It looks like SSDs will beat graphics cards to utilizing (and benefiting) from the bandwidth of PCI-Express gen 4.0 bus. AMD X570 platform motherboards offer 2-3 M.2 slots with PCIe gen 4.0 x4 wiring (64 Gbps). Corsair formally launched the MP600, and now ADATA joins the party with its unnamed drive. Based on the Silicon Motion SM2267 controller, the drive comes in an unbelievable capacity of up to 8 TB, probably using 96-layer QLC NAND flash.

The controller features DRAM cache, and dynamic SLC caching (all of the NAND flash is treated as SLC until storage demands force portions of them to be treated as MLC, TLC, and eventually QLC). It takes advantage of NVMe 1.3 protocol. As for performance, ADATA claims sequential speeds of up to 4000 MB/s reads. Such speeds were impossible of PCIe gen 3.0 x4 due to various overheads. Sequential writes are still up to 3000 MB/s. 4K random read/write access is rated at 400k IOPS. The company didn't reveal availability details.

ASRock is ready with its own mini-ITX motherboard based on the AMD X570 chipset, the X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX TB3. This tiny powerhouse one-ups other mini-ITX motherboards in its category by offering 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 3 connectivity over USB type-C, in addition to USB 3.2. This Thunderbolt port also includes a DP pass-through from your discrete graphics card.

Expansion includes one PCI-Express 4.0 x16. Storage connectivity includes one M.2-2280 with PCI-Express 4.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps connectivity; and four SATA 6 Gbps ports. Networking options include 2.4 Gbps 802.11ax WLAN, Bluetooth 5.0, and 1 GbE driven by Intel i211-AT. The board pulls power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, conditioning it for the SoC with a 6+2 phase VRM. A chunky fan-heatsink cools the chipset, shedding some of its heat to the enlarged VRM heatsink cloaked under the I/O shroud.

Patriot showed off many new M.2 NVMe SSDs at its Computex 2019 booth, led by two Viper series models that caught our eyes, the VPR100 and VPN100. While technically an M.2-2280 drive, the Viper VPR100 features a chunky heatsink that makes the drive wider than 22 mm. This could be a problem if you're trying to install it in an M.2 slot positioned between two PCIe slots. The heatsink is studded with RGB LEDs. The drive is based on the Phison E12 controller and offers sequential transfer rates of up to 3450 MB/s reads, and up to 3000 MB/s writes. The Viper VPN100 is practically the same drive, but with a heatsink that sticks to the 22 mm width limit. You can run both drives without their heatsinks.

ECS has introduced a new model into their Liva series of Mini PCs - this time, powered by AMD Ryzen APUs. The ECS LIVA A320 is a 1-liter Mini Pc (book-sized, according to the company, but I guess that depends on the books you prefer to read), and makes use of either an AMD Ryzen 3 or Ryzen 5 APU with up to 35 W TDP.

There's a lot to like about this little Mini PC that could, which ECS is marketing at light gaming workloads and all other content consumption and office-related shenanigans. There is a tooless design for easy upgradeability, 2x DDR4 support in the SO-DIMM form factor, internal support for an M.2 drive (which helps save space in such a small enclosure, even though a 2.5" HDD or SSD is still supported). A VESA mount means this can be installed in the back of a monitor or television for your content consumption needs.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules, NAND Flash products, and mobile accessories today announces that launch of the XPG SPECTRIX S40G RGB gaming SSD. With sustained read/write speeds of up to 3500/3000MB per second, customizable RGB lighting, and a slew of performance enhancing features, the XPG SPECTRIX S40G is a no brainer for those seeking amazing performance and exceptional reliability.

The S40G supports the NVMe standard and utilizes the high-speed PCIe Gen3 x4 interface to let users enjoy sustained read/write speeds of up to 3500/3000 MB per second. What's more, sporting next-generation 3D Flash memory it offers a leap forward in capacity, efficiency, and durability. Also with the M.2 2280 specification, it supports the latest Intel and AMD platforms. These capabilities make the S40G ideally suited for gamers, PC enthusiasts, overclockers, and graphics professionals. User can customize the SSD's look with programmable RGB lighting effects. They can set up patterns, pulse speed, lighting intensity, and more. Control is a snap with XPG's RGB control software.

