PCI-SIG, the organization responsible for the widely adopted PCI Express (PCIe) standard, today announced the release of the CopprLink Internal and External Cable specifications. The CopprLink Cable specifications provide signaling at 32.0 and 64.0 GT/s and leverage well-established industry standard connector form factors maintained by SNIA.

"The CopprLink Cable specifications integrate PCIe cabling seamlessly with the PCIe electrical base specification, providing longer channel reach and topological flexibility," said Al Yanes, PCI-SIG President and Chairperson. "The CopprLink Cables are intended to evolve with the same connector form factors, scale for future PCIe technology generations and meet the demands of emerging applications. The Electrical Work Group has already begun pathfinding work on CopprLink Cables for PCIe 7.0 technology at 128.0 GT/s, showcasing PCI-SIG's commitment to the CopprLink Cable specifications."

ZOTAC Technology is announcing a new lineup of enterprise and healthcare-oriented mini PCs designed for specific applications and scalable deployment, as well as a whole new class of external GPU acceleration platforms for Thunderbolt 3-compatible PCs. Aside from the all-new additions, ZOTAC is also refreshing its best-selling performance mini PCs with the newest generations of Intel Core Processors and NVIDIA RTX-enabled GPUs. ZOTAC will debut these rugged, innovative solutions and showcase other AI-ready compute solutions during Hannover Messe 2024, reaffirming ZOTAC's commitment to embrace the AI-driven future.

ZOTAC ZBOX Healthcare Series: Medical AI Solution
With the all-new ZOTAC Healthcare Series, ZOTAC is offering the reputed superior quality and performance of ZOTAC ZBOX Mini PCs to the realm of Healthcare. The ZBOX H39R5000W and ZBOX H37R3500W are equipped with 13th Generation Intel Core i9 or i7 laptop processors, as well as professional-grade NVIDIA RTX Ada Generation laptop GPUs. These mini PCs are ready to power medical imaging, algorithms, and more, with some of the latest and greatest hardware currently available.

During its "Xiamen HighFun" event in China, Minisforum announced the latest addition to its compact series of gaming PCs, this time with no official name. The 6-liter system, code-named "Project RPFXI" for Intel and "Project DRFXI" for AMD, will support up to 100 W TDP and utilize the most powerful Ryzen CPU, the Ryzen 9 7945HX3D. This hybrid mobile/desktop processor combines the desktop-level performance of 16 Zen 4 cores with 144 MB of 3D V-cache, all within a 55 W power limit. Minisforum confirmed the 7945HX3D would be available in the AMD platform version, positioned as a premium model compared to the existing 7945HX system.

Interestingly, the GPU support is literally external, as the potential GPU needs to be attached to the outside part of the case, which is then secured using screws. The case could accommodate the fastest GPUs like NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 with a powerful enough power supply. The 6-liter mini PC is expected to launch in late 2023, either in 24-core Intel (HX line) configuration, of 16-core AMD configuration.

Based on the latest data and research, TrendForce has further corrected down the projected YoY growth rate of whole server shipments for 2023 to 2.8%. Three factors are behind this revision. First, lead time has started to return to its usual length for most orders related to server components from 3Q23 onward. Seeing this, server OEMs and cloud service providers (CSPs) have also begun to correct the component mismatch issue by lowering demand for items that are in excess while maintaining a constant inventory level for items that are still in tight supply. This development, in turn, has reduced the flow of server orders going to ODMs. Second, the wave of demand that was generated earlier from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is dissipating. Hence, expansion activities have cooled off noticeably for services such as video streaming, e-commerce, etc. Among CSPs, Meta, Google, and ByteDance (TikTok) have lowered their server procurement quantities for next year. Lastly, the global economic outlook has remained fairly negative, so companies across most industry sectors have formulated a more conservative expenditure plan and scaled back IT-related spending for next year.

