A disturbing trend among entry-level M.2 NVMe SSDs is a complete disregard from manufacturers for consistency in the brands and types of the various key components of the drives. The companies simply advertise a certain set of performance and endurance numbers, which serve as ends to reach by whatever means (of controller or NAND flash combos). This was recently illustrated with the Kingston NV1, which presents an extreme case of "hardware lottery." You can get either a SMI or Phison controller, and either a TLC or QLC NAND flash (combinations thereof).

Cutting through all this, ADATA is making a reassuring guarantee with regards to its recently announced entry-level NVMe product, the XPG Atom 50. In an exclusive comment to TechPowerUp, the company said that all XPG Atom 50 drives in the market will come with a consistent combination of controller and NAND flash. The drive combines an Innogrit IG5220 RainierQX controller with Micron "B47R" 176-layer 3D TLC NAND flash chips, a combo ADATA guarantees it will never break. We recently reviewed the 1 TB variant of this drive, and found it to offer excellent performance leveraging PCIe Gen4, at a price you'd typically find PCIe Gen3 drives at.

Kingston NV1 is an entry-level M.2 NVMe SSD that comes at extremely tempting pricing of just $85 for the 1 TB version. Read all about it in our detailed performance review of the 1 TB variant. After our testing, when we peeled the label for component photography, we discovered that our drive combined a Silicon Motion SM2263XT DRAM-less controller, with 96-layer QLC NAND flash by Micron Technology. This went against every other review of the NV1 we read so far, which points to a combination of a Phison E13T series controller, with either TLC or QLC NAND flash, depending on the drive capacity. This makes our review probably the first instance of an SMI+QLC combination.

We did some digging, and are drawn to the origins of the NV1. Launched in March 2021, the drive adopts a strategy by Kingston to only advertise the performance and endurance numbers that are possible with any drive hardware combination. An AnandTech article from the time references how the drive, much like the A400 SATA SSD, comes in a number of controller+flash combinations. These include the SMI SM2263XT, or Phison E13T; and NAND that's either TLC or QLC. This uncertainty in hardware specs means that when you to go shop for an NV1, you can only expect the worst (i.e. QLC flash).

Update Dec 30th: As one of our readers pointed out, you can identify the Phison and SMI versions of the NV1 without breaking the package. This is illustrated in the second picture below, just look for the shiny controller (SM2263XT) or the capacitor arrangement (Phison E13T). Pictures on shop websites will probably not reflect this as most will either use a stock image provided by Kingston, or shoot the photo once and never update it.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced TrendForce has named it as the number one supplier of SSDs in the channel for all of 2020. According to TrendForce, Kingston accounted for a whopping 27 percent of the 111.5 million units shipped in 2020.

With the emergence of COVID-19 in 2020, TrendForce reported a 15% YoY decrease in annual SSD shipments to the channel and severe delays in manufacturing and logistics resulting in a sudden decline in order volumes. Yet, findings show through Kingston's global strategy for sourcing components, the company was well ahead of its competitors considering a global pandemic and looming chip shortage. The results reinforced Kingston as the clear leader in SSD production, as the second-place supplier accounted for only 8 percent of the total channel market. As a category, third-party suppliers (non-semiconductor) SSD makers accounted for 35% of the total shipments in 2020.

Kingston FURY, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced Kingston FURY Renegade SSD, its next generation PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 drive for gamers, enthusiasts, and high-power users. Kingston FURY Renegade SSD delivers cutting-edge performance in high capacities using the latest Gen 4x4 controller and 3D TLC NAND.

By maximizing the available bandwidth of PCIe 4.0, Kingston FURY Renegade SSD achieves speeds up to 7,300/7,000 MB/s read/write and up to 1,000,000 IOPS to deliver amazing consistency for an exceptional gaming experience. The drive is optimized to reduce game and application load times, stream and capture with ease and give your system an overall boost in responsiveness. Available in high capacities up to 4 TB, users can store an extensive library of their favorite games and media and still have space for the latest titles. In addition to formidable speeds and massive capacity options, Kingston FURY Renegade SSD combines a slim M.2 form factor and an advanced low profile, graphene aluminium heatspreader to keep your drive cool during intense usage and bring superior performance to the tightest of spaces in gaming PC's and laptops.

