Polish desktop memory and storage brand IRDM introduces the revolutionary IRDM PRO GEN 5 SSD. This device, based on the latest PCIe 5.0 interface, meets the rapidly growing demands of gamers and professionals who expect maximum performance in the most demanding tasks. The SSD combines cutting-edge technologies, including the innovative Graphreeze cooling system based on graphene. This ensures both exceptional performance and stability under extreme operating conditions.

Incredible PCIe 5.0 speed and performance
The IRDM PRO GEN 5 represents a true revolution in data transfer speeds. With a read speed of up to 12,000 MB/s, the drive almost doubles the numbers of PCIe 4.0 standard, making it the ideal solution for demanding users. These parameters ensure that gamers can enjoy lightning-fast game load times and smooth transitions between sequences. Meanwhile, video editors working with high-resolution content (4K and 8K) or those who have to handle with large databases will appreciate reduction in time needed for large file operations.

ASUS today announced the TUF Gaming A2 SSD enclosure for gamers seeking a superfast and reliable storage solution. The enclosure features USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 connectivity to deliver data transfer speeds of up to 20 Gbps—twice that of TUF Gaming A1. With IP68-rated water- and dust-resistance plus durability that meets U.S. MIL-STD-810H standards, TUF Gaming A2 keeps the SSD safe in almost any environment. Additionally, its silicone-rubber exterior provides superior on-the-go protection for the SSD. The Q-Latch mechanism allows for easy, tool-free SSD installation, while an efficient thermal management system ensures outstanding cooling to ensure consistent performance. With broad compatibility across PC, Mac, mobile devices, and the latest game consoles, TUF Gaming A2 is perfect for anyone looking to maintain an extensive library of games.

Exceptional SSD performance
TUF Gaming A2 doubles the data transfer speeds of its predecessor, TUF Gaming A1, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connectivity delivering up to 20 Gbps of bandwidth. Even though the latest AAA titles often exceed 100 GB in size, it takes just 90 seconds to transfer an entire game from the SSD to a console such as ROG Ally, or to any other popular gaming platform. When it comes to installing or removing the M.2 SSD, the innovative Q-Latch makes it easy, without requiring specific tools. The latch design employs a simple locking mechanism to secure the drive, so there's no need for screws. Additionally, TUF Gaming A2 features both PCIe NVMe and SATA interfaces, and can accommodate various 2242/2260/2280 SSD form factors while providing up to 4 TB of storage capacity.

GIGABYTE silently introduced the AI TOP UD 1 TB SSD, a new M.2 2280 form factor model to its AI Ultra Durable series dedicated to very intensive workloads, such as AI training. GIGABYTE's AI TOP UD SSD uses PCIe 4.0, so it's not going to break any speed records against drives using PCIe 5.0. It supports the NVMe 1.4 protocol, has a 5-year limited warranty, and is currently only available in 1 TB capacity. The product has a nominal TBW of 109,500 TB, equivalent to 60 DWPD, or 60 full disk writes per day. GIGABYTE doesn't reveal what kind of 3D NAND flash it utilizes to achieve such endurance levels.

The company has previously launched a product with a similar purpose to the AI TOP 100E SSD. In comparison, the new AI TOP UD SSD has slightly lower read/write performances (6500 MB/s vs 7200 MB/s sequential read, 5700 MB/s vs 6500 MB/s sequential write) and lower MTBF (1.5 vs 1.6 million hours). Additionally, while the AI TOP 100E SSD mentions that it is equipped with 1 GB external cache, the AI TOP UD SSD specification sheet does not mention anything. Regarding operating power, the 1 TB AI TOP UD SSD uses 6.2 W (Read) and 6.5 W (Write), while the previous AI TOP 100E SSD model's power consumption levels are between 10.8 W and 11.0 W. This means that the AI TOP UD SSD has lower requirements for heat dissipation, a crucial advantage in crowded high-performance servers where thermal management is a major concern. The company only recently listed the SSD, so pricing and availability are unknown.

Patriot Memory, a leading manufacturer of high-performance gaming memory modules, SSDs, flash memory, and gaming peripherals, today announced the launch of its latest innovation under the Viper Gaming brand: the Viper PV573 PCIeGen5 x4 M.2 2280 SSD. This product reinforces Patriot's leadership in cutting-edge technology, pushing speed boundaries beyond its predecessor, the PV553.

