The leading global motherboard manufacturer, ASRock, is proud to introduce the new ASRock Steel Legend motherboard series. ASRock Steel Legend motherboards are built around the most demanding specs and features to provide a wide array of materials, components, and features that ensure stable and reliable performance. Steel Legend motherboards stand out from the crowd through its massive and luscious XXL Aluminum Alloy Heatsinks, I/O Armor, PCI-E Steel Slot, Polychrome Sync (Addressable RGB LED) support, and detailed PCB print on Sapphire Black PCB for mainstream users, gamers, and professionals that choose to work and play in style. With support for the latest AMD Ryzen processors, as well as high-quality audio featuring the highest quality Nichicon golden audio caps and signal shielding integrated into the PCB.

ASRock has gone to great lengths to ensure optimum stability and protection. With ASRock Full Spike Protection on all USB, Audio and LAN ports, users are always protected from Lightning/ESD damage, which is a comforting thought when using Steel Legend motherboards in challenging environments. Use of Premium 60A Power Chokes and Nichicon 12K Black Caps means not only that the B450 Steel Legend and B450M Steel Legend will remain rock solid no matter the task, but it also keeps your system stable when overclocking, for extra performance, whether you're gaming or rendering professional content.

Transcend Information Inc., a leading manufacturer of storage and multimedia products, is proud to announce the MTE220S PCIe M.2 Solid-State Drive. This SSD utilizes PCI Express Gen3 x4 interface and is compatible with NVM Express (NVMe) specifications. Utilizing this interface means never-before-seen transfer speeds of 3,500 MB/s read and 2,800 MB/s write are now a reality. Using 3D chips and packing into a M.2 2280 form factor, the MTE220S SSD is the must-have for gaming enthusiasts and high-end applications.

Transcend's MTE220S SSD comes equipped with DDR3 DRAM cache memory. This means that commonly used programs load much faster, and boot time is greatly reduced. Utilizing SLC caching, the MTE220S SSD can reach astonishing read/write speeds of 3,500 MB/s and 2,800 MB/s, respectively, and 4K Random performance is also significantly improved. In addition to speeds, reliability is also enhanced with the Low Density Parity Check code in place.

Samsung today introduced the Samsung 970 EVO Plus, the newest enhancement in its Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) SSD portfolio. With industry-leading performance and up to two terabytes in capacity, Samsung's 970 EVO Plus sets a new bar for high-performance storage, enabling IT professionals, tech enthusiasts and gamers to handle intensive workloads on PCs and workstations with more ease.

"Since introducing the first NVMe SSDs to the consumer market in 2015, Samsung has continued to challenge technical barriers in SSD design and performance," said Dr. Mike Mang, vice president of Brand Product Marketing, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. "The new 970 EVO Plus powered by Samsung's latest fifth-generation V-NAND technology will now offer unrivaled performance in its class when taking on demanding tasks like 4K content editing, 3D modeling and simulation as well as heavy gaming."

There's no better way to kick off 2019 with the launch of new products, the motherboards featuring Intel B365 chipset launched during CES 2019 aims mostly at mainstream market but with huge improvement on not only functionality but also aesthetics, the product line are formed by total of 5 motherboards including Mini-ITX, the ever popular PRO series and the latest Phantom Gaming motherboards, giving a wide range of selection for everyone.

As M.2 NVMe SSDs get ever more attractive through affordability, capacity and performance, it is certain that these lightning fast storage devices will soon be a must have solution for gaming or even everyday use. ASRock has seen this trend and went all out to be the first to include the M.2 heatsink as standard equipment for the mainstream motherboard, the B365 Phantom Gaming 4 even has two separate M.2 heatsink for secondary high speed M.2 SSDs.

Years after year, MSI dominates the memory frequency record to show the strength on overclocking performance. Just in the beginning of 2019, MSI's in-house overclocker, Toppc, pushes the DDR4 speeds to 5.6GHz, setting another barrier using Kingston memory and the MSI Z390I GAMING EDGE AC motherboard by liquid nitrogen cooling. Undoubtedly, this is a revolutionary breakthrough for the Intel 9th generation processors for the first time. This world record not only shows MSI's dominant position on performance for Intel 9th generation processors by using MSI MPG Z390I GAMING EDGE AC and MSI's unique and patented DDR4 Boost technology, but also reveals team-up power with Kingston DDR4 memory.