Kingston Technology, revealed today it has unleashed its cutting-edge Kingston FURY Beast DDR5. Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 arrives in sync with the launch of the Intel Z690 Chipset and 12th Gen Intel Core processors (code-named "Alder Lake-S"). This marks the first platform to utilize the new memory standard, bringing the performance and data integrity advancements of DDR5 to a global audience.

Taking speed, capacity, and reliability even further, Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 delivers an arsenal of enhanced features like on-die ECC (ODECC) for improved stability at extreme speeds, dual 32-bit subchannels for increased efficiency, and on-module power management integrated circuit (PMIC) to provide juice where it's needed most. When gaming at the most extreme settings, live streaming at 4K+ or pushing large animation and 3D rendering, Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 is the level-up needed while seamlessly linking style and performance.

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led to severe delays in manufacturing and logistics. In particular, governments worldwide began implementing border restrictions in 2Q20 to combat the ongoing health crisis, leading to a sudden decline in order volumes for channel-market SSDs, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. Annual shipment of SSDs to the channel (retail) market reached 111.5 million units in 2020, a 15% YoY decrease. In terms of market share by shipment, Kingston, ADATA, and Kimtigo once again occupied the top three spots, respectively.

Looking at the channel market for SSDs as a whole, NAND Flash suppliers (among which Samsung possessed the largest market share) accounted for around 35% of the total shipments in 2020, while SSD module makers accounted for the other 65%. The top 10 module makers accounted for 71% of channel-market SSD shipments from all SSD module makers. Taken together, these figures show that the market remained relatively oligopolistic in 2020. However, it should be noted that TrendForce's ranking of SSD module makers for 2020 takes account of only products bound for the channel market and under brands owned by the module makers themselves; NAND Flash suppliers were therefore excluded from the top 10 ranking.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced KC3000, its next generation PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD for desktop and laptop PCs. KC3000 SSD offers next-level performance using the latest Gen 4x4 NVMe controller and 3D TLC NAND ideal for power users who require the fastest speeds on the market.

By leveraging Gen4 technology, KC3000 delivers speeds up to 7,0000/7,000 MB/s read/write of blazing-fast performance and full capacities up to 4096GB2 for optimal storage. Users can keep up with demanding workloads and experience better performance with software applications such as 3D rendering and 4K+ content creation by upgrading the systems storage. KC3000 is built with high-density 3D TLC NAND housed in the industry standard M.2 2280 form factor to store even more and enable users to take advantage of PCIe 4.0 speeds. With the combination of performance and endurance, KC3000 is reinforced with a low profile, graphene aluminium heatspreader to effectively disperse heat and keep your drive cool during intensive workloads.

We've already seen some official and some leaks of various DDR5 modules and now Corsair's Dominator Platinum RGB modules have leaked. Alongside the pretty pictures, we also now know that these will be 5200 MHz/MT/s modules with a timing of 38-38-38-84 and that they'll require 1.25 V at these settings. Corsair has carried over its Capellix LEDs and iCue support, although this was pretty much expected.

Details of three sets of DDR5 memory from Kingston have also leaked and it looks like the company will have at least three main SKUs. What we're looking at is the ValueRam series with bog standard JEDEC spec at 4800 MHz with a CAS latency of 40, the Fury Beast which will feature the same clocks, but improved an CAS latency of 38 and finally a higher clocked Fury Beast SKU at 5200 MHz which a CAS latency of 40. All three SKUs will come in single 16 GB modules or 32 GB kits.

Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced its forthcoming DDR5 UDIMMS have received Intel Platform Validation. This marks the first and arguably most important milestone in validating compatibility between Kingston DDR5 memory solutions and Intel platforms utilizing DDR5.

Kingston's introductory portfolio of DDR5 memory will be the first in a series of high performance, low to high capacity, multiple form factor solutions in support of DDR5 based platforms debuting over the next year. After developing the next generation of DDR memory, Kingston is providing over 10,000 DDR5 UDIMM samples to major motherboard manufacturers and technology partners in support of the platform launch. By supporting partners early, Kingston is doing its part to lay the foundation for a successful product launch.

If you're looking at getting your hands on some DDR5 memory for your new Alder Lake build once it launches, a leak of validated RAM has popped up on Twitter, that should give you an idea of what to expect. The list is only a couple of weeks old and it's not what we'd call a long list, as it only covers five companies, out of which three are actual DRAM manufacturers and one is a subsidiary of one of those companies, there are no real surprises here.