Kanguru announces a new FIPS 140-2 Certified External Solid-State Drive with enhanced security. The new Defender SSD350 hardware encrypted solid state drive series provides organizations with data protection at its best. The TAA Compliant, Defender SSD350 family of solid-state drives is ideal for high-security environments, including government, defense, healthcare, financial institutions, energy/utilities and other security-conscious organizations that rely on benchmark FIPS 140-2 Certification and military-grade, hardware encryption to meet strict security demands. Designed and built under the independent and rigorous testing verification process conducted by the National Institute of Standards for Technology (NIST), the Defender SSD350 provides organizations with exceptional data security and value.

Packed with military grade security features for both MacOS and Windows, it can also be remotely managed for a complete data security solution. Security/IT Administrators can monitor their organization's Kanguru Defender drives anywhere in the world with the Kanguru Remote Management Console (KRMC), which allows Admins to enforce security policies, locate lost or stolen drives, manage security settings remotely and much more.

Kioxia is continuing to expand its end user product range and its latest addition is an external USB-C SSD that goes by the name of Exceria Plus. It'll be available in 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB sizes, which seems like a decent range of size options. The USB-C interface sadly tops out at USB 3.2 Gen 2, or 10 Gbps speeds, which results in the corresponding maximum read speed of 1,050 MB/s and a maximum write speed of 1,000 MB/s.

The drive is MIL-STD-810H procedure IV impact tested, which means it can withstand a drop of about 1.2 metres onto reinforced concrete without taking any damage. The drive measures 105 x 45 x 14.7 mm (W x D x H) and weighs in at 76 grams, not including cables. Pricing in Japan starts at about US$78 and goes up to US$265.

OWC, the premier zero-emissions Mac and PC technology company, and a respected provider of Memory, External Drives, SSDs, Mac & PC Docking Solutions, Network Attached Storage, and Performance Upgrade Kits, announced today the OWC Mercury Elite Pro mini. Introduced over a decade ago to emulate its award-winning desktop sized OWC Mercury Elite Pro "sibling," the OWC Mercury Elite Pro mini has earned a stellar reputation of offering superior portable storage performance.

The OWC Mercury Elite Pro mini is a powerhouse that gives creative pros, small office/home office users, students, and families the speed and universal connectivity of a USB-C 10 Gb/s interface and up to 4 TB of storage capacity and 542 MB/s real-world performance speeds. The included USB-C cable with tethered USB-A adapter lets you plug into nearly anything, anywhere. Connect the OWC Mercury Elite Pro mini to past, present, and future Macs and PCs and iOS, Android, and Chrome OS devices. The OWC Mercury Elite Pro mini is bus-powered so that you can free yourself from power adapter limitations. Cut the cord and take high-performance storage where you need it from the desktop to a mountaintop.

Akasa, just released a new aluminium enclosure for M.2 drives. This iteration of Akasa's M.2 range of enclosures is packed full of the latest features such as USB 3.2 Generation 2x2 connectivity, UASP support and a brand-new tool-free design, and is built for the ultra-fast data transfer speeds of up to a massive 20 Gb/s. The enclosure is machined out of high quality aluminium, functioning as a heatsink to draw away excess heat from the drive. A thermal pad is included with the package to allow the best possible heat dissipation.

Also included in the box is a high-quality, braided, USB-C to USB-C cable, which is durable enough to withstand the constant daily use this enclosure is designed for. The tool-free design includes two high-quality metal thumb screws, strong enough to effortlessly hold your M.2 drive, and provide a sleek appearance to the enclosure. A simple yet effective rubber tab holds the drive down, whilst the updated design means the aluminium heatsink can fully contact the thermal pad and work efficiently.

Seagate Technology, a world leader in data storage solutions, today announced two new additions to the company's line of PC gaming storage, the FireCuda Gaming Hard Drive and FireCuda Gaming Hub. Both new external HDD (Hard Disk Drive) solutions were designed for gamers who are looking to level up their battle stations with high—performing, mass capacity upgrades in a sleek enclosure.

Presented in a bold and refined design, the new FireCuda Hard Drive features RGB LED lighting that gamers can customize through Seagate's Toolkit software for an epic gaming atmosphere. It also features Razer Chroma RGB compatibility to synchronize users' Chroma-enabled gaming peripherals. The lightweight FireCuda Hard Drive is designed with USB 3.2 Gen 1 connection for universal compatibility and quick transfer speeds and is USB bus-powered, making it the winning choice for laptop and PC gamers on the go.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, today announces the launch of the ADATA SE770G RGB external solid state drive (SSD). Performance-driven and bold, SE770G features USB3.2 Gen 2 and Type-C connectivity, read/write speeds of up 1000/800 MB/s, and a spacious panel of RGB lighting.