More information on the record can be found here.

ASRock at CEs announced what has become the world's first Mini STX PC to employ an AMD Ryzen APU. In the form of the DeskMini A300. With just 1.9 liters, it makes use of AMD's A300 chipset to guarantee support for both AMD's Ryzen (Raven Ridge) processors, as well as A-series Bristol Ridge processors with up to 65 W TDP. Take care that an integrated cooling solution isn't shipped with the A300, though - you'll have to find a cooling solution no taller than 45 mm.

2x DDR4 SO-DIMM slots allow for up to 32 GB of DDR4-2400 or DDR4-2933 memory (Ryzen or A-series). For the small form-factor, 2x M.2-2280 slots for SSDs (PCIe 3.0 x4 and x2/x4) and 2x 2.5-inch bays for SATA SSDs or HDDs sems more than plenty (RAID 0 and 1 modes are supported). No support for MXM graphics cards here - only integrated graphics can drive your displays, via 1x DisplayPort 1.2, 1x HDMI 2.0, or 1xD-Sub outputs. There's a RealtekRTL8111H GbE network connection, 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A and 1x Type-C port, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A connector, as well as 1x M.2-2230 slot for a Wi-Fi + Bluetooth module. Power is delivered by an external, 120 W power-brick, which should help keep in-chassis temperatures in check.

ASUS unveiled its new flagship motherboard for the AMD platform, designed with out-of-the-box support for 2nd gen Ryzen Threadripper WX and X processors, the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Zenith Extreme Alpha. This board features an updated design aesthetic that's aligned with the company's latest ROG Extreme motherboards on Intel Z390 motherboards. The underlying PCB layout is entirely new, and different from the original Zenith Extreme, as are the heatsinks and shrouds covering various parts of the board, including a portion of its reverse side.

The I/O shroud which runs the entire length of the board is contiguous with a large RGB LED studded shroud covering the board's two M.2-2280 NVMe slots between PCIe slots. You get a U.2 port, and additional M.2 NVMe slots through the DIMM.2 riser accessory that's included with the board. ASUS has designed the CPU VRM of this board. It's still 10-phase on paper, but uses a high-end controller; and is tuned for overclocking the beastly Threadripper WX processors. Another killer feature with this board is 10 GbE wired Ethernet, driven by an Aquantia AQC-107 controller. You still get a 1 GbE driven by an i211-AT. ASUS appears to have done some cost-cutting with the WLAN card, though, which now only supports up to 1.73 Gbps 802.11ac MU-MIMO, compared to the original Zenith Extreme's 802.11ad draft controller with 4600 Mbps top-speed. The onboard audio solution is unchanged.

Seagate eyes itself a slice of the M.2 NVMe SSD market targeting DIY gaming PC builders in 2019. It's come up with slightly more imaginative branding than arch-rival WD, with the FireCuda 510 and BarraCuda 510. The FireCuda 510 is the company's flagship drive, built in the M.2-2280 form-factor, and featuring a PCI-Express 3.0 x4 interface. This drive offers stellar sequential transfer speeds of up to 3450 MB/s reads, with up to 3200 MB/s writes, and random-access numbers of up to 620,000 IOPS reads, with up to 600,000 IOPS writes; which upstages even existing segment leaders such as Samsung 970 PRO and WD Black 3D, at least on paper. It comes in capacities up to 2 TB, and is backed by 5-year warranties.

The BarraCuda 510 isn't far behind its sibling, and despite its deceptive "green" branding, isn't a drab M.2-SATA drive. It's out to compete with the likes of the Samsung 970 EVO. With speeds of up to 3400 MB/s sequential reads, up to 3100 MB/s sequential writes, and a 5-year warranty, this drive debuts in just two models initially - 256 GB and 512 GB, with more models in the pipeline. Retail availability is expected to be in March, 2019 and pricing is not yet confirmed.

