MSI today released another version of their Trident gaming PCs, a small form-factor PC that's meant to serve as a mainstream gaming station and entertainment center. The Trident 3 Arctic features an all-white design in an enclosure that's capable of either horizontal or vertical installation. The system packs in an Intel Core i7-9700F processor (up to 4.7 GHz, though that's unlikely to be achieved in this small enclosure) paired with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER graphics card (so no raytracing and limited 1440p gaming, folks).

These components are rounded out by an Intel H310C-based motherboard, 16 GB of 2,666 MHz DDR4 memory, a 512 GB NVMe SSD and a 1 TB HDD. Connectivity-wise, we're looking at 1x USB 3.2 Gen.1 Type-C, 2x USB-C Type-A, 1x HDMI (only for VR-LINK input), and headset and mic connectors. Around the back, we're looking at 2x HDMI, 1x HDMI for VR Link, 1x DVI-D, 2x DisplayPort, Ethernet, 1x USB3.2 Gen.1 Type-A, 4x USB 2.0, and assorted audio connectors. Wireless protocols are covered by support for 802.11ac wireless LAN and Bluetooth 4.2. Dimensions are set at 97.56 mm thickness, 251.35 mm depth, 353.73 mm height, and 3.17 Kg of mass.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today launched two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C JBOD enclosure models, the 8-bay desktop model TL-D800C and the 12-bay rackmount with redundant power model - TL-R1200C-RP for NAS, PCs, and servers. The multipurpose TL USB JBOD can be used for expanding a QNAP NAS storage space and also serve as storage for PCs and NAS. The TL USB JBOD offers convenient cross-platform file sharing and high flexibility for users, acting as a high-efficiency and intuitive storage expansion option.

QNAP NAS users can use the TL-D800C and TL-R1200C-RP with their NAS, including setting RAID parameters and creating a storage pool using the Storage and Snapshots app in QTS. Alternatively, the TL-D800C and TL-R1200C-RP can be used as a NAS external storage device. Windows, Mac, and Ubuntu users can use QNAP JBOD Manager desktop utility to quickly obtain and view information about the JBOD status, health, fan rotation speed, and check for firmware version updates.

AMD today updated its Product Change Advisory with notes that its StoreMI software won't be available for download anymore. "AMD has decided to end-of-life the current version of the StoreMI technology, and effective March 31, 2020, AMD will no longer make this technology available for download on AMD.com. End users who download the current version of the StoreMI technology prior to March 31, 2020 may continue to use it thereafter (i.e. it will not be deactivated) but AMD will no longer provide any technical or end user support. Instead, AMD will focus its internal development resources on a replacement solution with a rearchitected feature set and a planned release window of 2Q20." - says the AMD Product Change Advisory website.

AMD's StoreMI technology offered users an option to combine up to 256 GB of SSD memory with a slower HDD, to provide "SSD like speeds with HDD like capacity", and it was supported from the second generation Ryzen processors until the current third generation, Ryzen 3000 series CPUs. Given that AMD is working on a replacement solution that is coming out in Q2, we expect that the new solution will be a better and more usable one, so we will report on it as soon as there is more information.

OWC a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company and one of the world's most respected providers of hard drives, SSDs, Mac & PC docking solutions and performance upgrade kits, today announced the latest edition of its legendary Mercury Elite Pro external storage system for Mac, PC, Linux machines, Smart TVs, and PS4 and Xbox consoles. The 3.5-inch USB 3.2 5 Gb/s hard drive system is a modern day workhorse, delivering real-world performance up to 283 MB/s and capacities up to 16 TB to keep pace with the demands of everything from video editing projects, critical business data, and irreplaceable personal content to expanding PS4/Xbox One game storage and enjoying music/video content via a Smart TV.

The Essential External Storage Solution for Everyone
The Mercury Elite Pro kicked off OWC's rich, storied history of storage solution innovations nearly 20 years ago, and it has successfully stood the test of time by continuing to offer an incomparable blend of performance, quality, and value in a single HDD storage solution.

Silicon Power's newest 3.5" external hard drive, the Stream S07, blends design with function. Intended to be reminiscent of a stone and coming in capacities up to 8 TB, the Stream S07 will truly become your cornerstone for storage.

