With AMD chipset based motherboards like X570 and next-generation Ryzen 3000 series CPUs delivering the 4.0 version of the PCIe protocol for consumers, products based on the faster protocol are bound to take advantage of its improvements - especially in terms of better bandwidth.

At their Computex booth, Gigabyte showed off some pretty impressive results of their PCIe 4.0 based SSD card. The so-called "Auros AIC Gen4 SSD" is a performance monster. It is able to pack up to four PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs that can go up to 2 TB of density each, for a maximum 8 TB total storage. Put them in RAID 0 configuration, though, and you will get some amazing performance numbers. Gigabyte demonstrated speeds exceeding 15 GB/s in sequential reads and writes, providing much more bandwidth than what has ever seen before ina consumer-geared product. The SSD comes with an aluminum shroud with pre-applied thermal pads to facilitate heat dissipation. Additionally, there is a blower fan attached to the card to keep a constant flow of fresh air, which seems like a must if you're packing four M.2 drives inside a tiny aluminum case.

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.

Patriot Memory's SSD lineup for 2019-20 includes two new SATA SSDs to cater to the mainstream market, the P200 and Burst. Both drives are built in the 2.5-inch form-factor, with SATA 6 Gbps interface. The Burst is available in capacities of up to 960 GB, and is powered by a Phison S11 controller with DRAM cache. The drive offers sequential transfer rates of up to 560 MB/s reads, with up to 540 MB/s writes, and endurance of up to 835 TBW, benefiting from the drive's overprovisioning. The P200 is an interesting drive, in that it comes in two controller options. Capacities 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB ship with Silicon Motion SM2258XT DRAM-less controller, while the 2 TB version is powered by a Maxiotech MAS0902A. On offer are up to 530 MB/s reads, up to 460 MB/s writes, and up to 1 PBW endurance.

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.

CORSAIR , a world leader in PC gaming peripherals and enthusiast components, today unveiled the new CORSAIR Force Series MP600 NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 SSD, one of the world's first PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs compatible with the new AMD X570 chipset, also revealed today. Unleashed by the PCIe 4.0 ready AMD X570 chipset, the MP600 reaches new heights of enthusiast single-drive storage performance, delivering up to 4950MB/sec sequential read - ten times the performance of many SATA SSDs, and fifty times faster than some hard disk drives.

The MP600's phenomenal performance stems from the hugely increased bandwidth of PCIe 4.0 (PCI-Express Generation 4), a feature that will be made available to customers for the first time as part of the AMD X570 chipset and 3rd Generation AMD Ryzen Desktop Processors. Easily fitting into a PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot, the MP600's NVMe interface and high-density 3D TLC NAND combine with a Phison PS5016-E16 controller to enable a new level of single-drive SSD performance. Boasting up to 4,950MB/s sequential read and 4,250MB/s sequential write speeds, the MP600 is ready to become the storage center of your new 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen Desktop Processor and AMD X570 chipset-based system.

Who would have thought that Gigabyte - who don't manufacture controllers, nor memory - would be the first company to tease a PCIe 4.0-based M.2 SSD. In a blog post on its website that serves as a warm-up for the upcoming Computex, the company says that they'll be announcing the world's first PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD - with speeds up to 5000 MB/s at "low temperatures" - I guess that means that thermal throttling will become much more common with these new SSDs.

Any other details are currently unknown; however (and we're just speculating here), we know that Phison was preparing a PCIe 4.0 NVMe controller in the form of the E16. At the time (back in January of 2019), Phison paired their E16 controller with Micron's 96-layer TLC flash, but improvements in controller development as well as changes in the flash memory used could have brought up their - then - performance figures of expected 4.8/4.4 GB/s of read/write throughput on Toshiba's BiCS 4 flash. We'll just have to wait for Computex and see, but oh my - new PCIe 4.0 SSDs, new up-to 16-core CPUs on the 7 nm process, new 7 nm GPUs... Isn't this a great time to be a PC enthusiast? Read after the break for the rest of Gigabyte's Computex tease.

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 uniquely attractive Bolt B75 Pro Portable SSD with USB 3.1 Gen2 interface has joined Silicon Power's (SP) lineup of noteworthy memory storage devices. In an effort to create a well-rounded portable SSD with combined design and performance prowess, SP blended the award-winning design of a previous model with the functionality of an in-demand SSD. The inspiration originated from a German transport plane born nearly a century ago with corrugated metal skin. It inspired the SP design team to add prominent, strengthening ridges to the portable SSD.

