Today, Intel announced the Intel Optane SSD DC P4800X Series, the world's most responsive data center solid state drive, is now available in a new 750GB capacity in both half-height, half-length add-in card and a hot-swappable 2.5-inch U.2 form factor. Both form factors and capacities will be broadly available this month.

Increased capacity and multiple form factors expand data center implementation options and deliver both solution-level and total cost of ownership flexibility for customers. Intel Optane technology for data centers combines the attributes of memory and storage with low latency, high endurance, outstanding quality of service and high throughput, creating a new data tier that increases scale per server and reduces transaction costs.

Intel today announced the launch of the Intel Optane SSD 900P Series, the first SSD for desktop PC and workstation users built on Intel Optane technology. Intel, in collaboration with Roberts Space Industries, announced the new SSD at CitizenCon, a Star Citizen community gathering in Frankfurt, Germany.

The Intel Optane SSD 900P Series delivers incredibly low latency and best-in-class random read and write performance at low queue depths - up to four times faster than competitive NAND-based SSDs - opening incredible new possibilities. With the new SSDs, users will unlock more potential from their platform. The Intel Optane SSD 900P Series is ideal for the most demanding storage workloads, including 3D rendering, complex simulations, fast game load times and more. Up to 22 times more endurance than other drives also gives the heaviest users peace of mind.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, today launched theXPG SX6000 SSD. The product represents a bold move to provide PCI Express storage performance for nearly the same price to end users as that of traditional 2.5" SATA SSD. The SX6000 uses the compact M.2 form factor and reaches 1000MB/s read and 800MB/s write, easily doubling SATA SSD throughput without a relative increase in price. This is part of an ADATA focus on high speed, compact M.2 drives aimed at gamers, overclockers, and PC DIY enthusiasts. The SX6000 meets NVMe 1.2 specs and offers up to 1TB capacity, all at an approachable entry-level alongside its more premium stablemates the SX7000, SX8000, and SX9000.

The leading advantage of the SX6000 is embodied in its superb cost-performance ratio. Using 3D TLC NAND, a Realtek controller, NVMe 1.2 technology, and a PCIe Gen3x2 interface, it reaches 1000MB/s read and 800MB/s write. Compared to a typical 500MB/s by 400MB/s on SATA III SSDs, this means doubled performance for less than 10% more spend in same-capacity comparisons. Increasingly, motherboards ship with two and four M.2 slots, up from a single slot on select boards just two years ago. Therefore, PCIe M.2 SSDs are expected to become more normative and the SX6000 encourages this trend as an affordable high speed alternative that works great as an OS drive and mass storage.

The hardware world is full of rumors. For example, there was one floating around speculating that Samsung would drop the Pro / EVO naming scheme for their new SSDs. Well, the Samsung 850's product page recently went live on the company's Chinese site, and the Pro / EVO suffix is no where to be seen. So, it looks like the rumor was true after all.

The Samsung 850 120 GB, which carries the model number MZ-7LN120, is the only model listed at the moment. According to the specifications table, the drive sports Samsung's MGX Controller, V-NAND 3 bit MLC flash memory, and 256 MB of LPDDR3 DRAM. In terms of performance, the Samsung 850 is capable of delivering sequential read and write transfer speeds of 540 MB/s and 520 MB/s, with random read and write IOPS that top out at 88,000 IOPS and 70,000 IOPS respectively.

Last week, we were introduced to Samsung's upcoming PM981 SSDs, which should give way to higher-performance parts such as the 980 series. Today, however, it's the slightly lower-tier PM971 platform that has surfaced, which should give way to Samsung 970 series of NVMe SSDs. Remember that the company seems to be moving away from their "EVO" and "PRO" monikers as performance differentiators, and this new nomenclature series should replace it come launch time.