Intel today unveiled a killer new product with which it hopes to bring about as big a change to mobile computing as Ultrabook did some eight years ago. This effort is a combination of a new mobile computing form-factor codenamed "Project Athena," and an SoC at its heart, codenamed "Lakefield." Put simply, "Lakefield" is a 10 nm SoC that's integrated much in the same way as today's ARM SoCs, which combine IP from various vendors onto a single PoP (package-over-package) Foveros die.

The biggest innovation with "Lakefield" is its hybrid x86 multi-core CPU design, which combines four Atom-class low-power cores, with one Core-class "Sunny Cove" core, in a setup akin to ARM's big.LITTLE. Low-power processing loads are distributed to the smaller cores, while the big core is woken up to deal with heavy loads. The SoC also integrates a Gen 11 iGPU core, partial components to accelerate 802.11ax WLAN, 5G, an PoP DRAM and NVMe storage devices. The reference motherboard based on "Lakefield" is barely larger than an M.2 SSD!

Seagate Technology plc., a world leader in data solutions, today announced an exciting extension of its portfolio with several new models, including new solid state drive offerings at CES 2019. From gung-ho gamers to Instagram gurus, photo-collecting parents, or visionary creatives, Seagate offers the data storage solutions that empower users to live their best digital lives in today's fast-changing data-heavy landscape.

Today, consumers have more ways than ever to consume content, driving the need to create, distribute and manage data efficiently. According to a recent IDC whitepaper sponsored by Seagate, five billion consumers are currently interacting with data every single day. By 2025, that number will jump to six billion, or 75 percent of the world's population. Each of those six billion people will have at least one data interaction every 18 seconds, bumping the amount of data created worldwide to 175 zettabytes by 2025. Consumers increasingly need reliable ways to collect, protect, manage and access a good portion of that data, and Seagate's latest products - including the cutting-edge LaCie Mobile Drive, LaCie Mobile SSD, Seagate Backup Plus HDDs, FireCuda 510 and BarraCuda 510 internal SSDs, and IronWolf 110 NAS SSD - are designed to fit a variety of data storage needs and digital lifestyles.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today launched the compact and versatile TBS-453DX NASbook which is designed for small working spaces and mobile workers. Using four M.2 SATA SSDs for storage, the TBS-453DX can also have 20 cloud storage spaces mapped and local caching enabled, providing the ability to work with online files as quickly as local files. The multi-functional and near-silent TBS-453DX provides HDMI 2.0 4K 60Hz output, hardware transcoding and streaming, and features 10GbE N-BASET connectivity based on Aquantia 's Multi-Gig controller, making it perfect for creating a seamless high-speed network environment for improved teamwork and smooth multimedia applications.

The TBS-453DX NASbook packs serious performance and complete business applications into a tiny, portable frame. By seamlessly integrating cloud storage spaces, the TBS-453DX provides the combined advantages of portability and storage flexibility to boost the abilities of modern offices and studios," said Jason Hsu, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "With the ability to locally cache cloud-based files on the TBS-453DX, no matter if users are working remotely or in the office, they can enjoy access speeds as if they were working within a LAN environment."

QNAP Systems, Inc. (QNAP), a leading storage, network and computing solution provider, today launched the Intel Xeon E based TS-x83XU enterprise NAS series with ECC DDR4 memory that delivers server-class performance and dependable reliability. All models in the series feature two 10GbE SFP+ ports using Mellanox ConnectX -4 Lx SmartNIC controllers and support installing a PCIe graphics card for empowering video surveillance, virtual machines and AI applications. Coupled with QNAP's exclusive software-defined SSD extra over-provisioning and comprehensive virtualization capabilities, the TS-x83XU series provides a high-performance and dependable - yet cost-efficient - NAS solution for uncompromising enterprise IT requirements.

The TS-x83XU was specifically designed for enterprises that require server-class standards of performance and reliability for business-critical data and applications," said David Tsao, Product Manager of QNAP, adding "businesses and organizations can unlock greater application potential and increase their everyday working efficiency by leveraging game-changing features such as PCIe expandability, SSD-optimization technologies, and tiered storage."