Mushkin Enhanced MFG - An industry-leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance and high-reliability computer products, is excited to announce global availability of its much-anticipated Helix-L PCIe m.2 SSD (Solid State Drive) originally announced at CES 2019 and has available capacities of 250 GB, 500 GB, and 1 TB.

Built using the latest Silicon Motion SM2263XT PCIe Gen 3 x 4 NVMe controller to generate super-fast sequential Read and Write speeds. The Helix-L offers extreme storage performance and capacities in a M.2 2280 form factor, fitting directly into a motherboard or notebook. Employing the ultra-high-speed PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 interface for maximum bandwidth, the Helix-L leaves traditional SATA III and even previous generation M.2 SSDs in the rearview. Loading everything from large video and image files to games, applications or the operating system faster than ever before.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, today announced KC2000, its next generation M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD for enterprise and power users. Kingston's KC2000 NVMe PCIe SSD delivers powerful performance using the latest Gen 3.0 x 4 controller and 96-layer 3D TLC NAND. Offering superior read and write speeds up to 3,200 and 2,200MB/s, respectively, KC2000 delivers outstanding performance and endurance, and improves workflow in desktop, workstations and high-performance computing (HPC) systems.

KC2000 is a self-encrypting drive that supports end-to-end data protection using 256-bit AES Hardware-based encryption and allows the usage of independent software vendors with TCG Opal 2.0 security management solutions such as Symantec , McAfee , WinMagic and others. KC2000 also has built-in Microsoft eDrive support, a security storage specification for use with BitLocker.

The high-end Intel Z390 chipset is entering the next phase of its life cycle. So, just as everyone begins to feel bored with old motherboard designs from last year, ASRock has decided to give gamers and enthusiasts a welcome surprise by introducing the Z390 Phantom Gaming 7 and Z390 Phantom Gaming X, to join the just launched Z390 Steel Legend. ASRock is bringing new life to the Z390 motherboard market with this complete mainstream to high-end product lineup.

Aesthetics are one of the many big improvements in the new Z390 Phantom Gaming 7 and Z390 Phantom Gaming X. Not only is there the cool RGB lighting already built into the motherboard, plus RGB LED headers, but the beautifully designed pre-installed I/O shield reserves more space for fitting tolerances and allows IO shield positional adjustment while installing, thus fitting the chassis perfectly. Unlike most so-called pre-mounted I/O shields that are only decorated with fancy color schemes, ASRock's design can truly improve the whole PC building experience.

ASRock today rolled out the Z390 Phantom Gaming 4S motherboard. Clearly built to a cost, the board ships with a narrow ATX PCB, and is positioned below both the Z390 Phantom Gaming 4 and the Z390 Pro4. It draws power from a 24-pin ATX and an 8-pin EPS, conditioning it for the CPU with a 6+2 phase VRM. The LGA1151 socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, and a single PCI-Express 3.0 x16. The second x16 slot is electrically x4 and wired to the PCH. An M.2 PCIe E-key slot (for WLAN cards) and three open-ended PCIe 3.0 x1 slots make for the rest of the expansion area. Storage connectivity includes just the one M.2-22110 slot (PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring), and six SATA 6 Gbps ports.

Display outputs include just the one HDMI port. USB connectivity includes eight USB 3.2 gen 1 ports, four on the rear panel, four by headers. The board's sole 1 GbE network interface is driven by an Intel i219-V controller. The onboard audio solution combines a rather premium Realtek ALC1220 CODEC with 6-channel analog output, audio-grade capacitors, and ground-layer isolation. Separate PS/2 ports, one 3-pin addressable-RGB, two 4-pin RGB, and five 4-pin PWM fan headers make for the rest of this board. We expect this to be ASRock's cheapest Z390 offering, priced between USD $110-120.

MSI, without naming its product, teased its MEG X570 Ace motherboard late last week, obeying the cardinal rules of a teaser, such as not putting out clear pictures or names. BIOSTAR probably wanted to do something similar, but ended up leaking glaring details and pictures of its flagship socket AM4 motherboard based on the AMD X570 chipset, the Racing X570GT8. The X570 is AMD's first in-house design chipset for the AM4 socket after "Promontory" and FM2-based "Bolton," supplied by ASMedia. It was necessitated by the need to get downstream PCIe connectivity from the chipset to be certified for the latest generations (gen 3.0 or later), by AMD, and overcome many of the connectivity limitations of ASMedia "Promontory," from which AMD carved out previous socket AM4 chipsets.