The Viper PV573 SSD utilizes advanced 3D NAND vertical stacking technology, significantly enhancing storage density while reducing power consumption and delivering faster read and write speeds. This innovation also improves durability, making it a reliable choice for users with demanding storage needs. With capacity options of up to 4 TB, the Viper PV573combines powerful performance in a compact, portable form factor, achieving the perfect balance of high capacity and efficiency within a small footprint.

Greenliant is now sampling high-endurance EnduroSLC NVMe M.2 2242 and 2280 ArmourDrive EX Series solid state drives (SSDs), providing 75,000 and 150,000 program-erase (P/E) cycles. Operating between -40 and +95 degrees Celsius, NVMe M.2 ArmourDrive EX Series SSDs offer high reliability and long-term support required by leading customers in aerospace and defense, industrial, transportation and networking.

Greenliant is also sampling upgraded NVMe M.2 2242 / 2280 ArmourDrive PX Series SSDs with high-quality industrial 3-bit-per-cell (TLC) 3D NAND that support 5,000 P/E cycles. Optimized for high performance and low power consumption, both EX and PX series products provide the convenience of removability. Offered from popular 2280 (GLS88AS) to small 2242 (GLS88CS) form factors and available in a wide range of capacities, these single-sided, thin-profile SSDs are ideal for space-constrained designs.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced the availability of the Crucial P310 2280 Gen 4 NVMe solid-state drive (SSD), which offers two times faster performance than Gen 3 SSDs and 40% faster performance than Crucial's P3 Plus, giving gamers, students and creatives a boost in speed when they boot and use data-intensive applications. With capacities up to 2 terabytes (TB) and read and write speeds of 7,100 and 6,000 megabytes per second (MB/s) respectively, the P310 2280 SSD enables more customers than ever to gain access to gaming performance without paying gaming prices. This launch expands Micron's P310 portfolio to address PCs, laptops and PlayStation 5, closely following the July launch of its award-winning Crucial P310 2230 SSD, which is targeted at users of handheld gaming consoles and mini PCs.

"Micron's Crucial P310 2280 SSD delivers blazing fast gaming-level speeds, allowing users to do it all faster — from gaming to booting Windows to running multiple creative apps at the same time — without compromising on quality," said Jonathan Weech, senior director of product marketing for Micron's Commercial Products Group. "Architected with our advanced 3D NAND technology and optimized to deliver the utmost power efficiency, the 2280 SSD empowers everyone from gamers to creatives to squeeze more out of their battery life when using data-rich apps."

Kingston Digital, Inc., the flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced it is shipping the NV3 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD for users looking for high capacity 4x4 NVMe PCIe performance in a compact form factor.

The Kingston NV3 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is a robust next-gen storage solution powered by a Gen 4x4 NVMe controller. The Kingston NV3 delivers read/write speeds of up to 6,000/5,000 MB/s, ensuring a faster system capable of handling a variety of workloads, from editing to gaming. The drive optimizes system performance and delivers value without compromise. Its compact single-sided M.2 2280 (22x80mm) design allows for storage expansion up to 4TB2,5 while saving space for other components. As a cost-effective storage solution, the NV3 is ideal for creators and gamers looking to enhance their PC performance.[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of the Kingston NV3 is now live]

On June 4th, COMPUTEX 2024 was successfully held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. Mnemonic Electronic Co., Ltd., the Taiwanese subsidiary of Longsys, showcased industry-leading high-capacity SSDs under the theme "Embracing the Era of High-Capacity SSDs." The products on display included the Mnemonic MS90 8TB SATA SSD, FORESEE ORCA 4836 series enterprise NVMe SSDs, FORESEE XP2300 PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, and rich product lines comprising embedded storage, memory modules, memory cards, and more. The company offers reliable industrial-grade, automotive-grade, and enterprise-grade storage products, providing high-capacity solutions for global users.

High-Capacity SSDs
For SSDs, Mnemonic Electronic presented products in various form factors and interfaces, including PCIe M.2, PCIe BGA, SATA M.2, and SATA 2.5-inch. The Mnemonic MS90 8 TB SATA SSD supports the SATA interface with a speed of up to 6 Gb/s (Gen 3) and is backward compatible with Gen 1 and Gen 2. It also supports various SATA low-power states (Partial/Sleep/Device Sleep) and can be used for nearline HDD replacement, surveillance, and high-speed rail systems.

Earlier this week, we got news of ASUS working on a design revision for its ROG Ally handheld game console to fix the positioning of its microSD card slot that was causing card and card-reader failures due to its location close to a thermal vent. It turns out that this revision is a whole different product, and ASUS is naming it the ROG Ally X. There's more to this console than simply a relocated microSD slot that won't fry your memory cards.