All the DDR5 modules tested are rated at 4800 MHz and are either 8, 16 or 32 GB in size, with all modules using 16 Gbit chips. All modules were tested with timings of 40-39-39 at 1.1 V. Kingston is the only outlier here, since they're not a DRAM manufacturer, unlike SK hynix, Samsung and Micron/Crucial. Intel is listing all the modules as non ECC, which should put an end to the claims of all DDR5 being ECC memory.

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 XS2000, a pocket-sized portable SSD utilizing USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 speeds to deliver next-gen performance in a compact, external on-the-go drive.

XS2000 delivers lightning-fast transfer speeds up to 2,000 MB/s giving users enhanced productivity with little interruption. XS2000 offers remarkable performance and capacities up to 2TB2 to offload and edit high-res images, 8K videos and large documents in a flash. The drive connects with USB Type-C 3 allowing content creators to easily store and access their files anywhere on a PC or mobile device. At nearly half the size of a typical portable SSD, XS2000 includes a removable ruggedized sleeve and IP55-rating to withstand water and dust, making it the perfect companion for on-location adventures whether you go from work to play to passion projects.

Annual shipment of notebook computers and desktop PCs underwent a massive increase in 2020 thanks to the proliferation of the stay-at-home economy brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic last year, according to TrendForce's latest investigations. In particular, notebook shipment increased by a staggering 26% YoY, thereby generating a corresponding demand for DRAM chips. Although the movement of DRAM prices remained stable in 2020, there was a palpable growth in actual DRAM bit demand. Hence, global DRAM module revenue increased by about 5% YoY to US$16.9 billion for 2020.

Looking back at the price trend of DRAM modules for 2020, TrendForce indicates that the market adopted a relative conservative outlook going forward in view of the ongoing pandemic. In turn, various end-products differed wildly in their respective market performances as well. For instance, while demand for notebooks remained strong, smartphone demand was relatively bearish. Server shipment, on the other hand, was at the same time consistent yet indicative of uncertainties, to some degree. In light of the varying performances in the end-markets, PC DRAM prices did not undergo drastic fluctuations throughout the year, and DRAM module suppliers posted earnings performances that were a direct result of their sales strategies, with certain suppliers, including Kimtigo and ADATA, able to raise their revenues by a massive margin.

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 DataTraveler Max, a high performance Type-C USB leveraging the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard. DataTraveler Max (DT Max) delivers record-breaking speeds up to 1,000 MB/s read and 900 MB/s write to make it one of the fastest USB drives on the market and the first of its kind.

DT Max is designed with portability and convenience in mind. The unique ridged casing protects the connector when it is not in use and is easily moved in a single motion. Seamlessly transfer and store large digital files such as HD photos, 4K/8K videos, music and more with top speeds and high capacities up to 1 TB. The addition of a keyring loop and LED status indicator makes the drive ideal for users who need storage on-the-go.

Kingston today made available its new Industrial microSD card lineup with a rated operating temperature of -40 °C to 85 °C, allowing normal operation even in "extreme desert heat and subzero conditions" based on the information provided by the company. The cards use TLC NAND in pSLC mode to provide transfer speeds of up to 100 MB/s, and are rated for endurance of up to 1920 TBW with 30K P/E cycles. There is a built-in feature set specific to endurance, performance and industrial needs. Kingston's Industrial microSD ships with a UHS-I SD adapter and is available in capacities from 8 GB-64 GB. Industrial features include bad block management, ECC engine, power failure protection, wear levelling, auto-refresh read distribution protection, dynamic data refresh, SiP - System in Package, garbage collection, and health monitoring.

Kingston FURY, a division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, announced today it has begun shipping its high-performance memory: Kingston FURY Renegade, Kingston FURY Beast, and Kingston FURY Impact. Enthusiasts and gamers can give their systems the upgrade they need and want with modules in DDR4 RGB, DDR4 non-RGB, and DDR3.