The Stream S07 was carefully designed after a stone, a symbol of durability and longevity. And just like a stone that's been tested through time, it has a crack. But this crack is intentional - it has a dual purpose. First, it serves as a ventilation source to keep the drive running cool. Second, with built-in neon blue LED lights, it serves as a transfer status indicator that runs through the crack, illuminating it while processing data.

Seagate had plenty of things to show off at their CES booth, however, some things specially stuck out, like the Lyve Drive Mobile system. Developed to address the need for data movement between different endpoints, the Lyve Drive system comes in a few flavors. First in the line is a Lyve Drive Cards and Card Reader solution, which offers 1 TB CFexpress cards on the go, and a portable reader for them to read the data on the spot. Next up is the Lyve Drive Shutte which resembles an autonomous data storage and data transport solution that offers capacities of up to 16 TB of HDD or SSD storage.

Another Part of the Lyve Drive ecosystem is a Lyve Drive Mobile Array, which offers a sealed and ruggedized solution for carrying up to 6 of Seagate's 18 TB Exos HAMR (heat-assisted magnetic recording) hard drives for a total capacity of 108 TB. Next in the lineup is the Lyve Drive Modular Array - a 4-bay flexible solution that offers various configurations for business, so their deployment strategy of these devices varies. It uses Seagate's MACH.2 multi-actuator technology that transfers the data concurrently. Last but not least is a Lyve Drive Rackmount Reciver which is a 4U rackmount hub that allows for direct connection of Lyve Drive arrays into the data center, without a need to reconnect any of the data center networking specially for storage transfer.

We were impressed with SecureData's offerings for the encrypted portable storage market in the form of the SecureDrive BT and SecureUSB BT, and the company took to CES 2020 to announce their latest and greatest in the form of the SecureDrive Duo that combines Bluetooth app-based encryption we saw with the previous drives, as well as keypad-based encryption for on-the-go modification. The new drive retains also all the features of the BT lineup, including FIPS 140-2 Level 3 certification and secure device management. We expect this first of its kind drive to be made available in a variety of storage sizes in both HDD and SSD formats as with the SecureDrive BT, when it is made available for purchase later this year.

Intel's latest NUC (Next Unit of Computing) series of Mini PCs, based on the 10th generation of Intel "Core" processors, is now available for purchase. Dubbed Frost Canyon, this NUC series is featuring Intel's 10th generation Comet Lake CPUs at its base. All of the available configurations are based around the Intel Core i7-10710U processor, Intel i219-V Gigabit Lan, Bluetooth 5.0 and Intel WiFi 6 AX200 networking module. Configurations are varying by the amount of pre-installed RAM and storage and the option of whatever you want OS pre-installed or not.

The NUC 10 supports up to 64 GB of DDR4 memory, while the storage options include space for one 2.5 inch SSD/HDD in smaller variants or two 2.5 inch SSD/HDD drives in taller variants, with one NVMe M.2 SSD slot available in both versions. Pricing starts at $679 for the base models, while higher-end configurations cost upward of $1,295. Additionally, it is worth pointing out that all CPUs inside the new NUC are configured to run at 25 W of TPD, regardless of the model. This will result in higher performance compared to 15 W versions of processors found in most laptop solutions.

Western Digital announced that it has started shipping the industry's highest-capacity HDD samples to enterprise OEMs and hyperscale customers worldwide. The 20 TB Ultrastar DC HC650 SMR HDDs and 18 TB Ultrastar DC HC550 CMR HDDs, first previewed in June 2019, and announced in September 2019, feature its first-ever commercial implementation of energy-assisted magnetic recording technology on a nine-disk platform, enabling customers to more efficiently provision and scale their data center environments with unmatched total cost of ownership.

With zettabyte-scale data growth, the need for higher-capacity data storage across a broad spectrum of applications and workloads can be reliably met only with high Capacity Enterprise HDDs. The industry-leading capacities of Western Digital's Ultrastar 20 TB SMR and 18 TB CMR HelioSeal HDDs enable customers to deploy up to 22 percent fewer racks and reduce their TCO by up to 11 percent, along with the corresponding reductions in power consumption, cooling costs, and data center infrastructure needs when compared with today's 14 TB CMR HDDs.