The SE770G isn't the typical run-of-the-mill external SSD. With a spacious panel of RGB, it will light up workspaces at home and on the go with a glorious cube-patterned effect. In the past, external SSDs were relegated to the shadows while other RGB-adorned peripherals and devices took the spotlight on peoples' desktops. With the SE700G, it is now the time for external SSDs to shine.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories today announces the launch of the ADATA SE760 external solid state drive (SSD). The SSD features a stylish and compact form factor for easy portability and implements the USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface for excellent read and write performance.

The ADATA SE760 sports a compact, streamlined design that's great for on the go. Its sleek metal exterior with a textured hairline-brushed surface looks and feels great. The SSD implements the USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface, allowing it to reach read/write speeds of up to 1,000 MB/s, which is over 12 times faster than an external hard drive. This blazing-fast performance will allow users to transfer a 10 GB 4K movie in approximately twenty seconds.

Mushkin at CES 2020 showcased their latest products, both in the storage or random access memory space. Starting with the NVMe products, the EON NVMe SSD will be available in capacities starting at 500 GB through 4 TB, and make use of 3D TLC NAND paired with Silicon Motion's SM2267 controller. It's a PCIe 4.0 x4 affair in the M.2 2280 form-factor, with built-in LDPC ECC technology. The company is quoting speeds up to 4 GB/s read and up to 3 GB/s writes, with up to 400K IOPS on either case. The EON Pro upgrades both storage capacity (available in up to a whopping 16 TB density) and speeds, leveraging Silicon Motion's SM 2264 controller. Sequential reads and writes are quoted at 6.4 GB/s and 3.9 GB/s, respectively, with 700K IOPS on both scenarios.

The Source Q, on the other hand, is a 2.5" SATA SSD, and keeps the Silicon Motion trend going with the company's SM2259XT controller. It offers up to 560 MB/s reads and 515 MB/s writes, with up to 95K read IOPS and 86K write IOPS. It will only be available in 500 GB through 2 TB capacities, which goes to show how Mushkin is prioritizing demand for their NVMe drives.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories today announces the SD600Q external solid state drive (SSD). The SD600Q offer excellent read/write speeds of up to 440 MB per second, four times the speed of external hard drives. It does this with 3D NAND Flash, offering excellent performance, reliability, and shorter loading times. What's more, the SD600Q features a shock-resistance construction, heat dissipation capabilities, silent operation, and is power efficient.

Users will fall in love with the SD600Q at first use. Delivering read/write of up to 440 MB per second, the SD600Q will allow users to transfer a 5 GB Full HD movie in a mere 26 seconds. Packing 3D NAND Flash, or stacked memory, the SD600Q offers greater reliability, durability, and ample storage capacities of up to 960 GB.

The VisionTek Thunderbolt 3 Mini eGFX Enclosure is ideal for creative professionals, IT/enterprise power users, professional users in healthcare, finance, scientific research labs, etc., and gaming enthusiasts seeking the ultimate GPU performance improvement to Thunderbolt 3 equipped laptops. Delivering up to 40 Gbps of bandwidth, Thunderbolt 3 is the industry's fastest interface that is rapidly becoming popular on new generation of laptops and mini PCs. VisionTek's Mini eGFX combined with a graphics add-in card significantly boosts the GPU performance of a Thunderbolt 3 enabled laptop, via a plug and play connection to the enclosure.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND flash products, today announces two new external hard disk drives (HDD), the ADATA HD680 and the HV320. The HD680 is designed to provide robust protection and comes with up to 2TB of capacity. The HV320 is geared for ultimate portability and style with its slim form factor and beautiful hairline-brushed finish and comes with up to 5TB of capacity.