Wrapped in a sleek and slim yet lightweight aluminum body that's military-grade shockproof, the Bolt B75 Pro is a perfect example of "form follows function." On the exterior, its 3D ridges provide a barrier from scratches and fingerprints, while the L-shaped LED light gives clear indication of the data transfer status from nearly any angle. On the interior, it has huge storage capacity (256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB) and reads and writes at blistering speeds (up to 520 and 420MB/s respectively).

Klevv today announced the launch of the CRAS C700 RGB NVMe M.2 SSD, which dials RGB goodness up to at least 12. The new SSD makes use of the PCIe 3.0 4x interface through the NVMe 1.3 protocol, enabling up to read 1500MB/s read and 1300MB/s write speeds. Klevv have made this SSD available in 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB capacities. There's SLC caching on-board, which means performance will certainly be slower in more data-heavy operations, in the event that the SLC cache overflows. The RGB goodness is distributed through 8 individually-addressable LEDs behind a gem-like diffuser, which provides an even glow that's programmable through most motherboard RGB control software.

Klevv also announced that the CRAS C700 RGB NVMe M.2 SSD makes use of 10-layer PCB for "better data integrity", as well as a 27% reduction in operating temperatures for the SD due to KLEVV's heatsink design. An unannounced feature for the RGB power in these SSDs is the ability to illuminate even Game of Thrones' Season 8, Episode 3 from inside your PC case.

A report from technology market analyst Trendforce places SSD's pricing in sharp decline, with price per GB being projected to hit as low as $0.1 by year's end. Citing oversupply in the NADN flash market and an impending price war to allow manufacturers to sell out accumulating inventory, this is one of those clear cases of a win for consumers - which, after the shenanigans in the DRAM market, is about time. Trendforce further states that the price reductions should render 128 GB SSDs obsolete, as they mostly are by now, with 512 GB capacities becoming the mainstream choice for system integrators and DIY.

Pricing evolution in the market also places premium NVMe solutions at an only 6% premium over SATA offerings, showcasing the increased cost savings that manufacturers have achieved with the reduction in price for NVMe controllers, and the lower amount of physical materials needed to put an NVMe SSD together compared to a SATA-based alternative. Furthermore, Trendforce says that value PCIe-based solutions have a 0% price difference compared to SATA-based ones, so the option for the older form factor should only fall upon how many NVMe/PCIe sockets users' motherboards have available to populate.

SK Hynix Inc., announced today that it has delivered samples of new 1Tb (Terabit) QLC (Quadruple Level Cell) product to major SSD (Solid State Drive) Controller companies. The Company applied its own QLC technology to its world's first 96-Layer "CTF (Charge Trap Flash) based 4D (Four-Dimensional) NAND Flash (or 4D NAND)." SK Hynix intends to expand its NAND portfolio to 96-layer-based 1Tb QLC products in time for the QLC market opening and strengthen its responsiveness to the next-generation high-density memory market.

QLC stores four bits of data in one NAND cell, allowing higher density compared to TLC (Triple Level Cell) that stores three bits per cell. Using QLC, it is possible to develop high-density products with cost competitiveness. SK Hynix is able to secure the industry's top-level cost competitiveness through this product, which has reduced the area to less than 90% of the existing 3D-based QLC products.

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 solid-state drives (SSDs) entering value and mainstream price segments, and the transition in consumers' data-storage behavior from local storage to the cloud, there is expected to be a dramatic fall in shipments of hard disk drives (HDDs) in 2019. Japanese company Nidec, which manufactures nearly 85% of all DC motors for use in HDDs across the industry, estimates a nearly 50 percent drop in HDD shipments for 2019. Since these motors are specifically designed for use in HDDs, it is directly proportional to new HDD shipments, thus presenting a reliable outlook of the HDD industry itself. The DC motor inside HDDs is a non user-replaceable component as detaching it involves opening the seal of the disk chamber, thereby contaminating it.