TechPowerUp and Seagate brought you the IronWolf Black Friday Giveaway, throwing three of Seagate's finest pieces of consumer storage up for grabs. The IronWolf series from Seagate represent durable internal HDDs and SSDs for NAS, DAS, NVR, and other high-uptime client applications. Among the prizes are the 14 TB IronWolf internal SATA HDD, and 480 GB IronWolf 110 high-endurance SSD. Without further ado, the winners:

• Neil from The Philippines, wins a 14 TB IronWolf SATA HDD and 480 GB IronWolf 110 SATA SSD (one of each)
• Lisa from Virginia, USA, wins a 480 GB IronWolf 110 SATA SSD

A huge Congratulations to you two! TechPowerUp and Seagate will return with more such interesting Giveaways!

Update Dec 17th: Unfortunately Lisa never responded to us to claim her prize, so we randomly picked another lucky winner: Frank from Washington, US.

Toshiba announces the DT02-V Series of Surveillance HDDs, its new series created for digital video recorder (DVR) and network video recorder (NVR) platforms. The new series utilizes the latest magnetic recording technologies to achieve high areal density, helping to improve reliability compared to the prior MD04ABA-V Series. With up to 6 TB capacity, the new DT02-V Series supports a maximum of 32 high-resolution camera streams and is suitable for use in leading surveillance DVR and NVR platforms with as many as eight drive bays.

"Our latest surveillance HDD family, the DT02-V Series, delivers up to 6 TB of storage capacity, and is designed for use with leading surveillance DVR and NVR platforms," says Shuji Takaoka, General Manager of Storage Products Sales & Marketing Division at Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation. "It also provides a variety of capacity options while improving reliability for high resolution surveillance video streams."

TechPowerUp and Seagate partner to bring you the IronWolf Black Friday Giveaway. The IronWolf line of storage solutions from Seagate are targeted at NAS, DAS, and other high-uptime, quasi-enterprise environments, spanning both HDDs and SSDs. Two lucky winners stand to bring home IronWolf gear. The first lucky winner receives a 14 TB IronWolf internal SATA HDD and an IronWolf 110 SSD 480 GB (one of each). The second lucky winner gets an IronWolf 110 SSD 480 GB. The Giveaway is open worldwide (wherever legal), till December 4th. Do check out great Black Friday deals on Seagate IronWolf storage products at your favorite retailer.

For more details, and to participate, visit this page.

TerraMaster, a professional brand that specializes in providing innovative storage products, including network attached storage and direct attached storage, is proud to announce the D8 Thunderbolt 3 storage drive as part of their Thunderbolt 3 family product family. The D8 Thunderbolt 3 leverages the power of Intel Thunderbolt 3 technology to offer incredible speeds while providing large capacities as well as data integrity for demanding, professional work especially for large, mission critical productions. The TerraMaster D8 Thunderbolt 3 has an MSRP of $1,599.99.

Thunderbolt 3 offers 40 Gbps maximum bandwidth which paired with a powerful RAID controller, allows the D8 Thunderbolt 3 to reach performance of up to 1600 MB/s with traditional hard drives under RAID0 array. For maximum balance of data protection and speed, a RAID5 array can still reach 1400 MB/s with the D8 Thunderbolt 3. This allows editors working on large files such as 4K, 6K or 8K footage to strike a balance of capacity and speed and provide the flexibility to allow them to work with files faster so their creativity is not limited.

Seagate Technology, a world leader in data solutions, today added two new high-performance solutions to its industry-leading line of storage for gamers. The Seagate FireCuda 520 PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD and the FireCuda Gaming Dock featuring 4 TB of HDD storage capacity and an NVMe M.2 expansion slot for an optional ultra-fast SSD upgrade.

Built to deliver the intense speeds needed for the rigor of modern gaming, the FireCuda 520 SSD is the company's fastest solid-state drive and offers plug-and-play compatibility with all PCIe Gen4 motherboards. For laptop PC gamers looking for flexibility, the FireCuda Gaming Dock is an elite 4 TB HDD storage hub with an NVMe M.2 expansion slot for optional SSD upgrade that connects peripherals via a Thunderbolt 3 and offers a slick industrial design with LED illumination pushing your rig over the top.

