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ASRock Next Generation Fatal1ty Motherboard Lineup Pictured

ASRock is designing multiple Fatal1ty Killer branded socket LGA1151 motherboards, which it plans to differentiate using a new naming scheme - K3, K4, and K6. The company showed off some of its latest such boards at Computex. The series is led by the Z170 Gaming K6, followed by the Z170 Gaming K4, H170 Performance, and the Z170-e ITX. All four feature the familiar red+black color scheme, and Fatal1ty branding.

The Z170 Gaming K6 leads the pack with a strong 13-phase VRM, 3-way multi-GPU support, dual-channel DDR4-3000 support, dual SATA-Express 16 Gb/s, Ultra M.2 (32 Gb/s), Killer E2200 NIC, and high-end 115 dBA SNR audio. The Z170 Gaming K4 and H170 Performance share a common PCB design, offering all essentials from this platform, and are intended for gaming PC builds with single graphics cards; the Z170 ITX offers a decent feature-set despite its space constraints, including mSATA, Ultra M.2 (32 Gb/s), SATA-Express 16 Gb/s, and USB 3.1 ports. ASRock did not finalize heatsink design.

MSI Next Generation GAMING Motherboards Pictured

MSI's third-generation "GAMING" series motherboards are almost ready, and the company displayed two of them at Computex. The first is a mid-range socket LGA1151 motherboard, the MSI Z170A-G45 Gaming, and the X99A-GODLIKE Gaming (we kid you not). It looks like MSI is doing away with the "Gaming 3/5/7/9" nomenclature in the wake of GIGABYTE copying it. The Z170A-G41 Gaming offers a decent feature-set for gaming PC builds with up to two graphics cards. This includes an 10-phase CPU VRM, four DDR4 DIMM slots (dual-channel DDR4), three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots, two M.2 slots (32 Gb/s and 10 Gb/s); SATA-Express 16 Gb/s, six SATA 6 Gb/s, Killer E2205 networking, and 8-channel HD audio with ground-layer isolation and audio-grade capacitors.

The X99A-GODLIKE Gaming is a different beast. Topping off the company's LGA2011v3 lineup, this board offers top of the line components. It begins with a 12-phase VRM that draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, and 4-pin ATX power connectors; five PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots with support for 4-way SLI/CrossFire, 32 Gb/s M.2 slot, and an EMI shield that covers a large part of the front PCB area (a la ASUS TUF), and gaming-centric connectivity that includes two gigabit interfaces, 8-channel audio with onboard 600Ω headphones amp, 802.11 ac Killer ACK Double-Shot WLAN, and USB 3.1 type-C ports.

ASUS X99M-WS Micro-ATX Motherboard Pictured

Here's the first picture of ASUS X99M-WS, an upcoming workstation-grade socket LGA2011v3 motherboard based on the Intel X99 Express chipset, which the company claims will be the "most powerful" motherboard of its kind in this form-factor. The board draws power from 24-pin ATX, and two 8-pin EPS power connectors, with an optional 6-pin PCIe power input to stabilize power to add-on cards. The socket is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 128 GB of quad-channel DDR4 memory; and two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 connectors.

Other expansion slots include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4) and a PCI-Express 2.0 x1. Storage connectivity includes eight SATA 6 Gb/s, and a 32 Gb/s M.2 slot. Other connectivity includes two USB 3.1 ports, six USB 3.0 ports, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces (Intel-made controllers); 802.11 ac WLAN, Bluetooth 4.0, 8-channel HD audio with a 115 dBA SNR CODEC, ground-layer isolation, and audio-grade capacitors. The board supports certain 1P Intel Xeon models in addition to Core i7 ones.

Super Talent Introduces the USB 3.1 Portable RAIDDrive

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of NAND Flash storage solutions, announces its USB 3.1 Portable RAIDDrive, a high performance storage device that allows you to transfer large files extremely quickly through the USB 3.1 interface.

The Super Talent USB 3.1 Portable RAIDDrive consists of two M.2 SSDs within the enclosure that are set up in RAID 0. This allows increased performance in a small portable form factor that uses the USB 3.1 interface. With speeds up to 750 MB/s read and 700 MB/s write, transferring large files around such as media content only take a matter of seconds.

