Intel's next-generation SSD 530 series, which sees a single product line covering 2.5-inch and compact form-factors, arrives in the second quarter of 2013. The new series is being designed to offer high-performance even at smaller card form-factors, which is particularly important for the ultra-thin/Ultrabook ecosystem. The drive has been pictured in the newer NGFF (next generation form-factor), which is designed to be even smaller than mSATA.

While mSATA drives typically measure 51 x 30 mm, NGFF measures 42 x 22 mm. NGFF is a single interface featuring pins for both SATA and PCI-Express x2 or x4, and cards designed around its specification can either be SATA SSDs, or other bandwidth-heavy devices (such as 802.11ac WLAN controllers). Cards can even be designed to have an SATA SSD subunit on one side, and a PCI-Express device on the other, saving swathes of PCB real-estate in the process. The form-factor even supports double-sided SSDs such as this one from Lite-On, which features an independent SSD subunit on each side, which is striped in RAID 0. The NGFF Intel SSD 530 family will be introduced in Q2-2013, in two capacities - 80 GB and 180 GB.

HighPoint Technologies, Inc., a leading SAS, SATA and USB 3.0 HBA and storage solutions manufacturer, Proudly announces the next generation of eSATA storage devices; boosting performance from 3 Gb/s to 6 Gb/s - the RocketStor 5322 Dual 6 Gb/s eSATA Storage Dock. HighPoint's innovative dual-dedicated 6 Gb/s eSATA architecture optimizes the transfer speeds of 6 Gb/s SATA storage devices. Each of the RocketStor 5322s dual 6 Gb/s SATA bays is built for today's fastest SATA storage devices, and deliver twice the performance of eSATA 3Gb/s storage docks - up to 12 Gb/s of aggregated transfer bandwidth.

HighPoint's no-compromise approach to eSATA technology aims to revolutionize desktop and workstation storage. The RocketStor 5322 overcomes the known performance shortfalls of existing 3 Gb/s eSATA devices and delivers dual-dedicated 6 Gb/s eSATA host connectivity. Each 6 Gb/s SATA bay is capable of fully leveraging the performance potential of today's high-speed SATA 6 Gb/s SSD's.

Drobo, maker of award-winning data storage products for businesses and professionals, today announced the Drobo 5N, the latest in their new lineup of ultra-modern, high-performance storage systems. The Drobo 5N, a sophisticated, network-attached storage (NAS) device, extends Drobo's traditional ease-of-use with increased performance and data protection enhancements for personal and professional users who want a fast, easy, and ultra-reliable file sharing and backup experience over the network.

Like the recently introduced Drobo Mini and Drobo 5D, the new Drobo 5N features Drobo's patented BeyondRAID and Data-Aware Tiering technologies, to deliver capacity, performance, and data protection that have traditionally been reserved for more expensive, enterprise-grade storage.

Sonnet Technologies today announced the Fusion R400S RAID, a 1U rackmount, four-drive hardware RAID 5 storage system with an eSATA interface. The Fusion R400S RAID integrates a high-performance RAID controller for maximum versatility, critical data protection, and speedy file transfers, and its eSATA interface provides single-cable-to-host connectivity. Low-noise fans make this product suited for use in noise-sensitive environments.

Available in 8, 12, and 16 TB configurations, the Fusion R400S RAID SATA storage system features an internal RAID controller that supports RAID levels 0, 5, and 10, plus JBOD and Clone modes, offering maximum flexibility to configure the drives. Configurations include maximum capacity (RAID 0), data protection with optimum performance (RAID 5), most concurrent audio file editing (JBOD), or fast cloning of up to four drives concurrently (Clone mode) when it is necessary to send each drive to a different location for security. Selecting the RAID mode requires no application software and is simply a matter of setting a switch. Onboard RAID support eliminates the need for a specialized RAID controller card. For those who prefer to configure with separately sourced drives, Sonnet also offers a 0TB version of the R400S RAID, enabling the customer to separately purchase drives that best suit their needs.

Following ASUS' venture into the consumer NAS segment as ASUStor, Gigabyte responded with its own. The company launched its Home NAS family with the GR-EZI04H, a 4-bay consumer NAS based on the Intel Atom platform. Pictured below, it uses a common desktop cube form-factor, with a main lockable door covering its four caddies.

Gigabyte used an interesting combination of hardware. It combined a current-generation Atom D2500 dual-core processor clocked at 1.80 GHz, with an old (yet effective) ICH10R southbridge, instead of the usual NM10 PCH. The ICH10R has been used on high-end Intel 4-series and 5-series platforms, and provides six SATA 3 Gb/s ports with RAID 0/5/10. The GR-EZI04H features two gigabit Ethernet ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0/1.1 ports, and a VGA display output. Its OS, a choice between Windows Home Server 2011 and Embedded Linux, is stored on an mPCIe DOM. Gigabyte used a custom NAS management software that isn't extensively detailed, but features a standard feature-set. More details are awaited.