Design compulsions of being a flagship product aside, there are signs of a clear focus on strengthening the CPU VRM on the Racing X570GT8, to cope with the rumored Ryzen 9 series 16-core "Zen 2" processor. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8+4 pin EPS connectors, conditioning it for the processor with a 12-phase VRM. There are two metal-reinforced PCI-Express x16 slots wired to the AM4 SoC, and we get the first glimpse of the PCI-Express gen 4.0 lane switching and re-driver circuitry. We haven't seen anything to suggest that the downstream PCIe lanes from the X570 chipset are gen 4.0, yet, but we expect them to at least be gen 3.0. The presence of three M.2 slots bodes well for the downstream PCIe lane count. ASMedia "Promontory" puts out a paltry eight gen 2.0 lanes. It's also interesting to see an active fan-heatsink cooling the X570 chipset, indicating a rather high TDP compared to the 3-5 Watt TDP of the 400-series "Promontory" low-power variant chipsets. The component choices by BIOSTAR look premium and are a callback to its T-Power glory days enthusiasts remember.

In quick succession to last week's launch of the ROG Strix B365-G Gaming, ASUS rolled out its first ROG-branded ATX motherboard based on Intel B365 Express chipset, the ROG Strix B365-F Gaming. Supporting all 9th and 8th generation Core processors out of the box, this board is targeted at gamers who don't intend to overclock their CPUs or need memory clock speeds above DDR4-2667. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a 10-phase VRM. The board supports up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory capped at 2667 MHz.

Expansion includes one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot with metal reinforcement wired to the CPU, a PCI-Express 3.0 x4 (physical x16) slot wired to the B365 PCH, three PCIe x1, and an M.2 E-key slot for WLAN cards. Storage connectivity includes two M.2 slots each with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 wiring, one of which even has SATA 6 Gbps wiring; and six SATA 6 Gbps ports. USB connectivity includes two 10 Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports at the rear panel, and six 5 Gbps USB 3.0 ports, four on the rear panel, two by header. The onboard audio solution is premium ROG SupremeFX, combining a Realtek ALC1220A CODEC with dual high-impedance headphones amplifiers, audio-grade capacitors, and ground-layer isolation. The board's sole 1 GbE interface is pulled by the ubiquitous Intel i219-V controller. Expect this board to be priced around $120.

PNY today rolled out the XLR8 CS3030 line of high-end SSDs in the M.2-2280 form-factor. Featuring M.2 PCI-Express 3.0 x4 interface, the drives take advantage of the NVMe 1.3 protocol. The company didn't mention which controller it is using, but that it's mated to 3D TLC NAND flash. Available in capacities of 250 GB, 500 GB, and 1 TB, the XLR8 CS3030 has among the highest on-paper maximum sequential-read numbers, at up to 3,500 MB/s. The 250 GB variant writes at up to 1,050 MB/s, the 500 GB variant at up to 2,000 MB/s, and the 1 TB variant up to 3,000 MB/s. Endurance of the three variants is rated at 380 TBW, 800 TBW, and 1,650 TBW, respectively. The company did not put out random-access numbers. Available now, the XLR8 CS3030 series SSDs are backed by a 5-year warranty.

With inventories of the B360 Express digesting nicely, motherboard vendors are finally implementing its replacement, the B365 Express, in premium gaming-grade products. ASUS rolled out its first Republic of Gamers (ROG) product, with the ROG Strix B365-G Gaming. Built in the micro-ATX form-factor, this board packs many gamer-essentials and is targeted at PC gamers who don't bother with overclocking. With its in-BIOS memory frequency setting capped at DDR4-2667, ASUS is very specific about the target audience. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a 7+2 phase VRM. The board supports all 9th gen and 8th gen Core "Coffee Lake/Refresh" processors out of the box.