MyDigitalSSD is out with a relatively ingenious solution for users looking to get the best portable, external SSD performance available. Their new M2X external M.2 enclosure will allow users to create an external storage solution via a DIY kit. The M2X is built on JMicron's JMS583 USB 3.1 Gen 2 to PCIe 3.1 x2 bridge chip (meaning that a PCIe 2x NVMe will be sufficient in maxing out available performance), will only be limited by USB 3.1 Gen 2's 1GB/s throughput. The DIY assembly packs a thermal pad and the enclosure, as well as USB Type-C and Type-A cables, and will be available from Amazon for $39.99 or through MyDigitalDiscount for $36.14.

If you've been dreaming of an external HDD that could sync its RGB goodness with that of your PC case for the ultimate in bling synchronicity, ASUS has you covered. Its new FX external HDD lineup does just that - deliver a Strix-like design with a very angular base, with detailed accents etched onto the brushed aluminum enclosure. And did I mention there is full AURA Sync support?

The FX external HDDs boast of secure 256-bit AES encryption and data compression, and has a built-in back-up software solution. Connection (both for data transfer and AURA Sync) is done via a USB 3.1 Gen1 x 1 connector via the ASM1153E controller. The FX external HDDs measure 128 x 80 x 16.3 mm and only weigh 145 grams in 1TB and 2TB capacity, while the EHD-A2T model provides 2TB of storage.

With the Sharkoon Quickstore One, the range of external enclosures with a USB 3.1 interface expands further. It features a USB Type C port and is suitable for tool-free installation of a 2.5" HDD/SSD with a maximum height of 9.5 mm. The case is compatible with Windows 7/8/10, Mac OS X and Linux. The recommended retail price is 24.99 euros.

Sharkoon has historically offered a large variety of external hard drive enclosures and, with the new Quickstore One, introduces the third portable storage solution with a USB 3.1 interface. The top cover is comprised of brushed aluminum, which is available in the color versions of black or silver, with a plastic underside in black for both versions. The compact dimensions measure 130 x 83 x 16 mm, with a weight without a built-in hard drive of 92.5 grams.

ZOTAC International, a global manufacturer of innovation, today introduced an amazing addition to its product line, the ZOTAC AMP BOX Series. The all-new External Thunderbolt 3 box solutions possess the Power To Transform any Thunderbolt 3 capable systems into a powerful Game / VR Ready System or supplement it with an ultra-fast expansive storage with NVMe PCIe x4 SSD.

ZOTAC offers two models, AMP BOX and AMP BOX Mini. Both external boxes can accommodate dual slot graphics card and support up to an enthusiast-grade GeForce GTX 1080 Ti on the AMP and GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card on the Mini respectively, enabling users to complement any Thunderbolt 3 compatible ZBOX Mini PC, Notebook, or Desktop with the power to game beyond the limit.

GALAX and its EU-specific brand KFA2 announced the SNPR external graphics enclosure, with a factory-fitted GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB graphics card. Measuring 165 mm x 156.5 mm x 73 mm (WxDxH), and weighing in at 1.38 kg, the enclosure relies on an external power brick. Internally, it's a stack-up of three key components, the main-board which takes in power and Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gbps) host connectivity, and puts out a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot; the extremely compact graphics card PCB, and the custom-design fan-heatsink cooler, which combines an aluminium fin-stack heatsink, with a pair of 70 mm spinners, to keep cool.

The enclosure is made of SECC steel, that's perforated along three sides. Display outputs from the card include one each of DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, and dual-link DVI-D. The internal GTX 1060 6 GB graphics card ticks at factory-overclocked speeds of 1531 MHz core, 1746 MHz GPU Boost, and 8.00 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory (against reference clocks of 1506/1709 MHz). An external 230W power-brick (included) supplies power to the unit. Available now, the KFA2/GALAX SNPR GTX 1060 6 GB is priced at 499€ in the EU, including taxes.

Back at the end of June, Club 3D already announced the next generation of video splitters that are capable of supporting Dual Monitor @ 4K60Hz. Today we are proud to announce our first docking station which supports as well Dual Monitor @ 4K60Hz. And that is not everything. The new model - CSV-1460 - comes with a lot of ports and is a fully hybrid docking station. This means you can either use it with the USB Type-A cable that is delivered, or if you already have one of those ingenious thin Ultrabooks or Notebooks with Type-C Ports, you just choose the Type C cable out of the box.