HighPoint Technologies, Inc., the industry's leading SATA 6Gb/s RAID HBA manufacturer, announces the availability of their second generation SATA 6Gb/s storage controllers - the RocketRAID 600L series. HighPoint's RocketRAID 600L series HBA's represent the industry's most comprehensive, and affordable selection of 6Gb/s SATA PCIe host controllers. Powered by industry-proven RAID technology, SATA port multiplier support, and an intuitive RAID Management Suite, HighPoint RocketRAID 600L HBA's are the ideal SATA 6Gb/s storage solution for any PC and Mac computing platform.

Toshiba's Storage Products Business Unit of Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc., a committed technology leader, announces four new large capacity nearline hard disk drives (HDDs), including the first self-encrypting models in the company's enterprise capacity-optimized storage lineup. The 3.5-inch 7,200 rpm MG Series includes both SATA models - the MG03ACA400 and the MG03ACA400Y - and SAS models - MG03SCA400 and the MG03SCP400 - and all deliver 4 TB of storage, the company's largest capacity to date.

As businesses work to keep up with the explosion of unstructured data, large capacity HDDs are crucial for IT systems designed to organize and access the growing pools of valuable information. The massive capacity of the MG Series is perfectly suited for RAID storage and arrays, tiered virtual infrastructures for public and private cloud deployments, archives, and disk-based backup and data protection solutions. The robust 24x7 design and massive capacity provide the cost-effectiveness required for business-critical servers and external storage systems, including NAS, SAN and tiered storage deployments for large enterprises, as well as for direct-attached storage in general purpose servers and SMB-oriented systems and applications.

It takes MSI a while to determine to enter Workstation market. MSI felt compelled to expand product line, base on users' daily usage requirements. Thus after focus on developing quite a range of gaming notebooks for casual and hardcore gamiers for years, MSI GT60 Workstation will be arriving in December 2012. MSI created a professional tool for engineers, designers, scientists, and a lot more professional users ; helping them achieve their ideas, creations into tengible products or virtual artworks.

Buffalo Inc. has today announced the OP-HD4.0T/LS, a 4 TB replacement hard drive for the LinkStation Pro Duo and CloudStation NAS servers (and other 4 TB-supporting devices). This RAID1-ready 3.5-inch drive features a SATA interface, has a recommended price tag of about $679 and is set to start shipping at the end of this month.

Integrating new AMD Opteron 6300 processors, a full range of ASUS servers and server boards offers greater flexibility with five expansion slots and extreme computing power via support for up to four CPUs and two GPUs in select models (RS920A-E6/RS8, RS924A-E6/RS8 servers) to accommodate the needs of data center, enterprise and HPC applications. The dedicated BIOS developed by ASUS to make the most of the new processors is now available at the official ASUS support site.

RS920A-E6/RS8 and RS924A-E6/RS8 servers have been designed with a 4-way layout that supports up to four AMD Opteron 6300 processors on a single board, delivering extreme computing power and enhanced scalability. With each Opteron 6300 processor utilizing 16 cores, the new ASUS servers can sustain up to 64 cores as well as a maximum 512GB memory. They ship with four PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots plus one dedicated slot for an ASUS PIKE RAID card. This layout offers more flexible system setup and upgrade options, with an internal design that allows for up to twin double-deck graphics cards. The combined CPU/GPU power on offer creates high-output hybrid computing that matches the processing-intensive demands of HPC and data center applications.

HighPoint, an industry leading Storage HBA and solutions manufacturer, announces the availability of its latest 6Gb/s SAS RAID product line, the RocketRAID 4500 series RAID-on-Chip HBA's. HighPoint's RocketRAID 4500 Series RAID-on-Chip HBA's deliver best-in-class performance and significant cost savings over comparable hardware RAID HBA's. The onboard RAID processor and integrated memory maximize performance and reliability, while a comprehensive suite of management and recovery features designed to secure critical data investments.

RocketRAID 4500 series HBA's were designed to address the needs of I/O intensive applications that employ high-capacity storage configurations. The dedicated 800MHz, 6Gb/s SAS RAID-on-Chip processor and 512MB of onboard DDR3 cache memory, offloads RAID processing from the system hardware, freeing up valuable system resources. Industry standard Mini-SAS connectors directly support up 8 SAS/SATA hard drives and SSD's, and up to 128 devices in cascade configurations when used in conjunction with SAS Expander devices.

For those who haven't taken a leap to Intel's Z77 and Ivy Bridge combo yet, either you're cultivating self discipline or you're planning to prey upon something big. Well, now is the big moment, because ASRock is releasing its beastlike Z77 Extreme11!