The LGA1151 socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots that support up to 64 GB of dual-channel DDR4-2667 memory; and the board's sole PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot with a metal reinforcement. A PCI-Express 3.0 x1, M.2 E-key slot (for WLAN cards), and PCI-Express 3.0 x4 (physical x16), make for the rest of the expansion area. Storage connectivity includes two M.2-2280 slots, one of which supports both PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps, while the other is just PCI-Express 3.0 x4; and six SATA 6 Gbps ports. The board's sole 1 GbE interface is driven by an Intel i219-V controller. USB connectivity includes two type-A 10 Gbps USB 3.1 gen 2 ports, besides six USB 3.0 ports (four on the rear panel, two by headers). The onboard audio solution combines a Realtek ALC1220A CODEC with dual OPAMPs, EMI shielding, audio-grade capacitors, and ground-layer isolation. A couple of 3-pin addressable RGB headers make for the rest of this board, which is expected to retail around the $100-mark.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and high-performance storage solutions is proud to announce its latest motherboard featuring Intel Z390 chipset which supports unlocked 8-core 9th-gen as well 8th-gen processors from Intel. The new COLORFUL CVN Z390M GAMING V20 is aimed at enthusiasts, system builders, and gamers looking for a serious foundation for an mATX build. This motherboard allows mainstream to high-end builds without breaking the bank while still delivering a performance and features for a wide range of use.

The new COLORFUL CVN Z390M GAMING V20 will feature support for both 8th-gen and 9th-gen Intel processors in the LGA1151 package. This allows users to upgrade from Intel's 8th-generation processor to the 9th-gen CPU that increases core count to give you a performance upgrade. The motherboard also supports DDR4 memory higher bandwidth so applications can run as fast as possible. The motherboard also supports overclocking on unlocked processors for increased performance.

Rivet Networks announced general availability of its Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) capable Killer WiFi 6 AX1650 WLAN network controllers for sale to PC motherboard and notebook manufacturers. The AX1650 is based on Intel "Cyclone Peak" PHY, mated with a custom firmware and drivers by Rivet Networks that are optimized for competitive online multiplayer gaming. The controller supports 2x2 MU-MIMO with 160 MHz channels, delivering up to 2.4 Gbps theoretical maximum WLAN bandwidth over the card's main PCIe gen 3.0 x1. It also supports Bluetooth 5.0 over a separate USB 2.0 connection.

Besides minimizing CPU overhead, Killer drivers provide a highly specialized QoS solution called Killer Intelligence Engine, which shapes the Internet traffic of your game and streaming software ahead of other apps that seek Internet access. Advanced Stream Detect 2.0 can detect Internet traffic from thousands of games and gaming websites to optimize your Internet access on the fly. GameFast Technology works to reduce the Wi-Fi controller's CPU overhead by up to 10 percent compared to other WLAN solutions. The controller is also DoubleShot Pro (teaming) capable. The controller ships in M.2-2230 and 1216 modules, with PCIe and USB interfaces.

If you aim for the top, don't skimp on your SSD drives! Check out Apacer's brand-new AS2880P4 M.2 PCIe Gen3 x4 SSD, which boasts stronger-than-ever performance at reasonable price. This SSD now brings reading/writing speeds of 3,200/2,000MB/sec and 360,000 operations per second (IOPS) within easy reach of eSports players! NVMe1.3-compliant, the AS2880P4 uses the latest 3D NAND TLC technology to make it an ultra-compact, high-capacity that frees up space for you to further modify and expand your gaming devices. Its max capacity of 480GB makes it perfect for hardcore eSports players, post-production CAD 3D modeling designers, and users demanding high speed and high capacity.

The M.2 PCIe Gen3 x4 is definitely the top choice for high performance demands in ultra-thin notebooks, high-power computers, e-sports consoles, mini-PCs, and embedded devices. As a trend-defining SSD brand, Apacer has led the global market with its groundbreaking PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe 1.3 SSD and is now writing history again with its successor, the brand-new AS2280P4.

Response from motherboard manufacturers to the Intel B365 Express mid-range socket LGA1151 chipset has been rather lukewarm, with very few product launches. The B365 Express is a rebadged H270 Express with 8th and 9th generation Core CPU support replacing 6th and 7th gen. ASUS launched one of its first ATX form-factor boards based on this chipset, with the Prime B365-Plus. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the CPU with a 4+3 phase VRM. The CPU socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, and a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The board supports 9th generation Core processors out of the box.