The PM971-based SSDs will feature a 22mm x 16mm x 1.5mm multi-chip package that includes Samsung's Proton controller, LPDDR4 DRAM cache, and V-NAND flash into a single chip. As was to be expected from a more mainstream solution, performance will be noticeably lower (at least in pure numbers) when compared to the higher-tier 980 series.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of highperformance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products,today launched the industrial-grade IM2S3148 M.2 2280 SATA 6Gbps solid state drive. Utilizing the compact M.2 form factor for an easy fit in various installations and delivering up to 560 MB/s read and 530 MB/s write, the drive employs durable and long-lasting 3D NAND Flash for extended longevity and improved power efficiency compared to 2D NAND. The IM2S3148 is carefully tested to survive extreme temperatures and humidity as well as provide robust resistance to shocks and vibration. Customers can choose capacities from 128 GB to 512 GB.

Thanks to the compact dimensions of the M.2 2280 form factor, the IM2S3148 requires far less room than 2.5" SATA drives. It can therefore better serve users as more proper embedded storage, rather than add-on storage that requires independent power and more intricate accommodation. The IM2S3148 takes power directly from the M.2 slot, consuming just 2.3W at peak.

The Samsung 850 EVO SSD has been in the market for almost three years now. In what seems to be an eternity in tech years the 850 EVO SSD, sporting the 3D NAND flash memory, has held its own in the consumer space. Back when it was released, the 850 EVO SSD heralded a new generation of price and performance combination that established it in the high end enthusiast market. With sequential read speeds of up to 550 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 520 MB/s, 4 KB Random Read of up to 100,000 IOPS and 4KB Random Write of up to 90,000 IOPS, the 850 EVO solidified and marked a new era of SSD computing.

But now it looks like the 860 EVO will take over where the 850 EVO left off. The 860 EVO SSD has been spotted in the database of the Serial ATA International Organization (SATA-IO) in the integrators listing as having passed interoperability. The 860 comes in variants of 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB SATA III in a 2.5-inch 7 mm form factor with support for Native Command Queuing (NCQ), ASR, SSP, IPMh, 3 Gb/s and 6 Gb/s transfer speeds. The 250GB drive is labeled under MZ7LH250**** with the following, 500****, 1T0****, 2T0**** marked respectively. No announcement has been made by Samsung.

Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory storage products and technology solutions, announces tomorrow that it celebrates its 30th year in the business as an innovative technology hardware provider for computers and devices. Kingston was co-founded on October 17, 1987, by CEO John Tu and COO David Sun. The two co-founders continue to guide the company and remain very active in day-to-day operations.

The entrepreneurial spirit of both owners and the success of the company have been recognized globally through the years. Kingston's core tenets of respect, loyalty, flexibility and integrity have created an exemplary corporate culture - one that guides its relationships with customers, partners and vendors, and to which Kingston owes its success. The company continues to be the largest supplier of DRAM modules among non-semiconductor manufacturers and a leading maker of Flash memory products - especially SSDs - where it has become a dominant force among consumers and organizations alike looking to upgrade existing systems and data centers.

Kingston manufactured just one product when it started in 1987 and has steadily and strategically evolved as a company by controlling as much of the production cycle as possible - from initial wafer processing through finished product - for both DRAM and Flash. The company has done this through expansion, strategic investments, partnerships and adapting to industry needs as early as possible.

Samsung is the most well-regarded company when it comes to consumer SSDs. even if their SSD solutions do usually carry a premium versus the competition, that price delta is usually well justified: Samsung's SSDs are frequently the most reliable, fastest option in the market. Samsung's 960 PRO and 960 EVO SSDs have done a good job of clarifying the company's market positioning, and now, the successors for those Samsung SSDs have already surfaced.