In 2010, Nidec shipped nearly 650 million motors, which dropped significantly down to 375 million motors in 2018, indicating the sharp decline in the HDD industry. While Nidec will ship as few as 290 million motors in 2019, it estimates shipments of HDDs to go down by nearly 50 percent year-over-year (YoY). Data centers are swallowing up large volumes of high-capacity (>10 TB) HDDs for warm- and cold-storage even as SSDs and DRAM are sought for hot-storage. The client-segment, however, is now firmly captivated with SSDs, with even mainstream laptops packing SSDs. Prominent HDD manufacturers Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba, have each invested heavily in building up SSD product lines, and specializing their HDD portfolio for enterprise and quasi-enterprise (eg: NAS, NVR, high-uptime client) markets.

SMART Modular Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of SMART Global Holdings, Inc., (NASDAQ: SGH), and a leader in specialty memory, storage and hybrid solutions including memory modules, Flash memory cards and other solid state storage products, today announced a new addition to its SMART RUGGED product offering, the HRS-T5E 2.5" SATA SSD. Powered by a flexible, custom flash controller, the HRS-T5E SSD provides read/write performance ideal for high throughput applications such as flight data recorders and sensor data capture. It is also well suited for high-reliability telemetry, surveillance, and other mission critical storage applications.

Available in capacities up to 4TB, SMART's new 3D TLC NAND Flash storage solution offers more reliability, superior performance, and requires less power and cooling in applications where traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) are typically used. Recent improvements in 3D NAND, endurance-enhancing data placement and error correction technology, make the T5E perfectly suitable as a cost effective replacement for 2D planar based SSDs for read-intensive applications.

Western Digital is launching a behemoth, consumer-oriented 4 TB SSD based on its WD Blue product line. The WD Blue 4 TB uses the SATA interface (for which controllers are still slightly cheaper than for NVMe solutions) with a Marvell 88SS1074 4-channel controller with a 64-layer 3D TLC NAND from SanDisk. Read and write speeds are basically SATA III-bound (sequential 560MB/s read and 530MB/s write speeds, with random 4K read/write of 95K/82K IOPS.)

The WD Blue 4TB SATA SSD has its official availability date on May 13th, but it's already popping up here and there around retailers' shops in Europe. The 4 TB SSD is being priced at €545, which seems to be inline with expectations for such a capacity level. Quick napkin math saying that these should find a home at the sub-$500 level is very likely accurate, considering past pricing practices from manufacturers between the European and US markets.

Update: April 29, 2019: A representative on behalf of Samsung contacted us to let us know that the company has not released a 2 TB version of the 970 Pro, and has no current plans to do so either. It appears that the retail leaks were not accurate after all. The original story is below for records.

A year after it has introduced the first versions of its 970 Pro NVMe SSD, Samsung is finally updating its lineup with a 2 TB SKU. Previous generation models always saw a 2 TB solution being made available, so the absence of such a model in the 970 Pro series was a bit amiss.

Two webshops (one German, one Chinese) have already listed the part with its own SKU number, so it really is incoming to the worldwide market. If you're looking for a solid storage option that replaces a hard-drive in terms of storage density, this could be the one for you. A price around the €940 mark is likely to be close to the actual number.

Today Team Group releases three new products from the T-FORCE gaming series: T-FORCE T1 gaming memory, T-FORCE VULCAN Z gaming memory and T-FORCE VULCAN high speed gaming solid state drive. T-FORCE T1 gaming memory's unique look is specially designed for entry gamers. T-FORCE VULCAN Z gaming memory's cooling performance has fully evolved to perfectly protect the memory. T-FORCE VULCAN high speed gaming solid state drive has focused on overall details and offering large capacity and high speed read/write performance at the same time. All three products have inherited the unique and classic design of T-FORCE gaming series, which makes building your own pc cooler than ever.

T-FORCE T1 gaming memory's impressive racing style is specially designed for entry gamers. Created using exclusive patented color printing and special ink, the racing design enhances the overall style of the DIY PC. The selected high-quality IC chips are exceptional in durability, stability and compatibility, allowing gamers to have excellent combat status on the battlefield of eSports. T-FORCE T1 gaming memory supports both Intel & AMD platform. Plug & play allows gamers to be ready for battles at any time.