This tiptop motherboard has 8 SAS2/SATA3 connectors supported by an LSI SAS2308 PCIe 3.0 x8 controller. For extreme graphics, 3-Way SLI/4-Way CrossFireX is supported via a PLX PEX 8747 bridge. The LAN solution is also tempting. Two Intel LAN chips to support dual LAN and teaming, while there's also a 2T2R Dual Band WiFi & Bluetooth 4.0 module and a bundled Wi-SB Box. Specially designed for computer enthusiasts, Z77 Extreme11 possesses unbeatable hardware and extreme powers waiting to be unleashed.

Today LaCie announced that the Little Big Disk Thunderbolt Series, design by Neil Poulton, now features SATA III SSDs (6 Gb/s interface). With read speeds up to 635 MB/s, the LaCie Little Big Disk is the fastest portable Thunderbolt solution on the market. It can transfer a 50 GB project in less than two minutes or edit six uncompressed 422 streams at the same time. A game changer for content creators and professional users - the LaCie Little Big Disk delivers fibre channel rackmount speeds in a portable solution.

"We saw an opportunity to make the LaCie Little Big Disk even faster and jumped on it," said Erwan Girard, Professional Business Unit Manager, LaCie. "The new LaCie Little Big Disk can complete tasks in minutes that used to take hours. This saves our customers time and therefore money."

Synology Inc. today launched the new DX213, Synology's first 2-bay DiskStation expansion solution that satisfies the growth of storage demand from business and power users. "Managing and handling the increasing amount of data should not take time away from running a business. Therefore, Synology designed the DX213 to help users quickly and effortlessly expand DiskStation storage by an additional two bays when it reaches its maximum capacity," said Chad Jiang, product manager at Synology Inc.

On selected DiskStation models, RAID volumes can be expanded directly across DX213 without the hassle of reformatting existing hard drives, bringing the additional benefit of continuous service uptime throughout this process. Users also have the freedom to create DX213 as an independent volume for the paired DiskStation. As such, DX213 can function as an effortless local backup solution.

Everyone knows the very famous Atom based NAS N4800. Following the success brought by the N4800, Thecus is now announcing the new N4800Eco. The N4800Eco features some of the best characteristics from the N4800 like the Intel Atom processor, USB 3.0 ports, eSATA port, HDMI output and dual display. This very powerful NAS will become a must-have for all small and medium businesses in need of centralized storage, application serving, and top-notch response time within multi-user environments. For the more demanding users, the N4800Eco will also have its use at home.

Synology America Corp. is pleased to announce the release of its newest twelve-bay DiskStation, the DS2413+. Along with the DX1211 expansion module, it can scale up to 24 drives for up to 96TB storage in your choice of Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) or classic RAID, making it an ideal answer to the growing data storage needs of today's photographers. The DS2413+ is Synology's first 12-bay system to incorporate USB 3.0 for improved transfer speeds to and from external disks.

"The DS2413+ can easily scale its storage to keep pace with even the most prolific photographers," said Marivel Espinoza, Product Marketing Manager at Synology America Corp. "Unlike other storage solutions aimed at photographers, this one offers excellent performance with Synology's well-known reliability, while remaining network attached, so there are no issues with proprietary connectors."

Introducing the MB154SP-B, a 4-in-3 SATA internal RAID backplane for 3.5" SATA hard drives. This is a lite version of the MB45X series by removing the monitoring features and reducing the overall cost, while keeping the same 3 year warranty and the core tray system for hot swapping and maintenance are kept for the best reliability in the market.

The MB154SP-B has been redesigned to be a lighter module, while maintaining the same level of quality, build, and service you'd expect from an Icy Dock product. While the design has gone through some changes, the space saving design is still established. The backplane module allows up to 3 x 3.5" SATA III hard drives, while only consuming two 5.25" bays. The module has also been redesigned for the type of power connector accepted. 15 pin SATA power is used to provide better accessibility for various host systems.

Synology Inc. today announced the release of a new 5-bay expansion unit, the DX513, a quick and effortless storage expansion solution for selected DiskStations with hot-swappable drive design aimed at businesses and power users.

As storage drives on Synology DiskStations reach their capacity limits, the DX513 provides an immediate solution to remedy this by scaling up DiskStation storage allowance through an additional five bays. RAID volume expansion can be directly performed by the paired DiskStation without reformatting existing hard drives; this allows continuous service uptime for the paired DiskStation throughout the storage expansion process. Furthermore, DX513 can function as a great alternative local backup solution if created as an independent volume for the paired DiskStation.