Intel today introduced the B365 Express desktop motherboard chipset as an in-between to its B360 Express and H370 Express chipsets. This model is part of Intel's optical enlargement of its motherboard chipsets to the 22 nm HKMG+ silicon fabrication node, to free up 14 nm++ for processors. Despite this, the TDP of the chipset remains unchanged at 6 Watts. The B365 has a couple of feature additions and subtractions over B360. To begin with it has a wider PCI-Express downstream root-complex, with 20 gen 3.0 lanes, on par with H370 Express. The B360, if you'll recall, only has 12 downstream PCIe lanes. This means B365 motherboards will have additional M.2 and U.2 connectivity.

According to the ARK specifications page for the B365 Express, this chip completely lacks integrated 10 Gbps USB 3.1 gen 2 connectivity. Perhaps the expanded downstream PCIe is really meant for motherboard vendors to use third-party USB 3.1 gen 2 controller chips. You still get eight 5 Gbps USB 3.0 ports (notice we didn't say USB 3.1 gen 1, because don't expect fast-charging features). The chipset also loses the latest generation Wireless AC integrated MAC. All of these point to the possibility of the B365 Express being a re-branded Z170 with locked CPU overclocking. Adding credence to this theory is the fact that while the B360 uses ME version 12, the B365 uses the older ME version 11. Much like the H310C, the B365 could include platform support for Windows 7.

NVM Express, Inc. today announced the pending availability of the NVMe Management Interface (NVMe-MI ) specification. The NVMe-MI 1.1 release standardizes NVMe enclosure management, provides the ability to access NVMe-MI functionality in-band and delivers new management features for multiple NVMe subsystem solid-state drive (SSD) deployments.

NVM Express Inc., offering an open collection of NVM Express (NVMe ) specifications and resources on the benefits of non-volatile memory, completed technical work on NVMe-MI 1.1 and the specification is in the ratification process with wide availability anticipated in 60 days. The new management features offer NVMe end-users and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) more control and flexibility.

"The NVMe-MI 1.1 specification defines essential management elements requested by the growing NVMe ecosystem," said Peter Onufryk, NVMe Board Member and NVMe-MI Workgroup Chair. "For example, we didn't have a defined standard to manage NVMe enclosures, and now we have a standard that member companies can map to."

Synology Inc. today launched DiskStation DS1819+, an 8-bay desktop NAS providing outstanding performance with great expandability, ready to grow as your business thrives. "This is a compact NAS with an expandable design that can be an ideal investment for small to medium-sized businesses, especially when capable of hosting versatile applications." Said Kevin Meng, product manager of Synology Inc. "As an updated 8-bay desktop NAS in the Plus family, DS1819+ provides a performance increase of over 57% in sequential reading compared to its predecessor, making it more than capable of being just a file server or backup target to satisfy various business requirements with its all-inclusive built-in applications."

QNAP Systems, Inc. today launched the HS-453DX, a silent NAS that features an Intel Celeron quad-core processor, HDMI 2.0 (4K 60Hz) output, 4K real-time transcoding, and 10GbE high-speed connectivity. Contained within a stylish set-top design, the HS-453DX features a fanless cooling solution that makes it the perfect addition to living rooms and existing home theater setups. The HS-453DX has also won the CES 2019 Innovation Award and Computex d&i Award for high-quality product design.

Powered by an Intel Celeron J4105 quad-core 1.5 GHz processor (burst up to 2.5 GHz) with 4GB/8GB DDR4 memory and two 3.5-inch SATA 6Gb/s drive bays, the HS-453DX delivers up to 677 MB/s read/write speeds. With two M.2 2280 SATA SSD slots (M.2 SSDs sold separately) the HS-453DX also provides a hybrid storage structure with SSD caching reinforcing traditional hard drives, helping to optimize the performance of demanding applications (including media streaming applications such as Roon Server). 10GbE connectivity is also provided with a built-in 10GBASE-T five-speed port (supports 10G/5G/2.5G/1G/100M) to provide users with a future-proofed storage solution.

