TEAMGROUP N74V-M80 NVMe M.2 SSD features vapor chamber liquid cooling
Does the average home user need any form of cooling on their M.2 solid state drives? No, it is not necessary. With that said, active and passive cooling options can extend the life of your drive while possibly making it perform faster too. You see, when an M.2 SSD gets hot, its speeds can sometimes decrease. Whether or not the user will actually notice the speed reduction outside of benchmarks is debatable, however.
Of course, not all solid state drives are limited to homes and offices. Some computers are used for rough industrial applications, such as in a factory with high temperatures or some other location with harsh conditions. In these environments, cooling your storage drive can be even more important -- potentially necessary.
Silicon Power unveils Stream S05 USB HDD
Are people really still buying mechanical hard drives in 2022? Believe it or not, yes! And no, these consumers are not crazy. Actually, if you don't care about performance, the cost per GB is still much lower with hard disk drives compared to solid state drives. And so, if your sole focus is getting the highest capacity for the lowest price (speed be damned), a HDD can make sense.
Silicon Power seems happy to cater to those that still want portable external hard drives, and today, the company announces its latest model. Called "Stream S05," this USB-A HDD is quite unremarkable. Hell, even the aesthetic is rather ho-hum -- a boring black rectangle. The drive is offered in several capacities, however, ranging from 1TB to 5TB, with the larger capacities being physically thicker.
Crucial launches affordable P3 and P3 Plus M.2 PCIe SSDs
So, you need a PCIe M.2 solid state drive for your laptop or desktop and you aren't sure what type to buy, eh? Well, while your computer should support PCIe 5.0 SSDs and below, the performance will be determined by your machine's PCIe type. In other words, a PCIe 3.0 M.2 slot can only achieve PCIe 3.0 speeds at best -- even if you install a PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 SSD. And so, it usually doesn't make sense to spend a premium for a drive that is rated higher than your computer.
Today, Crucial (a subsidiary of Micron) officially launches its P3 and P3 Plus M.2 PCIe solid state drives. Both affordable SSDs come in capacities ranging from 500GB to 4TB and use Micron's 176L 3D NAND, but they have a big difference between them. You see, the "Plus" designation indicates that the drive uses PCIe 4.0 as opposed to the "regular" P3 that uses PCIe 3.0. As a result, the P3 drive achieves read/write speeds up to 3500MB/s, while the superior Plus variant gets read/write up to 5000MB/s.
Microsoft adds a new interactive photo sharing feature to OneDrive
If you use Microsoft OneDrive to store your photos in the cloud you’re going to be thrilled to hear that the service is about to get a whole lot more useful.
The company today announces that it is releasing a public preview of OneDrive photo story, a new, interactive feature that "securely connects your favorite moments to the people who matter most."
Transcend launches ESD380C portable SSD
Hey, storage fans! If you get excited by new external solid state drives like I do, then today, you are in for a real treat. Transcend has decided to launch a new USB-C SSD that offers a unique combination of good looks, durability, and speedy performance.
Called "ESD380C," the portable solid state drive features a USB-C port on its body, but it comes with both a USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cable in the box for maximum compatibility. Thanks to its USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface, the SSD can achieve impressive read and write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s. While the drive features an aluminum body, it is covered in rubber for enhanced durability.
Satechi USB-C Slim Dock for 24-inch iMac is an elegant storage and port expansion solution for Apple's all-in-one desktop
Apple's iMac is a wonderful all-in-one macOS desktop that offers a combination of power and elegance. The computer takes up very little real estate on a desk, making it a good choice for those living in a residence that doesn't offer a lot of space. It allows you to have a proper desktop computer with a large display without needing a giant tower.
Today, Satechi launches a new product that makes the 2021 24-inch iMac even better. Called "USB-C Slim Dock," it fits over the iMac's stand and provides USB-A ports, a USB-C port, and two memory card reader slots. While port expansion alone makes this a neat product, it also has an internal M.2 SSD slot that is compatible with both NVMe and SATA drives. To create more desk space when needed, Apple's wireless keyboard can be stored on top of the USB-C Slim Dock when not in use.
Kingston releases hardware-encrypted IronKey Vault Privacy 50 USB flash drive
We recently told you about the Kingston VP80ES IronKey Vault Privacy 80 -- a speedy portable SSD that features USB-C connectivity and a touchscreen for tapping-in a password or pin. While that drive is quite amazing, not everyone will truly need the fast speeds or touchscreen -- it could be overkill. Instead, a hardware-encrypted USB flash drive could be sufficient -- and much less expensive.
Today, Kingston launches its latest hardware-encrypted flash drive. Called "IronKey Vault Privacy 50 (VP50)," the drive uses a USB-A connector and is offered in capacities ranging from 8GB to 256GB. The VP50 features XTS-AES 256-bit encryption and is FIPS 197 certified.
Lexar SL660 BLAZE Gaming Portable SSD features RGB lighting
How do you make a portable SSD a "gaming" drive? Just add RGB lighting, of course! Today, Lexar launches a new solid state drive that it claims is designed for gaming. Is that just marketing? Yes and no. Called "SL660 BLAZE," the USB 3.2 Gen2x2 SSD features RGB lighting and comes with a really cool stand to prop it up. While the drive itself has a USB-C connector, it comes with both a USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cable in the box.