Silicon Power Unveils the Latest M.2 and mSATA Solid State Drives

Catering to the increasing demands for super speed and cost-effective storage solutions, SP/ Silicon Power, the world's leading provider of memory storage solutions, today releases the latest powerful M10 M.2 2280 and M10 mSATA solid state drives. They both allow superior performances and high reliability with ultra-fast transfer interface of SATA III 6Gb/s, and supports Intel Smart Response Technology (ISRT) to offer flexible upgrade solutions that saves consumers a lot of time and space.

Addressing the mini size and high performance needs for advanced portable devices, the M10 M.2 2280 can be applied for devices with an M.2 slot including next-gen desktops, Ultrabooks and motherboards with Intel 87/97 series chipsets. Engineered with a high-quality controller and MLC NAND flash chips, the M10 M.2 2280 delivers astonishing transfer rates up to Read/Write 520 MB/330 MB/sec while offering impressive 4K random Read/Write speeds of up to 40,000 IOPS in the CDM test. For business people, multimedia professionals and heavy gamers who value the importance of efficiency and stability, the M10 M.2 2280 significantly speeds up boot times and reduces loading times in games to deliver an immediately noticeable performance boost.

Gigabyte Intros Z97X-Game Plus Motherboard

From a sea of black and red, Gigabyte brushed a refreshing stroke of green, with its latest socket LGA1150 motherboard, the Z97X-Game Plus. Designed to compete with $150-ish mainline products such as ASUS Z97-Pro Gamer, which are loaded with gamer-centric features and product design, though barely missing premium gaming brands such as ROG or G1.Gaming; the new Z97X Game Plus could be particularly appealing to gamers with "green" (read: reference NVIDIA) gaming PC builds. The Z97X-Game Plus is a socket LGA1150 motherboard, with out of the box support for 5th gen Core "Broadwell" processors, in addition to Core "Haswell."

The board draws power from 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors. An 8-phase VRM conditions it for the CPU, which is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots, and three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/NC/NC or x8/x8/NC or x8/x4/x4). Other expansion slots include three PCI-Express 2.0 x1 and one legacy PCI. Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s ports (from which two wire out as SATA-Express 10 Gb/s), and one M.2 (PCIe 2.0 x2 physical layer). Notable features include Gigabyte's famed AMP-UP onboard audio, with an EMI-shielded 115 dBA SNR CODEC, ground-layer isolation, audio-grade electrolytic caps, and an OPAMP with tuning for music and gaming; Broadcom Killer E2200 gigabit Ethernet, six USB 3.0 ports, and dual-UEFI BIOS. Expect a $140-150 pricing.

Colorful iGame-Z170 Motherboard Pictured

Here is the first picture of Colorful's premium socket LGA1151 motherboard, the iGame-Z170. The company plans to carve out at lease three unique SKUs out of this PCB (second picture below), the iGame-Z170 being the base model. As its name suggests, the board is based on Intel's upcoming Z170 Express chipset, and is designed for 6th generation Core "Skylake" processors. Some variants of this board, such as the iGame-Z170U, will feature DDR4 DIMM slots (up to 64 GB), while others will feature DDR3 (up to 32 GB).

The board offers a pretty decent feature-set, including a 14-phase CPU VRM, two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (electrical x8/x8 when both are populated) wired to the CPU, a third PCI-Express x4 slot wired to the PCH, three other PCI-Express x1 slots; storage connectivity that includes six SATA 6 Gb/s, one SATA-Express, and one M.2 10 Gb/s; two USB 3.1 ports, six USB 3.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, and a modern onboard audio solution with ground-layer isolation, and audio-grade capacitors. The iGame-Z170 series will launch some time in Q3, 2015. The three will likely be exhibited at Computex 2015, this June.

GIGABYTE Rolls Out the X99-SLI Motherboard

Trying to squeeze revenues from the high-end desktop (HEDT) market to its last drop by saturating it with as many catchy-named models as possible, GIGABYTE launched the X99-SLI socket LGA2011v3 motherboard. This board will likely be priced between $199 and $249, and will compete against the likes of ASUS X99-A and MSI X99S Gaming 7, enabling it to make the most out of the crucial pre-Summer sales season. Built in the standard ATX form-factor, the X99-SLI offers a feature-set that's nearly identical to the company's X99-UD4. It's not a rebrand, because the PCB is different between the two. The X99-SLI could end up being cheaper.