The next-gen Samsung NVMe drives carry the PM981 code-name - where "PM" stands for TLC NAND (in this case, based on 64-layer 3-bit per cell V-NAND chips), "9" stands for Samsung's highest performing solutions, and "81" stands for the part number - two tiers ahead of Samsung's 960 series. It's expected that there will be a 970 part, since Samsung seems to be steering away from the "EVO" and "PRO" monikers to differentiate products according to performance - a straight numeral is expected to be the norm going forward. For now, the parts that have surfaced carry 512 GB and 1 TB of memory. These will make use of Samsung's Polaris V2 controller (with a metal heatsink over it to aid in cooling), and deliver 3,000 MB/s and 3,200 MB/s sequential read speeds (for the 512 GB and 1 TB versions respectively) and 1,800 MB/s and 2,400 MB/s sequential write, respectively. The models surfaced from a Vietnamese retailer, which has them going for $233 and $439 - which doesn't mean this will be the final consumer retail price, but seems reasonable for the technology and performance tier of these NVMe SSD solutions.

Silicon Power adds a second model, the Bolt B10, to its brand new portable SSD product line. The Bolt B10 is the perfect companion for busy commuters and frequent travelers who need fast and reliable storage on the go. It is not much bigger than a business card and weighs only 25g, yet offers storage capacities of up to 512GB.

With fast read and write speeds of up to 400 MB/s, the B10 ensures smooth file management and hassle-free data backups. It has a USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface and comes with a micro-B (B10) to Type-A cable. Traditional portable hard drives store data on a spinning disk. The B10 is more robust and forgiving to accidental bumps and drops, as it stores data on an SSD which contains no moving parts. It offers protection against data corruption by supporting LDPC (Low-Density Parity Check) coding, a very effective error correction function.

SP/ Silicon Power releases its first portable SSD, the Bolt B80, which combines bold design, impressive performance and safe storage. The Bolt B80 impresses with an extraordinary design, shape, size, as well as feather lightness. Its futuristically stylish UFO-shaped aluminum housing measures only 1.2cm thick and 7.5cm in diameter and will glide effortlessly into pockets or bags for safe storage. Equipped with a Type-C port and USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface, the B80 reaches read/write speeds of up to 500/450MB/s for blistering-fast data transfers and back-ups.

The B80 has repeatedly passed a 1.22m military free fall test (MIL-STD-810G 516.7 Procedure IV) and is IP68 water and dustproof, effectively preventing data loss or damage caused by accidental drops, bumps, spills, splashes, or dust. With this level of protection, it's the thinnest portable SSD on the market.
The Bolt B80 is made for professionals who need fast and safe local storage and trendsetters who have a weak spot for award-winning design that compliments high-end laptops and ultrabooks.

"Industry contacts" have told TweakTown that a successor to Intel's well received 750 series NVMe drives will launch within weeks. The second generation Optane 900P SSDs will be available in both the U.2 and AIC (PCI-E 3.0) form factors, with capacities of 280, 480, 960 and 1500 GBs. Like the Intel 750 series, the Optane 900P has enterprise roots, namely Intel's ridiculously expensive 375GB P4800X; which we covered earlier. As the 900P is aimed at consumers, maybe more accurately prosumers, prices should be "affordable".Slide courtesy of TweakTown

SilverStone rolled out the SST-MS09C, an interesting accessory that converts M.2 SATA SSDs into USB 3.1 flash-drives. The accessory, shaped like a large flash drive, features an aluminium body, and encloses a PCB with an M.2 B-key slot. You can install drives up to 80 mm (M.2-2280) in length. The VIA Labs VL715 controller at the heart of this device connects to your drive over SATA 6 Gbps, converting it to 10 Gbps USB 3.1 gen 2. You cannot install M-key (PCIe/NVMe) drives. Measuring 110 mm (W) x 9 mm (H) x 26 mm (D), it dry-weighs about 33 g. Its type-A USB 3.1 connector is mechanically retractable. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ASUS rolled out the Hyper M.2 x16 riser card, an accessory which could prove useful for those who want to add up to four extra M.2 SSDs. The card features a PCI-Express 3.0 x16 upstream interface, which it splits into four 32 Gb/s M.2-22110 slots (up to 110 mm length), with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 wiring, each. The card doesn't have any serious HBA logic of its own, beyond simple circuitry to power the four M.2 drives, and put out power/activity status LEDs for each slot.