SK Hynix Inc. today announced financial results for its first quarter 2019 ended on March 31, 2019. The consolidated first quarter revenue was 6.77 trillion won while the operating profit amounted to 1.37 trillion won and the net income 1.1 trillion won. Operating margin for the quarter was 20% and net margin was 16%.

Because of a faster-than-expected price decline and lower shipments due to slowing memory demand, the revenue and the operating profit in the first quarter fell by 32% and 69%, respectively, quarter-over-quarter (QoQ). Due to seasonal slowdown and conservative server purchases, DRAM bit shipments decreased by 8% QoQ. The average selling price dropped by 27%. For NAND Flash, the average selling price decreased by 32% due to high inventory levels and intensifying competition among suppliers. The bit shipments declined by 6% QoQ.

Micron Technology, Inc., today unveiled its new series of flagship solid-state drives (SSDs) featuring the NVM Express (NVMe) protocol, bringing industry-leading storage performance at higher capacities to cloud and enterprise computing markets. The Micron 9300 series of NVMe SSDs enables companies with data-intensive applications to access and process data faster, helping reduce response time.

"The introduction of our third generation of NVMe SSDs endorses our tradition of continued innovation for cloud and enterprise markets," said Derek Dicker, corporate vice president and general manager for Micron's Storage Business Unit. "The Micron 9300 is our flagship series of NVMe SSDs, which feature industry-leading sequential write performance and latency, increased capacities, and delivery of a 28% reduction in power over the previous generation."

Sony's own lead system architect Mark Cerny spilled the beans on the company's upcoming "PlayStation 5" games console - the name isn't confirmed, but it's a PlayStation, and it's the fifth, so, following from the previous nomenclature just makes sense, doesn't it? One particular detail, however, is of most interest to us PC hardware junkies, and that one little fact is the confirmed Navi GPU that will power it. This is, almost certainly, a semi-custom Navi-based GPU, however; but the tidbit that PlayStation 5 will have raytracing support is the one game changer for hardware expectations - on paper, at least.

Of course, Navi is expected to debut much sooner in the consumer space than on next-gen consoles, but the fact that PlayStation 5 development kits are already being seeded - and an increasing rate, according to Sony - bodes well for the feature's inclusion on AMD's consumer-based cards. Either that or the company is taking a software approach to raytracing, which, if NVIDIA's 1000 and 10*0 series is any indication, wouldn't go very well with performance intentions. This does mean that raytracing is about to receive a much-needed market penetration boost for its adoption by developers. NVIDIA will of course be able to wave the flag of having been the first company to introduce the technology to consumers.

Intel today revealed details about Intel Optane memory H10 with solid-state storage - an innovative device that combines the superior responsiveness of Intel Optane technology with the storage capacity of Intel Quad Level Cell (QLC) 3D NAND technology in a single space-saver M.2 form factor. "Intel Optane memory H10 with solid-state storage features the unique combination of Intel Optane technology and Intel QLC 3D NAND - exemplifying our disruptive approach to memory and storage that unleashes the full power of Intel-connected platforms in a way no else can provide," said Rob Crooke, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group.

Combining Intel Optane technology with Intel QLC 3D NAND technology on a single M.2 module enables Intel Optane memory expansion into thin and light notebooks and certain space-constrained desktop form factors - such as all-in-one PCs and mini PCs. The new product also offers a higher level of performance not met by traditional Triple Level Cell (TLC) 3D NAND SSDs today and eliminates the need for a secondary storage device.

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.

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, today announced the new Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD. The Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD features a stylish brushed aluminum finish and comes in a conveniently small, slim size that makes it easy to slip in your pocket and go. It's the perfect companion to accompany you across any terrain as it's drop-, shock-, vibration-resistant and comes with DataVault Lite software, an advanced security solution with 256-bit AES encryption to help protect your essential files against corruption, loss, and deletion. Primed for power, the SL100 Pro has superior performance on the go, with speeds up 950 MB/s read and 900 MB/s write making it up to 2x faster than the SL1003. It also features a USB Type-C port that enables the users to store and share quickly with USB 3.1 speeds.

"We are proud to announce the Lexar Professional SL100 Pro Portable SSD, which is sleek, compact, and provides superior SSD-level performance at a competitive price. With professional photographers and videographers in mind, we created an SSD solution so they could travel at ease knowing their content is secure when compared with traditional hard drives," said Joel Boquiren, Director of Global Marketing.