The X99-SLI draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors, with an optional 4-pin Molex input to stabilize multiple graphics cards that rely on the PCI-Express slot for power. Power to the CPU is conditioned by a 6-phase VRM. The CPU is wired to eight DDR4 DIMM slots, four on either sides, and four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/NC/x16/NC or x16/NC/x8/x8 or x8/x8/x8/x8 on i7-5930K and i7-5960X; x16/NC/x4 or x8/x8/x4 on i7-5820K), supporting 4-way SLI and CrossFireX. The board supports DDR4-3333 MHz with overclocking.

Patriot Announces Ignite Series M2 SATA Solid-State Drive

Patriot, a leading manufacturer of computer memory, USB/flash, SSDs and mobile accessories, today announced the launch of its new M.2 Ignite solid-state drive (SSD). Its compact form factor is optimal for use in portable devices such as ultrabooks, notebooks and ultra-compact PC's providing impeccable start up times, instant access to data and installed programs.

The Patriot Ignite M2's Next-Generation-Form-Factor (NGFF) case free design and small structure of 22 mm wide by 80 mm long (2280) packs a punch, testing in with sequential read and write speeds of up to 560/320 MB/s and 4KB random read and write speeds of up to 90/70K IOPs. It provides the ultimate upgrade solution for those with mobile computing devices looking to increase storage capacities.

ASUS Announces that All its Z97 and X99 Motherboards Support NVMe

ASUS today announced that it is the world's first motherboard brand to support all NVM Express (NVMe) storage devices via a simple UEFI BIOS update and optional ASUS Hyper Kit expansion card.

The free UEFI BIOS update enable all ASUS X99 and Z97 motherboards to be compatible with the latest NVMe storage devices, including those with PCI Express (PCIe) and M.2 (PCIe) interfaces. All ASUS X99 motherboards are also compatible with the latest 2.5-inch NVMe SFF-8639 solid-state drives (SSDs), via the exclusive ASUS Hyper Kit expansion card - for ultimate data-transfer bandwidth up to 32 Gbit/s.

Samsung Now Producing Industry's First M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD for the PC Market

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has started mass production of the industry's first NVMe PCIe solid state drive (SSD) which has an M.2 form factor for use in PCs and workstations. Samsung is also the first in the industry to announce that it has begun shipping NVMe SSDs to OEMs for the PC market. The new SM951-NVMe features the industry's most advanced performance figures, exceptionally low power use in standby mode and the most compact size of any NVMe SSD.

"Our new NVMe SSD will allow for faster, ultra-slim notebook PCs with extended battery use, while accelerating the adoption of NVMe SSDs within the consumer marketplace," said Jeeho Baek, Senior Vice President of Memory Marketing at Samsung Electronics. "Samsung will continue to stay a critical step ahead of others in the industry in introducing a diversity of next-generation SSDs, that contribute to an enhanced user experience through rapid popularization of ultra-fast, highly energy-efficient, compact SSDs."

ASRock Unveils X99M-Killer USB 3.1 Socket LGA2011v3 Motherboard

ASRock unveiled its latest socket LGA2011v3 motherboard for Core i7 "Haswell-E" processors, the X99M-Killer USB 3.1. Characterized by its micro-ATX form-factor and two 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 ports, the board offers a pretty tight feature-set. To begin with, the board draws power from 24-pin ATX, 8-pin EPS, and an optional 4-pin Molex. A 12-phase VRM conditions it for the CPU, which is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting quad-channel memory. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 wired to the CPU, and one PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x4), wired to the PCH.

Storage connectivity on the X99M-Killer USB 3.1 include ten SATA 6 Gb/s, from which two turn into SATA-Express 10 Gb/s, an eSATA 6 Gb/s, and one Ultra M.2 (PCI-Express 3.0 x4 physical-layer). Modern connectivity includes ASRock's Purity Sound 2 onboard audio solution, featuring a 115 dBA SNR CODEC, audio-grade capacitors, a headphones amplifier, and ground-layer isolation on the PCB; two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, one driven by a Killer E2205, and another by Intel i218-V controller; two USB 3.1 ports (type-A connectors), six USB 3.0 (four on the rear panel, two by header), and a pair of low-latency, power-stabilized USB 2.0 ports, meant for gaming mice or keyboards. Also featured is dual-BIOS, with manual switching between two physical EEPROMs. ASRock didn't announce pricing or availability.

Team Group Announces New Line of M.2 SSDs

Team Group Inc., the world's leading memory brand has announced today the launch of our solid state drive TM4PS4/TM8PS4. This next generation high speed SSD M.2 (also known as the Next Generation Form Factor, NGFF), provides your mobile computing devices an excellent data saving performance with ultra compact size and lightweight for convenient portable use.