A monolithic, stylish brushed aluminium shroud doubles up as a heatsink for the M.2 drives. There's also a lateral-blower fan, which guides air from inside your case through the drives and outside through the perforated rear bracket. You can turn this fan off with a physical switch on the card, although there's no software-based fan-control. The card is 20.2 cm long, 9.6 cm tall, and 1-slot thick. The company is advertising the card to be compatible only with its X299 chipset-based motherboards, for now. The company didn't reveal pricing.

In addition to the StoreJet 600 for Mac, Transcend introduced a two new M.2 PCIe SSD models, beginning with the MTE820 designed for PCs, and the JetDrive 820 for Macs. The MTE820 is based on the same controller as the MTE850 the company launched in May, but features 3D TLC NAND flash memory instead of 3D MLC NAND. At the heart of this drive is the Silicon Motion SM2260 controller. Built in the M.2-2280 form-factor, the drive takes advantage of 32 Gb/s M.2 (PCI-Express 3.0 x4 wiring), and the NVMe 1.2 protocol. It offers sequential transfer speeds of up to 1,760 MB/s reads, with up to 860 MB/s writes. The drive is available in 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB capacities.

Next up, is the JetDrive 820. Designed for Macs after late-2013, the drive features a proprietary PCI-Express 3.0 x2 interface for Macs, and comes in capacities of 240 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB. It's based on the same combination of controller and memory as the MTE820 - SMI2260 with 3D TLC NAND flash, and on account of its host interface, offers sequential transfer speeds of up to 950 MB/s reads, with up to 950 MB/s writes, on Macs with PCIe 3.0 NGFF slots. On older Macs with gen 2.0 slots, it offers up to 700 MB/s reads, with up to 650 MB/s writes.

Transcend Information Inc., a leading manufacturer of storage and multimedia products, is proud to announce the release of the StoreJet 600 for Mac. Housed in a stunning metallic casing, this light and durable StoreJet 600 for Mac matches the sleek lines and elegant curves of Mac devices. The space-gray color reflects a sophisticated style, and makes this portable SSD a fashionable on-the-go accessory. The StoreJet 600 for Mac features the latest USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface and pre-formatted HFS+ file system, allowing it to be used right out of the box.

Transcend's StoreJet 600 for Mac utilizes the USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface, which achieves double the transfer speeds of USB 3.1 Gen 1 devices, and meets UASP standards to boost transfer rates up to 470 MB/s. In addition, both a USB Type-C cable and a USB Type-C to Type-A cable are included in the package to accommodate Mac models featuring the Thunderbolt 3, USB Type-C, or USB 3.0 interface.

QNAP Systems, Inc. (QNAP) recently revealed and promoted the use of global SSD cache acceleration for both basic and enterprise users. Compared with similar products on the market, QNAP's global SSD cache acceleration technology can share a single SSD volume/RAID with all volumes/iSCSI LUNs for a read-only or read-write cache. When configuring relevant settings there are no service interruptions and users can flexibly balance efficiency and capacity needs. With these industry-leading advanced design and technologies, QNAP is an ideal choice for obtaining greater benefits with a lower TCO (total cost of ownership).

QNAP's global SSD cache acceleration technology lets users accelerate all of the volumes/LUNs on a NAS with a minimal number of SSDs. This cost-saving technology allows users to choose an efficient combination of high-capacity HDDs and high-speed SSDs for a personalized solution. Furthermore, configuring settings for the QNAP global SSD cache will not interrupt NAS services, thus a 24/7 uninterrupted environment is ensured.

Team Group, world renowned memory solutions and accessory provider, is proud to announce today the addition of new products as to their prestigious T-FORCE gaming line of products. Announced today, the T-FORCE arsenal welcomes the T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO M.2 PCI-E solid-state drive and the T-FORCE FORCE SABLE gaming mouse pad. Both designed by Team Group, the T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO is a patented M.2 PCI-e M.2 SSD featuring graphene copper foil cooling on the SSD module allowing the SSD to maximize cooling benefits from both natural passive cooling and directed air cooling via fans to deliver excellent heat dissipation.