Apparently, ASUS has used the opportunity to give it a larger battery, and a larger M.2-2280 SSD bay, compared to the M.2-2242 slot on the original ROG Ally. This would open up end-users to the widest possible array of SSD choices. As a final bit of product differentiation, the ROG Ally X comes with a new black chassis trim. The larger battery makes the ROG Ally X heavier than the original. Besides these three hardware changes, the new ROG Ally X features the same kit as the original, and is hence expected to offer the same performance, albeit with improved battery life. ASUS is expected to formally launch the ROG Ally X on June 2, 2024.

Thanks to recent developments in the AI field, and following in the wake of the world's recovery from COVID-19, the transition of factories to partial or full automation proceeds with unstoppable momentum. And the best place to learn about the latest technologies that aim to make this transition as painless as possible is at Automate 2024. This is North America's largest robotics and automation event, and it will be held in Chicago, Illinois from May 6 to 9.

Automate attracts professionals from around the world, and Apacer is no exception. Apacer team will be on hand to discuss the latest technological developments created by our experienced R&D team. Many of these developments were specifically created to reduce the pain points commonly experienced by fully automated facilities. Take CoreSnapshot, for example. This backup and recovery technology can restore a crashed system to full operation in just a few seconds, reducing downtime and associated maintenance costs. Apacer recently updated CoreSnapshot, creating CoreRescue ASR and CoreRescue USR. The name of CoreRescue ASR refers to Auto Self Recovery. This technology will harness AI to learn the system booting process and analyze how long a boot should take. If this average boot time is significantly longer than usual, the system will trigger the self-recovery process and revert to an earlier, uncorrupted version of the drive's content. CoreRescue USR offers similar functionality, except the self-recovery process is triggered by connecting a small USB stick drive.

Add two super fast NVMe SSDs to your Raspberry Pi 5. Ideal if you need redundancy or just a load more storage on your RPi. NVMe Base Duo is a PCIe Gen 2 extension board for Raspberry Pi 5. Simply populate it with one or two M-key NVMe SSDs (2230 to 2280 sizes supported) and mount it under (or over) your Pi for a compact and fast storage solution. It even comes with rubber feet!

It's the perfect solution for turning your Raspberry Pi 5 into a file server, media center, reverse proxy, etc.—really any task that benefits from large amounts of fast storage, redundancy, or just to make use of a couple of spare disk—especially with random high operations per second (IOPS) workloads. In short, it's a game changer! NVMe Base Duo is now available for pre-order with the first batch of units shipping in mid-April. For a lot more detail about NVMe Base Duo and to reserve your unit click here.

Seizing the Edge: Cervoz Adapts to Shifting Data Landscape—The rapid emergence of technologies like AIoT and 5G and their demand for high-speed data processing has accelerated the data transition from the cloud to the edge. This shift exposes data to unpredictable environments with extreme temperature variations, vibrations, and space constraints, making it critical for edge devices to thrive in these settings. Cervoz strategically targets the blooming edge computing sector by introducing an extensive array of compact product lines, enhancing its existing SSDs, DRAM, and Modular Expansion Cards to meet the unique needs of edge computing.

Cervoz Reveals NVMe M.2 SSDs and Connectivity Solutions to Power the Edge
Cervoz introduces its latest compact PCIe Gen. 3x2 SSD offerings, the T421 M.2 2242 (B+M key) and T425 M.2 2230 (A+E key). These space-efficient design and low power consumption feature offer exceptional performance, catering to the storage needs of fanless embedded PCs and motherboards for purpose-built edge applications. Cervoz is also leading the way in developing connectivity solutions, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Serial, USB, and CAN Bus all available in M.2 2230 (A+E key) and M.2 2242/2260/2280 (B+M) form factors. The M.2 (B+M key) 2242/2260/2280 card is a versatile three-in-one solution designed for maximum adaptability. While it initially comes in a 2280 form factor, it can be easily adjusted to fit 2260 or 2242 sizes. It offers an effortless upgrade of existing systems without sacrificing connection capability, especially in edge devices.

Patriot Memory brought their latest ware to the 2024 International CES that use recent advancements in tech on both the SSD and memory fronts. On the SSD front, this year sees 14 GB/s capable PCIe Gen 5 NVMe SSDs thanks to Phison's E26 Max14um controller; and a new crop of USB4 portable SSDs; while the memory front sees DDR5 speeds go far north of DDR5-6000, thanks to on-module CKDs. Patriot showed us examples of each.