Western Digital Corp., today addressed head-on the need to optimize storage for video and AI analytics at the network edge. The increased use of smart cameras and ever-rising video resolutions are driving the requirement for on-camera storage. Western Digital introduced the WD Purple SC QD101 Ultra Endurance microSD card designed specifically for equipment makers, resellers and installers in the mainstream security camera market. In addition, the company announced a compelling new addition to the hard disk drive portfolio, WD Purple 14 TB HDD for surveillance, which is compatible with wide range of security systems.

According to IHS Markit Technology, global professional video surveillance camera shipments are expected to grow from 140 million to 224 million between 2018 and 2023, and those with onboard storage are expected to grow by an average of approximately 17 percent per year. 4K-compliant cameras are expected to grow from 3.6 percent of all network cameras shipped in 2018 to over 24 percent by 2023, and the up to 5.7X increase in bits generated by 4K vs.1080p video illustrates a fast-growing demand for more storage.

Addressing the TCO requirements of data center customers, Western Digital announced its nine-disk mechanical platform, which includes energy-assisted recording technology and maintains the company's areal density leadership while delivering the highest capacity available. The company will sample the 18 TB Ultrastar DC HC550 CMR HDD and the 20 TB Ultrastar DC HC650 SMR HDD to select customers by the end of 2019 with production ramp expected in the first half of 2020.

This rapid ramp and availability of the 20 TB SMR drive following a technology preview in June 2019, supports a growing ecosystem and the continued industry adoption of SMR. Western Digital estimates that 50 percent of its HDD exabytes shipped will be on SMR by 2023. "At Dropbox, we are constantly looking for ways to improve efficiency and power in our data centers," said Akhil Gupta, vice president of engineering at Dropbox. "We're excited to see SMR drives reach a 20 TB capacity point, which will enable us to power collaboration and deliver long-term value to our customers."

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories is pleased to announce the ADATA HD770G durable external hard drive, the world first with RGB lighting. With the HD770G, users can not only store all their games and data, but store them with flair. What is more, the HD770G exceeds the IP68 standard meaning it is waterproof and dustproof as well as shock-resistant with its robust triple-layer construction.

The HD770G sports a design like no other external HDD thanks to its distinct chamfered edges and two light-beam-shaped RGB strips that'll show off users' personal flair. What's more, in between the two light strips is a centerpiece that features a perforated pattern that comes to life as the RGB lighting pulsates. With plenty of storage capacity, users can carry all their games or supplement the limited storage on their PS4 or Xbox console. Not only is the HD770G great for console gaming, but also great for PC gaming too.

While Helium-filled HDDs continue to push the capacity envelope, air-based solutions, too, are seeing great advancements to help fulfill the world's hunger for data and growing performance demands. Our R&D teams are pushing the boundaries of what's possible for HDDs while continuing to drive lower $/TB. Today Western Digital is excited to add the 10 TB Ultrastar DC HC330 HDD to its DC HC300 family.

The new Ultrastar DC HC330 is based on our proven and mature HC300 family of products, and if you have already qualified other capacity points in this family, you now have a very simple migration path, and best possible TCO within the HC300 family with the 10 TB HDD product. Furthermore, at 10 TB, the Ultrastar DC HC330 provides you with the same capacity as our previous Helium-based 10 TB, but uses fewer disks and heads to deliver even better value.

Seagate Technology plc, a world leader in data storage solutions, today announced it has been actively shipping 16TB helium-based enterprise drives as part of the Exos X16 family, delivering high performance and record capacity for hyperscale data centers to efficiently and cost-effectively manage ever-increasing amounts of data. The company also updated the IronWolf and IronWolf Pro Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive lines with new 16TB capacity models.

The need for hyperscale, cloud, and NAS storage solutions continues to rise to unprecedented levels. In fact, a recent IDC whitepaper sponsored by Seagate predicts that the Global Datasphere - the amount of data created, captured or replicated across the globe - will grow from 33 zettabytes (ZB) in 2018 to 175 ZB by 2025. Seagate's Exos X16 hard drive delivers the highest storage density available with the field-proven reliability and continuous high performance to support a broad range of workload requirements and high-availability use cases.