The T-FORCE CARDEA ZERO M.2 PCI-E SSD is the world's first super slim SSD on the market built specifically for gaming laptops and high-performance tablet PCs. The newly released T-FORCE GAMING mouse pad, the T-FORCE FORCE SABLE, features special 3D sensing technology to effectively enhance the performance of optical or laser-sensor gaming mice. The mouse itself is made from environmental-friendly fabric which provides better comfort and smoother control and is completely washable and easy to clean.

Looking to bridge the gap between current SSDs and resistive memory technologies for the consumers that can actually afford it, Mobiveil and Crossbar have recently announced that they are working in conjunction to bring Crossbar's ReRAM technology to an SSD form-factor. ReRAM is a new type of non-volatile memory (meaning it stores data even when it's not being powered). It's based on a simple three-layer structure of top electrode, switching medium and bottom electrode, where the resistance switching mechanism is based on the formation of a filament in the switching material when a voltage is applied between the two electrodes. Crossbar in particular (this type of resistive memory is also being pursued by other companies, such as HP) says their ReRAM cell is very stable, capable of withstanding temperature swings from -40°C to 125°C, 1M+ write cycles, and managing data retention of 10 years at 85°C. As an upside, it is 3D scalable, and its production can be achieved in standard CMOS manufacturing fabs.

This isn't the next evolution on SSD's - at least, not for the general consumer. ReRAM production and implementation costs will be leagues ahead of what current 3D NAND memory production entails, thus making this a niche product that is there for the customers that absolutely require the fastest throughput possible across a standard interface. In this case, NVMe is the choice - particularly, Mobiveil's NVMe, PCIe and DDR3/4 controllers can easily be adapted to accommodate the Crossbar ReRAM architecture, which is capable of six-million 512B IOPS below 10us latency.

Non-volatile memory often has the first pick of a new silicon fabrication process, as it is a low-risk development. A NAND flash chip is essentially a sea of transistors, with a fraction of R&D cost of something as specialized as a CPU die. It should come as no surprise, then, that the first chips to be built on Intel's swanky new 10 nanometer fabs will be a 64-layer 3D NAND flash memory, the first of its kind for data center applications.

With its 10 nm process, Intel is introducing FinFET Hyper Scaling, Intel will increase transistor densities by 2.7 times over the kind of densities one would traditionally expect from 10 nm. This lets the company scale up NAND flash storage densities by just that much more. The first 10 nm 64-layer 3D NAND flash chips will have high data densities, while at the same time, Intel will be able to push low volumes, characteristic of a new process. This explains why the first SSDs built with these chips are targeted at data-centers, so fairly expensive, high-capacity SSDs can be pushed to customers that can afford them.

Colorful Technology Company Limited, a leading manufacturer of PC hardware, has announced the introduction of three new PCIE SSD models and are the world's first to feature the latest SiliconMotion controller 2262/2263/2263XTL: announcing the COLORFUL CN600 DRAM-less Series, CN600 DRAM series and CP600 iGame Series. All of the new SSDs will be available in volumes of 240GB up to 2TB.

"Although COLORFUL's SSD product lines were just released 3 years ago, thanks to the partnership between SiliconMotion and NAND flash vendors, COLORFUL's SSD products now hold the distinction of being in the top 3 in terms of market share in China. COLORFUL is going to build a storage brand in the future and this new PCIe Series SSD launching today will be the start." - Mr. Jerry Tsao, DGM of COLORFUL Storage talking about the release of the new storage products in a conference.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the general availability (GA) of its DCP1000 NVMe PCIe SSD in the European marketplace. The company will demonstrate the performance capabilities of the DCP1000, the industry's fastest NVMe SSD for the Half Height Half Length PCIe form factor, at the 2017 International Broadcasting Conference (IBC), working with multiple partner vendors, featuring the solid-state solution in a variety of configurations.