Besides the main x16 slot, the board's expansion slots loadout is designed to benefit from the increased 20-lane PCIe budget of the B365 Express. You get a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical gen 3.0 x4) slot, and four PCI-Express 3.0 x1 slots. There are two M.2 slots on offer. The bottom slot has PCI-Expres 3.0 x4 wiring only, and supports M.2-22110 drives, while the top M.2 slot has PCI-Express 3.0 x2 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring. There are six SATA 6 Gbps ports. Display connectivity includes one each of D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI. USB connectivity includes eight USB 3.0 ports, four on the rear panel, four by headers. The board's sole 1 GbE network interface is controlled by a Realtek 8111H PHY. The onboard audio solution is driven by an entry-level Realtek ALC887 CODEC. Expect this board to be priced around $90.

Intel formally launched the Wi-Fi 6 AX200 client-segment WLAN card for notebooks and PC motherboards in the M.2-2230 and M.2-1216 form-factors, based on the "Cyclone Peak" PHY powering the Wireless AX-22260 NIC family. The card interfaces with its host over PCI-Express 3.0 x1 and USB 2.0, for the Wi-Fi and integrated Bluetooth interfaces, respectively. As a Wi-Fi 6 adapter, it supports 802.11ax over 2x2 MU-MIMO antennae, and peak bandwidth of 2.4 Gbps, with support for both the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands. The Bluetooth interface is version 5.0.

Targeting to expand the capacity of our consumers' storage devices, Team Group today releases three new FLASH products. They are the MP34 M.2 solid state drive with PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 high speed interface and the latest NVMe 1.3 protocol, the ELITE A1 high-speed memory card which is specially made for ANDROID devices and 4K video recording, the C188 high-speed flash drive with elegant design and up to 130 MB/s of read/write speed. These products allow consumers to upgrade their PC or mobile devices at ease.

Today, Team Group releases the M.2 solid state drive MP34 that uses PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 high-speed interface and the latest NVMe 1.3 protocol. Connecting to the built-in controller of the chipset and processor through PCI-e bus provides transfer signal without any lag. The transfer performance is remarkable. The transfer speed of MP34 is up to 3000 MB/s, which is 5 times* higher than the SATA III interface. It supports S.M.A.R.T and has built-in smart algorithm, Wear-Leveling technology and Error Correction Code. In addition to bring the SSD to its maximum performance and prolong the service life, it also supports both Intel and AMD platforms. Whether it is installed on a desktop or a laptop, it will offer consumer the finest and smoothest gaming experience.

High-end M.2 NVMe SSDs are beginning to come with integrated heatsinks as overheating controllers impact sustained performance. The latest such drive is a new edition of the Hall of Fame (HOF) M.2 PCIe series from Galaxy, which come with a chunky aluminium heatsink, only this one isn't just another hunk of metal. This heatsink uses a flattened copper heat pipe to pull heat from the drive's hot components and spread it evenly along both sides of the aluminium block. The heat pipe makes direct contact with the drive's Phison PS5012-E12 8-channel controller and Toshiba-made 64-layer 3D TLC NAND flash chips.

The heatsink wraps around sideways of the drive and so it may not be a perfect fit for NVMe RAID cards with multiple M.2 slots side-by-side, although for most applications, such as the M.2 slot on the motherboard, the design could click. The drive comes in capacities of 512 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB. All three models offer sequential read speeds of up to 3400 MB/s. The 1 TB and 2 TB models write at up to 2800 MB/s, while the 512 GB writes at up to 2000 MB/s. 4K random access performance of the 2 TB and 1 TB models are rated at up to 400,000 IOPS reads with up to 600,000 IOPS writes; and up to 400,000 IOPS reads with up to 540,000 IOPS writes for the 512 GB model. The drive is initially being launched in China, and could make its way to western markets under the Galax and KFA2 brands later this year.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, professional manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards, and high-performance storage solutions is proud to announce its latest motherboard featuring Intel B365 chipset to support both Intel 9th-gen and 8th-gen processors from Intel, the new COLORFUL CVN B365M Gaming Pro V20. This motherboard allows mainstream-to-entry level builds to avoid breaking the bank while still delivering a wide range of performance.