Besides the RGB lighting gimmick (which is very cool), the SL660 BLAZE actually can benefit gamers that need to store games on both PC and console. The drive offers respectable read speeds of up to 2,000MB/s and write speeds of up to 1,900MB/s. Of course, the drive can be used by anyone that wants a fast and attractive SSD -- it isn't just limited to gaming.
Kingston VP80ES IronKey Vault Privacy 80 is an encrypted USB-C SSD with touchscreen
Solid state drives don't just make wonderful internal boot drives for computers -- they're excellent for external storage too. Not only are they smaller than mechanical hard disk drives, but they use less power and are much faster as well. Quite frankly, if you are someone that needs to transport data on a portable drive, you'd be insane to still use a HDD with moving parts.
But what if you lose that external solid state drive? Well, if the content is unencrypted, your files could be exposed to the finder. This is particularly problematic for business users that are storing company secrets or private customer data. Thankfully, a new USB-C solid state drive from Kingston makes it super easy to encrypt and decrypt your data. You see, the VP80ES IronKey Vault Privacy 80 is a hardware-encrypted (FIPS 197 certified with XTS-AES 256-bit) SSD with a color touchscreen that allows you to enter a passcode, password, pin, or phrase.
Silicon Power PCIe Gen 4x4 UD90 solid state drive is fast, but the SSD is also kind of slow
Are all PCIe 4.0 solid state drives fast? Absolutely. However, they aren't all the same speed. For instance, the Mushkin SSD we covered here can achieve read speeds up to 7,415MB/s -- that is really fast. A new SSD called "UD90" from Silicon Power, however, can only do up to 4,800MB/s.
Yes, folks, we have two M.2 drives, both with the same PCIe Gen 4x4 interface, but one is significantly faster than the other. In other words, the UD90 is rather slow as a PCIe Gen 4.0 drive... comparatively. And yet, compared to SATA-based solid state drives, the UD90 is actually incredibly fast.
The Silicon Power Blaze B07 USB-A flash drive can kill germs and keep you healthy
With cloud storage continuing to grow in popularity, USB flash drives have largely fallen out of favor with consumers. Maybe that's not such a bad thing, as USB flash drives are both easy to lose and are susceptible to failure -- the cloud is arguably more safe and secure. With that said, there should always be a need for local storage; sometimes you just can't trust certain documents, such as company secrets, to the cloud.
Understandably, it is hard to get excited about a new USB flash drive these days. However, a new USB-A offering from Silicon Power is actually quite interesting. Called "Blaze B07," it looks like a standard flash drive, but it has a really cool stand-out feature -- it is coated in an antibacterial substance in an effort to fight germs and sickness! This would be very beneficial in an office setting where a flash drive is passed around from person to person.
PNY Pro Elite V2 USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 Type-C Portable SSD is fast and tiny
While solid state drives make wonderful internal boot drives for computers, they are also great options for external storage. Not only are SSDs much smaller than mechanical hard disk drives, but they use less power and are much faster too.
Today, PNY launches its latest external solid state drive, and it is both beautiful and fast. Called "Pro Elite V2," this diminutive USB-C SSD uses the USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 interface to achieve speeds up to 1,100 MB/s!
TEAMGROUP launches T-FORCE VULCAN Z 2.5-inch SATA SSD for gamers
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 more than fast enough, making them great drop-in upgrades.
With all of that said, today, TEAMGROUP launches a new 2.5-inch SATA SSD under its T-FORCE gaming brand. Called "VULCAN Z," it has a beautiful matte-black body and is offered in capacities ranging from 240GB to 2TB. While it is designed for gamers, it can, of course, be used by any computer user in need of a quality 2.5-inch SSD.
Samsung PRO Endurance microSD card puts longevity and durability over speed
Speed is great, but it isn't always the most important thing. For instance, a very fast car is surely fun, but if the vehicle is unreliable and dangerous, who really cares about speed? I'd rather arrive to my location alive and without breaking down -- even if it takes a bit longer.
That is sort of the philosophy behind Samsung's newest "PRO Endurance" microSD card. Rather than focus on raw performance, this card is instead designed for longevity and durability. It is an ideal storage solution for surveillance cameras, police body-cameras, automobile dash-cams, and more. With all of that said, while the card isn't the fastest on the market, it isn't really slow either -- it offers up to 100MB/s read and up to 40MB/s write.
KIOXIA unveils XG8 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
Solid state drives continue to get faster, with many new computers supporting the PCIe 4.0 standard. If you have such a cutting-edge PC, you will probably want to get a PCIe 4.0 SSD to maximize your performance. Is it largely for bragging rights and benchmarks? Yeah, arguably, but if you can afford it, you might as well go for a PCIe 4.0 drive. The price shouldn't be that much more than a PCIe 3.0 SSD.
Today, KIOXIA unveils its latest PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid state drive. Called "XG8," the SSD will be offered in your choice of four capacities -- 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB. Of course, this solid state drive can be used in both desktop and laptop computers.
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