The Team M.2 SSD is exactly designed according to the M.2 specification. TM4PS4/TM8PS4 adopt a new generation of SATA III 6Gb/s transmission interface which has a stunning data transfer performance and compatibility. For different environment usage, TM4PS4/TM8PS4 comes in two sizes, 22x42mm and 22x80mm. It is designed for excellent performance and to satisfy all kinds of specification requirements for consumers' motherboards, notebooks, mobile devices and developing embedded devices.

ASRock Unveils Fatal1ty 970 Performance Socket AM3+ Motherboard

ASRock unveiled its newest socket AM3+ motherboard for gamers with on a budget, the Fatal1ty 970 Performance. Based on the AMD 970 chipset with SB950 southbridge, this board offers a slick feature-set for its potentially two-figure price. Built in the ATX form-factor, the board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS power connectors. An optional 4-pin Molex power connector is required, if you have two cards that rely solely on the expansion slot power. The board features a 10-phase CPU VRM, and supports 220W TDP chips such as the FX-9370 and FX-9590.

Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x8/x8 when both are populated), a third PCI-Express 2.0 x16, which is electrical x4 and wired to the southbridge, a legacy PCI, and two PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots. Storage connectivity includes six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, and an M.2 slot (electrical PCIe 2.0 x4). Other modern connectivity includes six USB 3.0 ports (four on the rear panel, two by headers), an electrically-reinforced Fatal1ty Mouse port, ASRock Purity Sound 2 on-board audio with a 115 dBA SNR CODEC, audio-grade electrolytic capacitors, headphones amp, and ground-layer isolation, and gigabit Ethernet (Realtek-made controller). The board is driven by UEFI BIOS, and supports Windows 8.1 features such as Secure Boot and Fast Boot. Expect this board to be priced at $99.

Kingston Announces Availability of HyperX Predator PCIe SSD

HyperX, a division of Kingston Technology, the independent world leader in memory products, today, announced the HyperX Predator PCIe SSD. HyperX Predator PCIe SSD is the highest-end SSD with the fastest speeds in the HyperX lineup.

HyperX Predator PCIe SSD offers large capacities (240GB, 480GB) and incredible speeds to take systems to the edge. Faster than SATA-based SSDs, the PCIe generation 2.0 x4 interface delivers speeds up to 1400MB/s read and 1000MB/s write for ultra-responsive multitasking and an overall faster system. It is powered by the Marvell 88SS9293 controller.

ASUS Announces TUF Sabertooth X99 Motherboard at CeBIT

ASUS today announced TUF Sabertooth X99, the world's first consumer desktop motherboard to support all NVM Express storage devices, including PCI Express (PCIe), M.2 PCI Express and the latest 2.5-inch solid-state drives (SSDs) with SFF-8639 via the mini SAS HD connector on the Hyper Kit1 expansion card. With built-in USB 3.1, TUF Sabertooth X99 maximizes choice for ultra-high-speed transfer options speeds, handing users total flexibility.

TUF's newest motherboard additionally introduces all-new and exclusive TUF Detective technology that displays live system information on smartphones and tablets, right at users' fingertips. TUF Sabertooth X99 is also equipped for ultimate cooling with exclusive TUF Thermal Armor, TUF Thermal Radar 2 and TUF ICe technologies. Exceptional durability and tested reliability is assured, with TUF Fortifier and TUF Components, including 10K capacitors, TUF chokes and a military-grade MOSFET.

ASRock Unveils World's First Mini-ITX Socket LGA2011v3 Motherboard

ASRock achieved the impossible, by innovating the world's first socket LGA2011v3 motherboard in the mini-ITX form-factor, letting you give your mini-ITX build the muscle of an eight-core Intel Core i7-5960X processor, with DDR4 memory. The new X99E-ITX/ac from ASRock is a standard mini-ITX motherboard, with a bulk of its precious PCB real-estate occupied by the large LGA2011v3 CPU socket. This socket features an unconventional cooler mount, which is comparable to the 2088-pin socket found on "Haswell-EP" system boards. ASRock has included an copper heat pipe-fed aluminium fin heatsink with this board, although its ability to cool a 140W TDP chip looks suspect.