First up, there's the Patriot Viper PV573 Gen 5 NVMe SSD. This thing comes in capacities of up to 4 TB, and combines a Phison E26 Max14um controller with Micron's latest B58R TLC NAND flash chips that offer 2400 MT/s per flash channel. The controller also gets some incremental thermal optimizations, which means the cooling solution for the PV573 is a 16.5 mm-tall fan-heatsink. The drive offers up to 14 GB/s sequential reads, with up to 12 GB/s sequential writes. There's also a slightly de-rated version of this drive, the Viper PV553, which has the same combination of controller and NAND flash, but with transfer speeds of up to 12.4 GB/s reads, with up to 11.8 GB/s writes.

TYAN, a leading server platform design manufacturer and a MiTAC Computing Technology Corporation subsidiary, today introduced upgraded server platforms and motherboards based on the brand-new 5th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors, formerly codenamed Emerald Rapids.

5th Gen Intel Xeon processor has increased to 64 cores, featuring a larger shared cache, higher UPI and DDR5 memory speed, as well as PCIe 5.0 with 80 lanes. Growing and excelling with workload-optimized performance, 5th Gen Intel Xeon delivers more compute power and faster memory within the same power envelope as the previous generation. "5th Gen Intel Xeon is the second processor offering inside the 2023 Intel Xeon Scalable platform, offering improved performance and power efficiency to accelerate TCO and operational efficiency", said Eric Kuo, Vice President of Server Infrastructure Business Unit, MiTAC Computing Technology Corporation. "By harnessing the capabilities of Intel's new Xeon CPUs, TYAN's 5th-Gen Intel Xeon-supported solutions are designed to handle the intense demands of HPC, data centers, and AI workloads.

ADATA Industrial, the world's leading brand for industrial-grade embedded storage, officially released today its SATA 31D series of industrial-grade solid-state drives including 2.5-inch ISSS31D, M.2 2280 IM2S31D8, and M.2 2242 IM2S31D4, designed for retail terminals and embedded systems.

The SATA 31D series of industrial-grade SSDs utilize 112-layer 3D TLC flash memory developed by WDC, boasting a P/E Cycle of 3,000 which is comparable to MLC. The 31D series also offers a variety of ultra-thin and compact mainstream specifications such as SATA 2.5-inch, M.2 2280, M.2 2242, and various capacity options from 128 GB to 2 TB. 112-layer 3D NAND (BiCS5) 31D series SSDs all support thermal throttling technology, which reduces SSD transmission performance in stages to effectively mitigate the risk of data damage due to overheating. Furthermore, a LDPC ECC error correction mechanism and End-to-End Data Protection technology ensure reliable data transfer and improve data integrity. The 31D series is eminently suitable for POS systems, information kiosks, digital signage, and embedded equipment.

Other World Computing www.OWC.com -- the leading end-to-end ecosystem solution provider of computer hardware, accessories, and software for both consumers and professionals - today introduced the Express 1M2, the first USB4 drive and fastest single blade NVMe OWC has ever offered.

Exceptional Speed, Ultimate Flexibility
The OWC Express 1M2 was purposefully built to maximize the performance capabilities of today's and tomorrow's USB4-equipped Macs and PCs. It offers photo and video professionals, DITs, and prosumers/performance enthusiasts real-world speeds up to 3151 MB/s. It also offers versatile compatibility to work with millions of existing Thunderbolt and USB-C machines and devices.

CORSAIR, a world leader in enthusiast components for gamers, creators, and PC builders, today announced the launch of the MP700 PRO, its fastest PCIe Gen 5 M.2 SSD to date. Available in capacities up to 4 TB, with three different cooling options, the MP700 PRO sets a new standard for next-generation storage, with sequential read and write performance reaching a phenomenal 12,400 MB/sec and 11,800 MB/sec respectively—that's up to 75% faster than PCIe 4.0 SSDs.

On top of the impressive sequential throughput, the random read and write performance of up to 1.5 million read and 1.6 million write input/output operations per second (IOPS) put the MP700 PRO way ahead of the best PCIe Gen 4 drives. The MP700 PRO is backward compatible with PCIe 4.0 motherboards, making this an upgrade that will last you for years to come. Native support for Microsoft DirectStorage ensures that you'll get the most from the latest games, while copying files in Windows and loading applications has never felt so fast.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of the MP700 Pro is now live]

Swissbit, a leading manufacturer of industrial-grade flash memory solutions, today announced the release of its new product line of SATA SSDs. The series X-73, X-75 and X-78 are powered by cutting-edge industrial 112-layer 3D NAND technology, bringing unprecedented reliability and extended lifespan to the world's most crucial networks. The latest portfolio is built with Swissbit's dedication to quality and innovation. The new portfolio not only offers reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) thanks to its extended product life cycle, but also comes with powersafe SSDs - Swissbit's industry-leading power loss protection feature.