These include accelerating the complete Adobe Creative Cloud 2017 Suite of applications; a 60 frame-per-second (FPS) 4K streaming video demonstration with Bluefish444; real-time color grading with 4K resolution video and higher with demonstration partners Eizo and Marquis Technologies; and several other deployments showcasing the consistent, industry-leading data acceleration capabilities of the Kingston DCP1000, regardless of use case.

Targeting consumer's growing demand for computer storage capacity and higher performance, the world's leading memory brand, Team Group today announces the launch of the L5 LITE-3D SSD with all new 3D NAND technology. The latest generation of 3D NAND flash memory has overcome the technical barrier of 2D NAND. Featuring great durability and low energy consumption, it has become the mainstream memory of choice for the latest generation, enhancing overall capacity of solid state drives along with performance and reliability. It not only provides better performance and endurance, but also breaks through the technical and capacity limitations of planar chips.

The L5 LITE-3D solid state drive is 4 times faster than traditional hard drives. Its excellent performance and read/write speed not only allow fast boot/shutdown time, but also speeds up the response time of all application, so consumers can enjoy the high speed performance immediately after the upgrade. It is lightweight and has an industry-standard 2.5-inch form factor and is only 7 mm in thickness, making it best suited for Ultrabooks on the market. Whether it is for a laptop or desktop, the upgrade can be done quickly. It uses a SATA III 6Gbps interface and capacities are available in 120 GB, 240 GB, 480 GB, etc. The read speed performance is above 470 MB/s which offers the best performance-to-price ratio in the market right now.

Here are some of the first pictures of GIGABYTE's Aorus branded Z370 series motherboards. The lineup begins with the Aorus Z370 Gaming 3 and Aorus Z370 Gaming K3. These two boards are nearly identical to each other, and differ with only their onboard gigabit Ethernet controller, with the Gaming K3 featuring the latest Killer E2500 controller, while the Gaming 3 features Intel i219-V. Both boards feature just the one PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot wired to the CPU, with the second slot being electrical x4 and wired to the PCH. GIGABYTE has been traditionally generous with its onboard audio solutions, and these boards are no exception. You get a Realtek ALC1220 (120 dBA SNR) CODEC strapped to a single headphones amp circuit, ground-layer isolation, and audio-grade capacitors.

Moving slightly up the ladder is the Aorus Z370 Ultra Gaming, pictured below. You get a similar CPU VRM implementation to the Gaming K3, but with two PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x8/x8 with both populated) wired to the CPU, for multi-GPU setups. You also get a stylish I/O shroud. Positioned above the Ultra Gaming, is the Aorus Z370 Gaming 5. This board features a stronger CPU VRM, three M.2 slots as opposed to two on the Ultra Gaming, a higher grade onboard audio with a high-grade OPAMP, more USB 3.1 ports, 802.11 ac + Bluetooth WLAN; and a full-length I/O shroud. Leading the pack (for now) is the Aorus Z370 Gaming 7. Positioned further above the Gaming 5, this board features the highest-grade onboard audio solution from GIGABYTE, with an ESS Sabre AMP; M.2 SSD heatsinks, two gigabit Ethernet interfaces (Intel + Killer), and reinforcement braces around even more slots. These boards are expected to launch on the 5th of October, 2017.

MSI is proud to announce the on-shelf availability of its latest high-end AM4 motherboard - the X370 GAMING M7 ACK. To satisfy even the most demanding gamers who are looking for the best performance and style, the new AM4 Enthusiast GAMING flagship, X370 GAMING M7 ACK, is in stores now and ready to cater to any type of gamer, PC enthusiast, or case modder. The X370 GAMING M7 ACK is also world's first AM4 motherboard to feature Killer DoubleShot PRO, combining Killer Ethernet with Killer WIFI AC.

The X370 GAMING M7 ACK is a prime example of why MSI leads the gaming industry in both innovation and performance. Gamers know and trust MSI because MSI always delivers the hardware they need to stay on top of their games. Providing the best networking experience is critical and by including the Killer Ethernet E2500 and Killer Wireless 1535 on the X370 GAMING M7 ACK motherboard, MSI ensures that their customers will have the best possible online gaming experience.