A major sacrifice ASRock had to make, to achieve this contraption, is halve the memory bandwidth. Due to space limitations, the board features only two DDR4 DIMM slots, and will support only dual-channel memory, even as the platform supports quad-channel memory. Storage connectivity includes one Ultra M.2 (PCIe gen 3.0 x4 physical layer), one 10 Gb/s SATA-Express, an eSATA 6 Gb/s on the rear panel, and four other SATA 6 Gb/s ports. Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 3.0 x16, and one mPCIe 3.0 x1, holding the board's included 802.11 ac WLAN + Bluetooth 4.0 card. Two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, both driven by Intel-made controllers, a 2-port USB 3.1 controller (type-A ports), four other USB 3.0 ports, and an 8-channel HD audio make for the rest of it. ASRock didn't announce pricing or availability.

ZOTAC Steam Machine Takes PC Gaming Beyond the Computer

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and manufacturer of graphic cards and mini-PCs, today rewrites the definition of PC gaming with the ZOTAC Steam Machine SN970. The groundbreaking gaming platform finally conjoins uncompromising graphical experience with the television, unchaining gaming from the desk to the home entertainment center.

"We are honored to be working closely with Valve to bring gamers a system that will redefine PC gaming. The ZOTAC Steam Machine delivers a fully optimized gaming platform with full emphasis on graphics. We have employed the latest Intel CPU and NVIDIA GPU technology so gamers can keep the graphics sliders on ultra, and enjoy smooth, 4k gaming," says Tony Wong, CEO, ZOTAC International.

BIOSTAR Announces the GAMING Z97X and Z97W Motherboards

BIOSTAR announced its latest flagship socket LGA1150 motherboard, the GAMING Z97X. With a design focus on gaming PC builds that are high on connectivity, with a little bit of overclocking thrown in, rather than an all-out focus on overclocking (TPower), this board punches well above its weight with its feature-set. To begin with, the board features a rustic, industrial design, featuring a brown/gold+black color scheme for the various slots and connectors; and a black plastic shroud running the board's length. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors. A 12-phase VRM conditions it for the CPU.

Expansion slots include three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (electrical x16/NC/NC or x8/x8/NC or x8/x4/x4); and three PCI-Express 2.0 x1, wired to the PCH. Storage connectivity includes SATA-Express, six SATA 6 Gb/s, and an M.2 (electrical PCIe 2.0 x2) connector. This board also offers two supercharged USB 3.1 (10 Gb/s) ports, in addition to six other USB 3.0 ports, and a number of USB 2.0/1.1 ports. There are two gigabit Ethernet interfaces, one driven by an Intel-made controller, and another by Qualcomm Killer E2200, so you get to choose between Killer and Intel. The onboard audio features a 110 dBA SNR CODEC, a 600Ω headphones amp, and ground-layer isolation. Also included is a 5.25-inch front-panel head-unit BIOSTAR calls the "Gaming Commander," which gives you front-panel audio outputs with a volume control, amplifier control, diagnostic LEDs, and a CPU temperature indicator. A variant of this motherboard, which lacks the third PCIe x16 slot, offers a 10-phase CPU VRM, and goes easy on some other features, called the GAMING Z97W, was also released.

Aorus X5 Gaming Notebook Offers Ultra HD in a 15.6-inch Package

Aorus X5 is the company's latest gaming notebook, featuring one of the industry's sharpest displays, based on the IGZO technology. This 15.6-incher offers Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels) display resolution. Driving the display is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M SLI setup, with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory per GPU. Based on the GM204 silicon, the GTX 965M features 1024 CUDA cores running at 945 MHz, and a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory bus, running at 5.00 GHz. Our educated guess is that GTX 965M SLI should offer performance comparable to a single, overclocked GTX 980, if not more. By Aorus' own benchmarks, this notebook yields P12000 in 3DMark 11. Other chops of the Aorus X5 include a Core i7 CPU, up to 32 GB of dual-channel memory, M.2 SSD storage, 2.29 cm thickness with the lid closed, and just under 2.5 kg of weight.

Kingston HyperX Predator M.2 and HyperX Savage SSDs Pictured

Kingston showed off its first M.2 PCIe 2.0 x4 SSD, the HyperX Predator. Based on Marvell's 88SS9293 controller, the same one that drives the likes of Plextor M7e, the drive uses 19 nm MLC NAND flash chips, and takes advantage of PCI-Express 2.0 x4 bandwidth, to offer transfer rates in excess of 1.4 GB/s. It will be sold both as bare-drive, and part of a PC upgrade kit, which includes a half-height M.2 riser add-on card. Capacities offered will include 240 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB.

