, it is the capacity -- an insane 4TB! And yes, as you can expect, the 4TB Aura P12 M.2 NVMe SSD (S3DN3P2T40) is quite expensive.

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Back in the day, external storage drives were great for portability, but were typically very slow compared to internal storage drives. Nowadays, however, thanks to PCIe solid state drives that interface with either USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3, the convenience of external storage doesn’t mean having to sacrifice performance. There are some very fast portable SSDs out there, and they are typically quite small too.

Today, Patriot launches its latest external SSD, and it is a fast little beast. It is essentially an internal M.2 PCIe NVMe drive housed in a sleek enclosure. The diminutive drive connects via USB-C and provides both read and write performance up to 1,000MB/s. Its aluminum body doesn't just look good, but should lend to extra durability too. It even comes with both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables in the box.

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Solid State Drives are great for many reasons, two of which are speed and durability. They are much faster than mechanical hard drives, and since they have no moving parts, they are less likely to become damaged from bumps, drops, or excessive vibration. Another great thing about SSDs are their size. With portable solid state drives in particular, they can be quite diminutive -- much better for tossing into a bag or sliding into a pocket.

Today, Silicon Power unveils a new such drive that is not only very svelte, but quite fast too. The "PC60," as it is called, is a mere 11mm thin and just 80mm around. The squarish drive uses USB-C for connectivity and the ultra-fast USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface. It is thin, small, and fast, but also, quite attractive too. It even has a hole for attaching a carabiner, lanyard, or keychain.

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Solid state drives are great for home consumers and PC enthusiasts, but that is not the extent of their usefulness. Actually, the improved performance of SSDs over mechanical hard disk drives is beneficial for business use too. In particular, industrial applications can benefit from the fact that SSDs have no moving parts, making them less likely to fail from hardcore vibration or excessive jostling.

Today, ADATA launches an all-new industrial-grade SSD. Called "IM2S3314," it uses the diminutive M.2 2242 form factor and the SATA 3 interface. The drive can be had in several capacities ranging from 16GB to 256GB, with two memory types -- MLC (multi-level cell) and A+ SLC (single-level cell). But wait, what is this "A+" variant of SLC? ADATA explains that its proprietary A+ SLC technology, "utilizes custom NAND Flash firmware with an A+ sorting algorithm to emulate SLC performance." And now you know!

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All solid state drives are fast -- when compared to a mechanical hard drive, at least. With that said, not all SSDs are created equally. SATA based SSDs are the slowest of the bunch, 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.

If you have a newer computer with PCIe Gen 4.0, congratulations -- you have a nice rig. If your SSD isn't PCIe Gen 4.0, however, you might be missing out on some potential speed. There aren't many of those drives on the market, but today, one more is unveiled. Called "PX4480," this new SSD from KINGMAX is insanely fast, making SATA SSDs look like straight trash!

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Stop us if you think you've heard this one before, but Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is warning customers to install a critical patch to stop certain SSD models from dying after 40,000 hours of use.

With echoes of a flaw that was revealed in November that caused drives to fail after 32,768 hours, HPE advises its customers to install a critical firmware upgrade if they use one of several SAS Solid State Drive models. The firm predicts that no drives should fail until October 2020 -- so there's plenty of time to act -- but it is still important to take action.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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