Former generation USB docking stations based on USB 3.0 or 3.1 suffered from a limitation of 30Hz if you were aiming at using the highest resolutions like 3840 x 2160 (4K). The latest developments from DisplayLink make it possible now that with CSV-1460 the resolutions can be taken to a new level. Not only one time 4K60Hz is possible, the docking station even offers Dual Monitor functionality and each of the ouptuts supports 4K60Hz. The only requirement is to have a free USB Type A 3.1 Gen 1 socket in your device. This new SenseVision product is powered by DisplayLink 6950 SoC.

At SIGGRAPH 2017, NVIDIA announced it is working with a number of partners towards the development of external graphics enclosures that can power - and increase mobility - of their professional-geared GPU solutions. Namely, NVIDIA has announced external GPU solutions featuring the powerful Titan Xp and Quadro graphics cards. These external GPU solutions are meant to upgrade the capability of notebooks to support new workflows such as video editing, interactive rendering, VR content creation, AI development and more. Such has been enabled by the latest, high-bandwidth Thunderbolt 3 protocol. For the Quadro eGPU program specifically, Nvidia is working with established manufacturers like Sonnet, Magma, Akiti, and Bizon. The company says there are more to come.

Pricing information has not been revealed for now, but Titan Xp can already be ordered, while the Quadro solutions will see availability in a few weeks.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories today launched the HD710 Pro durable external hard drive alongside an addition to the best-selling HD650 range. The HD710 Pro improves on its HD710 predecessor by exceeding IP68 dust and waterproofing plus military-grade shock resistance. It enhances the safeguarding of stored data against accidents, damage, and the rigors of active lifestyles, and is available in four colors. The HD710 Pro offers up to 4TB capacity. The refreshed HD650 arrives in a stylish light blue over black color scheme, also providing 4TB capacity - a new milestone for unpowered USB external hard drives. Together, these two new USB 3.1 models bolster the ADATA external hard drive portfolio, giving consumers more choice.

ZOTAC also showed off its unnamed external graphics dock. This dock is designed for high-end graphics cards connected to your notebook over Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gb/s) interface. The dock encloses a 400W power-supply with two 6+2-pin PCIe connectors, which should prove sufficient for a high-end single-GPU graphics card. The dock can seat one dual-slot graphics card up to 22 cm (9-inch) in length. A ZOTAC GTX 1080 Ti Mini was showed off in the dock exhibit. The dock even has a downstream Thunderbolt 3 port, and four USB 3.0 ports, including a quick-charge (2,000 mA) port. Ventilation is care of a 140 mm front intake fan, and a 120 mm rear exhaust. The body, which opens up like a clam-shell, is made of ABS with brushed aluminium finish, with acrylic windows.

At its Computex 2017 showcase, Sapphire showcased (ahem) an upcoming e-GFX enclosure. The unit delivers its display signal through a Thunderbolt 3 port, which is being hailed as "The USB-C that does it all", with up to 40 Gb/s connections, dual 4K @ 60Hz support, charging capabilities, and support for the USB and DisplayPort interfaces.

The unit makes use of what appears to be a SFF PSU (it isn't clear whether or not a PSU comes bundled with the chassis), and space for a dual-slot high performance graphics card. The side of the enclosure presents an airflow-enabling grill, so that your graphics card can pull in fresh air from the exterior. There's also what seems to be an Ethernet port and 2x USB 3.0 ports, which means this enclosure can be used as a hub, or as an extra charger for your other pieces of tech. Aesthetics-wise, this unit uses the tried and true black and white contrast, with a black design language on the front and back, and a smooth white contour on the top and sides of the enclosure. I enjoy the understated design here, with no extremely hard and "gaming" screaming angles, and the neutral color scheme and LED design doesn't look half bad. It remains to be seen whether that blue LED lighting is too strong so as to be distracting, but if it's not, it stands as a good complement to the overall design. Expect this unit to be released sooner rather than later, though no details on pricing or specifications were at hand.