GIGABYTE began shipping its second socket AMD TR4 motherboard since 2nd generation Ryzen Threadripper launch, the X399 Aorus Pro. If you've been paying attention to GIGABYTE's new nomenclature for Aorus, the "Pro" SKU is slotted between what was "Gaming 3" and "Gaming 5," making this GIGABYTE's most affordable TR4 motherboard, positioned below the X399 Gaming 7, and a far cry from the range-topping X399 Aorus Xtreme. The board ships with out-of-the-box support for 2nd generation Ryzen Threadripper processors. GIGABYTE appears to have reused the same exact PCB as the X399 Gaming 7, but with aesthetic updates and cost-cutting. The board's design scheme (I/O shroud and heatsink designs) are somewhat aligned with its newer generation design aesthetic introduced with its Z390 Aorus family.

Cost cutting over the X399 Gaming 7 comes in the form of the I/O shroud no longer running the entire length of the PCB, only one out of three M.2 slots getting a SSD heatsink, only two out of five PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots getting full metal reinforcement, and the lack of a WLAN module. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, and 4-pin ATX, and uses an 8-phase VRM to power the CPU. Expansion slot layout is unchanged from the Gaming 7, with two x16 slots running at x16, and two taking 8 lanes from them. A fifth x16 slot is gen 2.0 x4. All three M.2 PCIe slots are wired to the CPU. The onboard audio solution is carried over, with Realtek ALC1220 CODEC, WIMA capacitors, and ground-layer isolation. The sole networking interface is a 1 GbE pulled by an Intel i211-AT controller. Available now, the GIGABYTE X399 Aorus Pro is priced at $270, a whole Benjamin cheaper than what the Aorus X399 Gaming 7 launched at.

KINGMAX Technology Inc., the world's leading provider of memory products, today is proud to announce the launch of Zeus M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe Gen3x4 SSD PX3480. Along with the growing demands for smaller yet faster storage, M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs are getting more and more popular for its incredible performance and compact size. In order to fulfill different storage needs with more product offerings, KINGMAX releases M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe Gen3x4 SSD PX3480 which is compatible with most M.2 NVMe 1.3 standard supported devices including ultrabooks and gaming laptops. Optimized with the PCIe NVMe specifications and 3D NAND technology, the M.2 SSD PX3480 delivers breakthrough sequential R/W speeds and wide-ranging capacity choices of up to 1TB, which is especially ideal for gaming enthusiasts and multitaskers who are trying to get in the game faster or store more of their important media contents.

GIGABYTE today introduced the B450M Gaming, a low-cost socket AM4 motherboard based on AMD B450 chipset, designed to be priced under $100. Built in the compact micro-ATX form-factor (205 mm x 244 mm), the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS, and uses a 4+3 phase VRM to power the AM4 SoC. A large VRM heatsink dominates the main MOSFET block, which also covers up a portion of the rear I/O area. The AM4 socket is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel memory, the board's sole M.2-2280 slot, and the PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot with metal reinforcement. Two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots wired to the B450 chipset make for the rest of the expansion area.

Storage connectivity includes one M.2-2280 slot with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring, and four SATA 6 Gbps ports. USB connectivity includes four USB 3.1 gen 1 type-A ports on the rear panel, and two USB 3.1 gen 1 ports via header. Networking, interestingly, is a 1 GbE interface driven by Realtek Dragon 8118AS controller, which was originally launched as Realtek's competitor to the i219-V (comes with various performance enhancements). Audio is a basic 6-channel fare driven by Realtek ALC887, somewhat improved with ground-layer isolation and electrolytic capacitors.

Greenliant is growing its portfolio of ArmourDrive solid state drive (SSD) modules with the introduction of 87 PX Series SATA M.2 products. Designed for embedded systems requiring removable data storage that can operate in extreme environments, industrial temperature (-40°C to +85°C), SATA M.2 ArmourDrive SSDs are built in the widely used 2280 form factor.

With high reliability and low power consumption, SATA M.2 ArmourDrive SSDs can be used in a multitude of applications, including Internet of Things (IoT) devices, industrial automation, servers, networking equipment, digital signage, surveillance and video conferencing systems. SATA M.2 ArmourDrive supports the SATA 6Gb/s interface and can reach up to 550/500 MB/s sequential read/write performance. Using 3-bits-per-cell (TLC) 3D NAND flash memory, 87 PX Series SATA M.2 ArmourDrive is rigorously tested to give customers cost-effective and reliable removable solid state storage for space-constrained systems.