With solid-state drives (SSDs) entering value and mainstream price segments, and the transition in consumers' data-storage behavior from local storage to the cloud, there is expected to be a dramatic fall in shipments of hard disk drives (HDDs) in 2019. Japanese company Nidec, which manufactures nearly 85% of all DC motors for use in HDDs across the industry, estimates a nearly 50 percent drop in HDD shipments for 2019. Since these motors are specifically designed for use in HDDs, it is directly proportional to new HDD shipments, thus presenting a reliable outlook of the HDD industry itself. The DC motor inside HDDs is a non user-replaceable component as detaching it involves opening the seal of the disk chamber, thereby contaminating it.

In 2010, Nidec shipped nearly 650 million motors, which dropped significantly down to 375 million motors in 2018, indicating the sharp decline in the HDD industry. While Nidec will ship as few as 290 million motors in 2019, it estimates shipments of HDDs to go down by nearly 50 percent year-over-year (YoY). Data centers are swallowing up large volumes of high-capacity (>10 TB) HDDs for warm- and cold-storage even as SSDs and DRAM are sought for hot-storage. The client-segment, however, is now firmly captivated with SSDs, with even mainstream laptops packing SSDs. Prominent HDD manufacturers Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba, have each invested heavily in building up SSD product lines, and specializing their HDD portfolio for enterprise and quasi-enterprise (eg: NAS, NVR, high-uptime client) markets.

Toshiba announces MG08 Series, the industry's largest capacity 16 TB Conventional Magnetic Recording (CMR) HDD. With 33% more capacity than today's widely adopted 12 TB drives, and 14% more capacity than prior 14 TB models, MG08 16 TB drives are compatible with the widest range of applications and operating systems, and adapted to mixed random and sequential read and write workloads in both cloud and traditional datacenter environments.

The MG08 Series is Toshiba's second-generation helium-sealed HDD family, and eighth-generation Enterprise Capacity HDD family. Toshiba has delivered its industry-leading 16 TB capacity and improved power efficiency by utilizing the 9-disk helium design, introduced last year in 14 TB models, and its own advanced precision laser welding process to ensure the helium remains sealed inside the drive case. The MG08 features 7,200 rpm performance, a 550 TB per year workload rating, a 2.5 million-hour MTTF, a 512 MB cache buffer, and a choice of SATA and SAS interfaces-all in an industry-standard, 3.5-inch form factor.

Today Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc. is adding 12 TB and 14 TB models to both its N300 NAS Hard Drive and X300 Performance Hard Drive series. The new 12 TB and 14 TB models use a helium-sealed design, enabling the 3.5-inch mechanical design to deliver increased storage density with a lower hard drive operating power profile. Toshiba laser welding technology and hard drive case is designed to keep the helium securely sealed inside the drive enclosure.

The new 12 TB and 14 TB models operate at 7,200 rpm and come with an ultra-high 256MB data buffer. The N300 NAS and X300 models use Toshiba's advanced Stable Platter Technology to minimize vibrations by stabilizing the motor shaft at both ends for improved tracking accuracy and maximum performance during read and write operations.

Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc. today announces a new addition to its popular family of CANVIO external hard drives (HDDs), a 4 TB option in its ADVANCE, BASICS and READY series. The 4 TB option gives up to 33 percent extra storage (compared to 3 TB) for consumers and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that want to store large files and back up their data. Using 1TB platter technology allows the 4 TB CANVIO models to maintain the same low-profile design as 3 TB models. All models support Windows and Mac operating systems and are compatible with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.

CANVIO HDDs combine a sleek, slim and stylish design with practical features such as a ramp-load design to prevent internal wear, plug-and-play functionality, backup and security software (available on the ADVANCE models), and a range of more flexible capacity options of 1 TB, 2 TB, and now 4 TB.

Showcasing its continued strength and leadership in enterprise-capacity storage solutions, Western Digital today announced the industry's highest capacity HDD, the 15 TB Ultrastar DC HC620 host-managed SMR HDD. The Ultrastar DC HC620 delivers an unprecedented capacity point with a time-to-market advantage for customers who have invested in, and continue to take advantage of the benefits of SMR.

"With data continuing to grow at unprecedented rates, many hyperscale and cloud storage customers know that their workloads trend toward data that is written sequentially. In these instances, customers are optimizing their infrastructures with the lowest TCO and the maximum capacity," said Eyal Bek, vice president of product marketing, Western Digital. "By capitalizing on our highest-capacity SMR storage solutions, our customers' investment can not only be fully leveraged today, but for subsequent generations of SMR areal density improvements for continued infrastructure optimization."

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.