The new COLORFUL CVN B365M Gaming Pro V20 will feature support for both 8th-gen and 9th-gen Intel processors in the LGA1151 package. This allows users to upgrade from Intel's 8th-generation processor to the 9th-gen CPU that increases core count to give you a performance upgrade. The motherboard also supports DDR4 memory with higher bandwidth so applications can run as fast as possible.

DigiTimes, citing industry sources, has reported that PCIe-based SSDs will be overtaking SATA-based solutions during 2019. This makes sense in a number of ways: the smaller footprint for Pcie-based, M.2 SSDs means they are prone to higher adoption form laptop manufacturers tan their SATA counterparts. On the desktop and DIY side of things, SATA solutions have sometimes been preferred to their PCIe counterparts mostly due to the pricing delta between solutions across those form factors.

However, as NAND prices have declined precipitously, and PCIe controllers' pricing has done so too, we are now hitting a point where the cost strain on SATA's additional materials compared to their PCIe counterparts leaves the delta so small that it doesn't make any sense to purchase a SATA-limited drive (usually limited only by the speed of the SATA III interface itself) instead of a PCIe-based one. AS demand picks up some additional 20-25% for 2019, this will mostly be taken up by PCIe-based solutions. Pricing of a 512 GB PCIe storage device is now comparable to that of a 256 GB unit just a year ago. Pricing is expected to keep falling for the duration of this year.

Micron has curiously been releasing client-segment SSDs these recent weeks. The company's main brand was focused on enterprise products, while subsidiary brands Crucial and Ballistix catered to the client-segment. Following up on its late-February launch of the 1300-series client-segment SSDs, Micron unveiled the even faster 2200-series. These drives ditch Silicon Motion-sourced controllers in favor of a new controller Micron designed in-house. Built in the M.2-2280 form-factor with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 interface, taking advantage of the NVMe protocol. This in-house controller is mated with Micron's 64-layer 3D TLC NAND flash, cushioned by its own LPDDR4 DRAM cache.

Available in capacities of 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB, the Micron 2200 is rated to offer sequential transfer rates of up to 3000 MB/s reads, with up to 1600 MB/s writes, up to 240,000 IOPS 4K random reads, and up to 210,000 IOPS 4K random writes, with an endurance rating of 75 TB, 150 TB, and 300 TB, for the 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB variants, respectively. Micron-exclusive features also make their way, such as native power-loss data-protection, and TCG Opal SED. The company hasn't revealed pricing or availability for these drives.

Western Digital Corp., a global data infrastructure leader, is accelerating the NVMe transition of value-PC storage by adding an NVMe model to its award-winning WD Blue solid state drive (SSD) portfolio, the WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD. The new SSD delivers three times the performance of its SATA counterpart while maintaining the reliability the WD Blue product line is known for. For content creators and PC enthusiasts, the WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD is optimized for multitasking and resource-heavy applications, providing near-instant access to files and programs.

Leveraging the scalable in-house SSD architecture of the highly acclaimed WD Black SN750 NVMe SSD, the new WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD is also built on Western Digital's own 3D NAND technology, firmware and controller, and delivers sequential read and write speeds up to 1,700 MB/s and 1,450 MB/s respectively (for 500 GB model) with efficient power consumption as low as 2.7W. Demands on storage are continuing to grow and client workloads are evolving, the WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD features high sustained write performance over SATA as well as other emerging technologies on the market today to give that performance edge.

Micron Technology, Inc. today added a new cost-efficient solid-state drive (SSD) to its client computing portfolio. The Micron 1300 SSD makes flash storage accessible to more users, enabling its adoption in a broader set of personal computing devices for a better mobile computing experience. Consumers who are eager to move from rotating media to solid state drives value fast performance, quick startup, and reliability - whether for desktop, mobile or workstation PCs. SSDs address these needs better than power-hungry hard disk drives (HDDs), yet their higher prices have kept users from shifting to SSDs. Micron redesigned the 1300 SSD series to close the price gap.

"The deployment of advanced 3D NAND technologies has led the client SSD market to branch into value and higher-performance storage segments," said Gregory Wong, president of Forward Insights. "Micron's latest client SSD solutions provide a coherent migration path from HDD to value-oriented SSDs."