Ciphertex, the leading provider of secure, portable storage systems will exhibit the new CX-10K-NAS secure server at the HTCIA conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

The HTCIA conference will provide Ciphertex the opportunity to demonstrate the CX-10K-NAS and discuss its many applications that will benefit the forensic community. During the acquisition of suspect data, Ciphertex encrypted products ensure collected evidence remains unaltered throughout the forensic process using advanced AES-256Bit encryption, from acquisition to the presentation of evidence and eventual archival. The CX-10K-NAS functions as a central storage location of suspect data with the performance necessary to sustain multiple concurrent workflow requests. While performing e-forensics the CX-10K-NAS allows for multiple investigators to simultaneously examine digital evidence reducing the duration of analysis and overhead costs to maintain an investigative team. The CX-10K-NAS connects directly to existing network environments utilizing 10GbE or 1GbE interfaces that support transfer speeds of 1000 MB/s and allows for effortless implementation.

Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH, the European subsidiary of Shuttle Inc., one of the leading developers and
manufacturers of compact PC solutions such as the world-renowned XPC Mini-PC Barebones, now offers its own network-attached storage (NAS) systems. The first model in this product range is aimed at small offices, workgroups and home use.

Built from a harmonious combination of solid aluminium and brilliant white plastic, the Shuttle OMNINAS KD20 acts as a central storage unit for all types of data. Its design was specifically created to blend easily into existing home and office environments - whether on a desk, chest of drawers, filing cabinet or shelf.

LSI Corporation today announced worldwide channel availability of the PCIe flash LSI Nytro MegaRAID cards, providing simple, transparent and cost-effective application acceleration for direct-attached storage (DAS). Nytro MegaRAID cards uniquely integrate PCIe flash technology and intelligent caching software with enterprise RAID data protection using leading LSI dual-core RAID-on-Chip (ROC) technology.

The increased availability of the LSI Nytro MegaRAID product family coincides with a growing data deluge that is challenging data center managers to reassess ways to balance application performance, storage and data protection requirements in the most cost-effective way possible.

Synology Inc. today launched the DiskStation DS213, a feature-rich 2-bay NAS server that delivers an optimal price-to-performance solution to share and protect data for office and workgroup environments.

"The introduction of DS213 continues Synology's dedication to create one of the most easy-to-use and efficient storage solutions to satisfy the demands of our beloved users," said Darren Lin, product manager at Synology Inc. The DS213 features Web Assistant, an intuitive web-based system that completes installation and setup in only a few clicks. Combined with the Quick Start widget, users can simultaneously tour the DSM and begin immediate use.

Synology Inc. today unveiled the new DiskStation DS213+, a high performance 2-bay NAS server designed as a secure, energy efficient, and full-featured storage solution for small and medium businesses.

"As the first 2013 model, the new DiskStation DS213+ shows that Synology has outdone itself once again. It delivers the fastest encrypted data transfer rate in the product sector, and yet it offers extreme power-savings at merely 2.64 watts of energy consumption during System Hibernation," said Chad Chiang, product manager at Synology Inc. To ensure secure and efficient file sharing, the DS213+ boasts AES 256-bit encrypted read and write speed at 49.6 MB/sec and 24.7 MB/sec respectively.

While the PC enthusiast community at large welcomed news of SSD TRIM command being made possible in RAID 0 setups, provided Intel 7-series chipset RAID controllers are used, users of Sandy Bridge-E HEDT platform, running Intel X79 chipset, didn't. The feature was advertised to be initially available only to users of 7-series client chipset (such as Z77, H77), with Rapid Storage Technology (RST) driver version 11.0 and above. Intel made amends by announcing that users of Intel X79 chipset will be able to take advantage of TRIM command in RAID 0 setups, with a future version of RSTe (Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise) driver, without being specific about the version or its release date.

Said Intel in its note, "Current RSTe drivers specific to X79 do NOT support TRIM on RAID 0, but an updated RST driver version coming soon will add support for X79 based systems, including the TRIM on RAID 0 feature. Note that on client 7-series chipsets (non X79), RST driver version 11.0 and beyond supports TRIM on RAID 0."

Intel made it possible for SSDs to utilize the TRIM command feature when striped in RAID 0, provided a few meaty requirements are met. The TRIM command feature works to minimize write performance degradation on SSDs, but thus far it has been impossible to enable the feature on any other host controller mode than standalone AHCI, due to the manner in which the feature works at a physical level.

According to a report, TRIM over RAID 0 will be made possible with Windows 8 operating system, provided the system is running an Intel 7-series chipset (such as Z77 Express), has RAID BIOS (Option ROM) version 11.5 or higher, and Rapid Storage Technology (RST) device driver version 11.5 or higher. While obtaining the required Windows and driver versions is relatively easy, the RAID Option ROM version is in the hands of motherboard manufacturers, who have to release motherboard BIOS updates that include the required RAID Option ROM updates.