The expanded SSD product line includes M.2 2242, M.2 2280, Slim SATA MO-297, and 2.5" form factors, and offers a wide capacity range from 40 GB up to 1.92 TB. With an industry-leading 100k P/E cycles, the high endurance versions in pSLC mode are aimed at addressing the increasing market demand for durable and reliable data storage solutions.

Leading industrial storage and memory provider, Cervoz Technology, introduces the T436 Family: state-of-the-art Industrial PCIe NVMe Gen3x4 SSDs. Compatible with the PCIe Gen3x4 interface, NVMe protocol, and M.2 2280 form factor, the series is a perfect fit for both booting and storage in PCs and motherboards. What sets the T436 SSDs apart is Cervoz's proprietary Power Loss Protection technology. In an era dominated by rapid IoT and AI advancements, our dependency on data is paramount. With global energy fluctuations driven by soaring computing needs, there's more than just a call for swifter data management. It's crucial to protect our data from potential power inconsistencies.

Guarding Data Against Power Instability
The standout feature of the T436 is its advanced PLP (Power Loss Protection) technology. Power disruptions have long been a challenge for SSDs, making valuable data vulnerable to corruption or loss, threatening both data integrity and operational continuity. The T436 SSDs integrate the Powerguard technology to combat these challenges. Upon an unexpected power dip, Powerguard activates instantly, drawing additional power from tantalum capacitors, ensuring that any data within the DRAM buffer is written back to the NAND Flash. Typically, average SSDs require around 40 ms of backup power discharge to complete the data write-in task, influenced by the data's complexity or size. With Cervoz's Powerguard, the buffer time from a power dip to potential failure extends impressively to 88 ms, ensuring that all data has ample time to be written fully.

GIGABYTE Technology, one of the top global manufacturers of motherboards, graphics cards, and hardware solutions, announced today the latest AORUS Gen5 12000 SSD with an M.2 2280 form factor. Harnessing the power of a PCIe 5.0 controller with ultra-fast 3D-TLC NAND Flash, the AORUS Gen5 12000 SSD delivers a boosted performance of more than 70% over PCIe 4.0 SSDs with easy installation and superb capability. Equipped with the ultimate thermal design of M.2 Thermal Guard Extreme, the AORUS Gen5 12000 SSD becomes the perfect choice for power users, content creators, and gamers.

With PCIe 5.0 support on new motherboard platforms, the bandwidth and transfer performance are raised to the next level. The AORUS Gen5 12000 SSD is equipped with the latest Phison PS5026-E26 8-channel controller, providing users with superior control of random read speeds. Along with an over 232-layer stack structure of 3D-TLC NAND Flash and a built-in LPDDR4 cache design, the AORUS Gen5 12000 SSD unleashes the full potential of PCIe 5.0 performance with 12 GB/s ultra-fast access speed, which is more than a 70% increase compared to its predecessor. Furthermore, with AORUS optimized Direct Storage support, the AORUS Gen5 12000 SSD brings next-level performance with optimized stability.

Samsung Semiconductor introduced its 990 PRO Flagship PCIe Gen 4 SSD range a year ago, with 1 TB and 2 TB models available day one on launch. The South Korean company also teased a 4 TB variant for release in 2023—recent activity on social media indicates that the higher capacity model will be coming soon (but no firm date was touted): "You wanted it so badly, we had no choice but to deliver. The 4 TB 990 PRO by Samsung SSD is coming. Same blazing-fast storage with double the max capacity for gaming, video, 3D editing, and more. Stay tuned for more details."

According to Samsung's specification sheet, the 990 Pro 4 TB is due to arrive in two forms—a plain drive (MZ-V9P4T0BW) with a simple/thin graphene heat spreader and a fancier version sporting an aluminium heatsink (MZ-V9P4T0CW). The latest marketing blurb continues to place emphasis on the 990 Pro M.2 2280 drives being ideal candidates for upgrading the PlayStation 5's (PCIe 4.0) internal storage—we will have to wait closer to launch time for the 4 TB variant's MSRP, although its eventual pricing is most likely going to target enthusiast PC users. The 2 TB model (w/ heatsink) is currently available for $149.99 (down from the original launch value of $309.99) at the time of writing.