Perfect for the gamer who wants cutting-edge performance, Kingston FURY Renegade DDR4 RGB1 allows you to crank up your frame rate, keep your streams broadcasting smoothly, and plow through your highlight reel editing. Offering speeds up to 4600 MHz2 paired with quick CL15-CL19 latencies. The dynamic RGB lighting utilizes Kingston FURY's patented Infrared Sync Technology to provide smooth, synchronized lighting effects. With its own aggressive, stylish black heat spreader and matching black PCB Kingston FURY Renegade DDR4 also provides ultra-fast speeds up to 5333 MHz2, paired with quick CL13-CL20 timings. Both are Intel XMP certified with profiles that are optimized for Intel's latest chipsets - just select the hand-tuned profile in your BIOS and you're ready to strike fear in the hearts of your foes. Available in single module capacities of 8 GB - 32 GB and kits of 2, 4, and 8 with capacities up to 256 GB.

Kingston, the flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced the availability of the DC1500M, a U.2 data center NVMe PCIe SSD for mixed-use workloads. Leveraging a high-performance Gen 3.0 x4 PCIe NVMe design, the DC1500M delivers predictable random IO performance as well as predictable latencies over a wide range of workloads.

"DC1500M adds support for multiple namespaces making it ideal for environments including virtualisation and web hosting," said Tony Hollingsbee, SSD business manager, Kingston EMEA. "From high-performance cloud services, media capture and transport to a range of big-data applications, DC1500M sets the standard for applications where QoS and predictability of performance are paramount. Data centers need drives that are reliable, have serviceable form factors and are equipped with the enterprise-grade features that make it easier to maintain SLAs."

Kingston Technology Europe Co LLP, an affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., today announced the name of its new high-performance, enthusiast and gaming brand: Kingston FURY. Building on the incredible success of the HyperX memory products, Kingston has rebranded its DRAM, flash and SSD gaming line into Kingston FURY, investing resources and knowledge from its core business to create the next generation of performance products.

Kingston FURY continues the evolution of leading-edge, high-performance, enthusiast and gaming memory solutions from the largest independent memory manufacturer in the world, backed by three decades of Kingston engineering, testing, manufacturing and customer service expertise. The company's leadership position in the DRAM industry demonstrates it has the passion, commitment and resources to make Kingston FURY the leading high-performance, enthusiast and gaming memory solution in the market.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, is proud to announce it has won the following Global InfoSec Awards for its encrypted USB solutions family from Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry's leading electronic information magazine: Data Loss Prevention Market Leader; Encryption Market Leader; Wireless, Mobile, or Portable Device Security—Most Innovative.

Kingston is the market leader in encrypted USB drives featuring solutions that range from FIPS 197-certified encryption, all the way to the toughest FIPS 140-2 Level 3 IronKey S1000, that is armed with an on-device cryptochip to protect the most sensitive data. Kingston's encrypted drives are an important tool for the government and military, as well as organizations that adhere to strict regulations, including FIPS, HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, GDPR and CCPA.

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., today announced the re-signing of top female content creator Pokimane. Under the sponsorship, Pokimane will be using HyperX gaming headsets, keyboards, mice, and mouse pads exclusively in her streaming content and other marketing initiatives.

"It was an easy choice for me to renew my partnership with HyperX after another incredible year with them," said Pokimane, content creator, HyperX ambassador. "My Cloud Alpha S headset already goes with me everywhere and I can't wait to see what HyperX creates in the future!" Pokimane began her streaming career as a League of Legends streamer after diverting from a chemical engineering career path. She rapidly became one of the top female content creators with successful channels across multiple platforms. As a HyperX brand ambassador, Pokimane will continue to help deliver the HyperX gaming story to her growing audience of more than 28 million fans.

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, today announced the release of three high-speed Predator DDR4 memory kits in 5000 MHz, 5133 MHz and 5333 MHz frequency versions. The new frequency options will be available as 8 GB modules in kits of two and include a black aluminium heat spreader and black PCB to complement the look of the latest PC builds by system builders and DIY PC enthusiasts. Ultra-fast HyperX Predator DDR4 memory was used to set the overclocking world record at 7200 MHz last month and at 7156 MHz in March. HyperX Predator DDR4 offers high-performance memory paired with a bold and aggressive style. The new flagship frequency available for purchase has expanded to 5333 MHz with a latency of CL20. HyperX memory modules are Intel XMP-ready with certified profiles optimized for Intel's latest chipsets and compatible with many of AMD's latest chipsets.