The other big SSD from Kingston's stable is the HyperX Savage. Built in the 7 mm-thick 2.5-inch form-factor, these drives take advantage of SATA 6 Gb/s. Based on Phison S10 series platform, and wired to 19 nm MLC NAND flash, these drives will be Kingston's fastest in its class, offering sequential reads of up to 560 MB/s, with up to 540 MB/s up to writes. This drive will come in capacities of 240 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB. The HyperX Predator M.2 should launch in February, while the HyperX Savage launches a month later.

Plextor M7e M.2 PCIe SSD Tested, Over 1.3 GB/s On Tap

Plextor showed off its upcoming M7e PCI-Express SSD in the M.2 form-factor, at CES. A successor to the M6e, which was designed to offer 770 MB/s sequential reads, with up to 580 MB/s sequential writes; the new M7e offers double the performance. Although Plextor didn't put out its own manufacturer-rated numbers, the drive was put through CrystalDiskMark on a live-demo, and compared to its nearest market rival, Samsung XP941.

Built around a Marvell 88SS9293 controller, with PCI-Express 2.0 x4 bus interface, the drive features Toshiba A19 MLC NAND flash chips. The drive was tested to offer 1411 MB/s sequential reads, with 1028 MB/s writes; compared to the 1136 MB/s reads and 928 MB/s writes, put out by the Samsung XP941. With these numbers, the drive is targeted at PC enthusiasts. It will be sold both as a bare drive, and with a PCI-Express 2.0 x4 add-on card, with an M.2 riser.

MSI Z97A Gaming 6 its First Motherboard to Feature USB 3.1 Type-C

MSI showed off the Z97A Gaming 6, the company's first motherboard to feature a USB 3.1 port, with the new Type-C connector. This board is essentially a Z97 Gaming 5, with a USB 3.1 controller, and the Type-C port on its rear panel. The board features an 8-phase CPU VRM, three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x8/x4/x4 when all three are populated), an M.2 slot, SATA-Express, Killer gigabit Ethernet controller, and the company's Audio Boost onboard audio, with ground-layer isolation. Expect this board to sell around the $160 mark.

Plextor Announces M6e Black Edition PCI-Express SSD

Plextor launched its flagship SSD for PC enthusiasts, the M6e Black Edition. Clearly intended for enthusiast PC builds, miles away from an enterprise environment, this drive features a focus on product design, with its matte black PCB, full-length metal shroud, and a racy red aluminium heatsink popping out from a cutout in that shroud. This heatsink cools the controller and NAND flash chips. The drive comes in three capacities - 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB.

Under the hood, the M6e Black Edition is essentially an M.2 riser with PCI-Express 2.0 x4 wiring. The drive sitting on its M.2 slot is driven by a Marvell 88SS9183 controller, wired to Toshiba-made 19 nm Toggle NAND flash, and 1 GB of DRAM cache. The drive offers sequential transfer rates of up to 770 MB/s reads, with up to 625 MB/s writes; with up to 105,000 IOPS 4K random reads, and up to 100,000 IOPS 4K random writes. In addition to PCIe bus power, the drive requires power from a SATA power connector. Features include PlexTurbo 2.0 technology that shuttles hot data to system memory, TRIM, NCQ, and NVMe. The drive is bootable.

Samsung Mass-Producing SM951 PCIe M.2 SSDs

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has begun mass producing a high-performance, low-powered PCIe solid state drive (SSD), the SM951, for use in ultra-slim notebook PCs and workstations. "We are helping to accelerate growth of the ultra-slim notebook PC market with the introduction of this energy-efficient, high-speed PCIe SSD," said Jeeho Baek, Senior Vice President of Memory Marketing at Samsung Electronics. He added that, "We will continue to introduce next-generation high-density SSDs with improved performance and increased differentiation, as we further strengthen our business competitiveness in global SSD market."

The SM951 boasts outstanding performance, supporting both PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 2.0 interfaces. For use in the latest ultra-slim notebooks, it can read and write sequentially at 1,600 MB/s (megabytes per second) and 1,350 MB/s respectively based on PCIe 2.0. This performance level is approximately three times faster than that of the latest SSD with a SATA interface and about 30 percent faster than that of the Samsung XP941, its predecessor. In addition, the new SSD's random read and write speeds reach up to 130,000 and 85,000 IOPS (inputs/outputs per second) respectively.
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