The Sabrent Quad NVMe SSD to PCIe 4.0 x16 Card (EC-P4BF) is the perfect complement for a desktop that requires additional high-performance storage. Add one, two, three, or four NVMe SSDs with a single, physical x16 PCIe slot adapter. A bifurcation setting in the BIOS is required. Only M.2 M key SSDs are supported, but older and newer generation SSDs in the 2230/2242/2260/2280 form factors will work at up to PCIe 4.0 speeds. The adapter is also backward compatible with PCIe 3.0/2.0 slots. Drives can be accessed individually or placed into a RAID via Intel VROC, AMD Ryzen NVMe RAID, UEFI RAID, or software-based RAID through Windows Storage Spaces when respective criteria are met.

High-performance drives and systems may require high-end cooling, and this adapter has you covered. It's constructed out of aluminium material for physical stability and improved heat dissipation. It also includes thermal padding for all four SSDs to keep things cool and in place. Active cooling for high-performance environments is optional with a switchable fan. The adapter is plug-and-play with driverless operation. Rear-mounted LEDs quickly show the drive status for a quick visual update. The host must support PCIe bifurcation (lane splitting) to access more than one drive, so be sure to check your motherboard's manual ahead of time.

VisionTek Products LLC, a leading provider of high-performance upgrades and accessories for PCs and Macs, today unveiled its new lineup of M.2 solid-state drives (SSDs) featuring exceptional speed, thermal management and durability. These next-generation form factor M.2 drives cater to demanding workloads and offer blazing fast read and write speeds up to 7,500 MB/s.

The DLX4 PCIe 4.0 SSDs feature a PCIe 4.0 interface for high-bandwidth, low-latency performance for the most demanding of workloads. The range includes 2230, 2242 and 2280 SSDs to support a variety of systems and devices. Capacities range from 500 GB to 4 TB, making the SSDs perfect for applications like 3D rendering, gaming and video editing.

Nextorage Japan is preparing its NE5N range of PCIe Gen 5 NVMe SSDs for launch in early June - listings have emerged on Newegg for 2 TB and 1 TB models - with a product page appearing recently on the company's (Japanese language) website. These units boast read and write speeds rated for operation up to 10 GB/s, and are based on Phison's E26 PCIe Gen 5 controller. Nextorage started off as a provider of PlayStation 5-oriented PCIe Gen 4 SSD products, due to company ties to Sony Corporation, but its upcoming NE5N range indicates that it intends to target buyers within the enthusiast PC market.

The initial batch of cutting edge SSDs are unlikely to end up in any PS5 consoles, thanks to a sizable dual formation heatsink - the Japanese company has filed a patent for the bulky two-level structure and heatpipe combination design. Gen 5 SSDs are said to be difficult to tame in terms of heat output, and manufacturers are going to great lengths (and sizes) to provide adequate cooling solutions in advance. Future versions of Nextorage Japan's NE5N NVMe M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 5 SSDs are being refined for compact PCs and laptops, so it will be interesting to find out about the intended thermal tempering for more cramped environments.

Thermalright has quietly updated its product page this week, and has rolled out another SSD cooler that looks quite familiar. The HR-10 2280 PRO M.2 SSD heatsink is now featured on their website, where it sits close to a similar looking model - the now standard HR-10 2280. This non-PRO version was revealed late last month as a step up from the older HR-09 SSD heatsink. The brand new HR-10 2280 PRO sports a key upgrade over its passively cooled older siblings - a 30 mm 12 V cooling PWM fan has been integrated into the middle of the fin stack's body. Thermalright's latest M.2 heatsink also fully prepared for and compatible with the next generation of SSDs - its revised design will accommodate Gen 5 solid-state drive standards.

The HR-10 Pro is consists of four 5 mm-thick nickel-plated copper heatpipes that make contact with a user appointed M.2-2280 SSD, over a mirror-finish nickel-plated copper base-plate. The heatpipes loop through a dense aluminium fin-stack with slats designed to maximize surface area for highly effective heat dissipation. A die-cast metal top-plate with company branding completes the package. The HR-10 PRO weighs in at 95 g (so 10 g more than the standard HR-10). The heatsink measures 23.7 mm x 90.3 mm x 43.8 mm (WxDxH). Thermalright has not revealed any pricing or stock availability at the time of writing.