"Following record-breaking overclocking announcements using HyperX Predator DDR4 frequencies, HyperX is excited to expand its offerings with the latest high-speed additions," said Kristy Ernt, DRAM business manager, HyperX. "The new products offer premium components with faster speeds, high performance with maximum reliability and great aesthetics providing more options for gamers building a new PC."

Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced it has sent overclockable DDR5 modules to its motherboard partners to begin qualification on the next-generation memory platform. Kingston engineered its DDR5 modules with a preset XMP profile, but also enabled our motherboard partners to manually adjust the power management integrated circuit (PMIC) beyond the 1.1 V DDR5 spec, thus allowing maximum flexibility to overclock. Kingston expects to ship its DDR5 solutions in Q3.

Memory validation requires cooperation of the entire computing ecosystem, and Kingston has forged close ties with the leading motherboard manufacturers and chipset makers throughout its 33-year history. This step continues the critical process of bringing leading high-performance and overclockable memory solutions to market later this year.

[Editor's note: HyperX is still part of Kingston while the acquisition from HP is being formalized.]

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., today announced it is joining forces with the Red Bull Racing Esports team as the Official Peripheral Partner. To provide a competitive edge and take their esports racing to the next level, Red Bull Racing Esports will have access to HyperX's market-leading gaming mice and keyboards and award-winning Cloud headsets for training and competitions. As part of the partnership, HyperX branding will be featured on the team kit and in-game livery of the team cars.

HyperX has built a reputation among gaming communities around the world by creating quality peripherals that enhance the gaming experience and provide comfort and playability, enabling pro players to stay sharp and focused whether a race lasts for 30 minutes or six hours.

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, today announced that HyperX Predator DDR4 memory was used to set a new overclocking world record for the fastest DDR4 memory frequency at 7200 MHz. The world record for highest frequency was set by the MSI OC Team in Taiwan using a HyperX 4600 MHz Predator DDR4 8G module (part number: HX446C19PB3K2/16) on an MSI MEG Z590 UNIFY-X motherboard using an 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11900KF @ 3.50 GHz CPU. The record breaking frequency is posted on HWBOT, the site for PC enthusiasts looking for news, tips and information on overclocking, benchmarks and competitions. The valid CPU-Z screenshot can be found here.

"HyperX is thrilled to be part of this breakthrough in DDR4 overclocking history, with HyperX Predator memory used to set two world records within the past month," said Kristy Ernt, DRAM business manager, HyperX. "Our HyperX engineers continue to focus on improving high-speed yields to get faster products in the hands of our customers and push previously unattainable performance records."

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 partnering with NXP Semiconductors on their new i.MX 8M Plus applications processors. NXP is a leading applications processor developer for creating infrastructure solutions involving smart technology, and Kingston is proud that its eMMC embedded memory solution is part of the reference board for its latest application processor.

Smart device makers requesting NXP's engineering verification kits featuring the i.MX 8M Plus chipset will see Kingston's eMMC onboard. This creates a terrific opportunity to expand the relationship with NXP and also further showcase Kingston embedded memory solutions to other IoT manufacturers. Kingston's discrete memory and storage solutions were also embedded on NXP's previous-generation i.MX 6 and i.MX 7 series processor boards.

HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, Inc. and brand leader in gaming and esports, today announced that HyperX Predator DDR4 memory was used to set a new overclocking world record for the fastest DDR4 memory frequency at 7156 MHz. The world record for highest frequency was set by the MSI OC Team in Taiwan using a HyperX 4600 MHz Predator DDR4 8G module (part number: HX446C19PB3K2/16) on an MSI MEG Z590I UNIFY motherboard using a 11th Gen Intel Core i9-11900KF @ 3.50 GHz CPU. At the time of this release, the record breaking frequency is posted on HWBOT, the site for PC enthusiasts looking for news, tips and information on overclocking, benchmarks and competitions. The valid CPU-Z screenshot can be found here.

"We are extremely thrilled and humbled to be part of this exemplary DDR4 overclocking achievement," said Kristy Ernt, DRAM business manager, HyperX. "Our engineers work continuously to improve higher-speed memory yields to bring faster solutions by pushing boundaries that break performance records and bring best-in-class products to our gaming memory community."