Advantech, a global leading provider of the industrial flash storage solution SQFlash, today releases a flagship NVMe SSD product-SQFlash 920 series. This new series product line brings high performance, density, and full function storage security support, which allows complete design-in service for industrial applications. Advantech's SQFlash 920 series NVMe SSD includes the very popular M.2 2280 form factor (SQF-CM8) as well as a 2.5" U.2 form factor (SQF-C25) using the latest Toshiba BiCS3 3D NAND Flash technology to achieve up to 8TB per drive capacity.

Heading towards AIoT applications such as auto-piloting and industrial machine vision, the SQFlash 920 series is an industry first wide-temperature 3D NAND SSD that comes with built-in smart thermal management and comprehensive security features. Using the latest controller technology that includes LDPC and a RAID-ECC error correction engine, SQFlash 920 series provides best-in-class reliability and the same endurance level as planer MLC NAND Flash. What's more, a cloud ready online predictive maintenance feature (PMQ) is also available to help users remotely monitor their SSD.

BIOSTAR today introduced the M500 line of solid-state drives in the M.2-2280 form-factor, with PCI-Express 3.0 x2 interface. These were first shown off at Computex 2018. The drives take advantage of the NVMe 1.2 protocol. Available in capacities of 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB; the drives feature DDR3L DRAM caches of 256 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, and 1 GB, respectively. Sequential performance numbers put out by the company are up to 1,700 MB/s reads, with up to 1,100 MB/s writes.

The drives pack a couple of handy innovations, beginning with the integrated metal heatspreader, which wraps around three sides of the drive. Near the end of the drive are two indicators - one is a green link/activity LED and the other is an RGB LED that indicates real-time temperature measured at the controller, with red being the hottest, green being the coolest, and yellow~amber indicating typical/normal temperature. The company didn't reveal pricing.

HighPoint has announced the release of a bootable Quad M.2 NVMe RAID card. The SSD7102 features a PCIe x16 connector for plugging into a users' system, and is essentially an expansion card that can house up to four M.2 NVMe SSDs - four 4x PCIe NVMe SSDs comes up to 16 total PCIe lanes, so the math definitely does check out. HighPoint has gone around CPU-bound limitations in recognizing this type of multiple devices folded into a single one with the usage of a PLX8747 PCIe bridge chip. Custom firmware allows these four drives in RAID to serve as a bootable device.

Shuttle Inc., the global leader in small form factor computer technology, today announced the upgrade of its XPC cube series, the SH310R4. The SH310R4 is an entry-level mini PC with Intel 8th Gen processors. It sustained a small-form-factor of the previous-gen cube systems, but provides a significant boost in performance.

The new SH310R4 aims at a customer base of individuals and businesses whose need increased computing capability. Built upon Intel H310 chipset and support for 8th Gen Intel processors with up to six cores, the SH310R4 provides multicore and multithreaded performance for unprecedented power and responsiveness. It supports up to 32GB DDR4 memory, M.2 storage and Intel UHD graphics which give users true visual perfection in high-definition.

CORSAIR , a world leader in PC gaming peripherals and enthusiast components, today announced the CORSAIR Force Series MP510 M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, the latest and fastest in its range of M.2 solid state drives. The MP510 delivers blazing fast sequential read speeds up to 3,480MB/sec, and sequential write speeds up to 3,000 MB/s, making it CORSAIR's highest performing SSD yet.

Available in 240 GB, 480 GB, 960 GB, and 1920 GB capacities, the MP510 offers extreme storage performance in the ultra-compact and simple M.2 2280 form factor, fitting directly into a motherboard or notebook. Utilizing the ultra high-speed NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 interface for maximum bandwidth, the MP510 leaves traditional SATA 6Gbps and even previous generation M.2 SSDs in the dust. Loading everything from large video and image files to games, applications or the operating system faster than ever before, the MP510 supercharges your system's performance, whatever you're doing.