Crucial, a leading consumer brand of Micron Technology for memory and storage upgrades, today announced the availability of the Crucial P1 SSD, a PC storage device that leverages the NVMe PCIe interface and Micron's leading-edge QLC technology to deliver fast capacity for less. This is an expansion of Crucial's award-winning portfolio of dependable, high-performing, and affordable SSDs.

The Crucial P1 SSD delivers category-leading, real-world performance. PCMark 8 benchmarks show that the drive is capable of mixed-mode throughputs of up to 565 MB/s, with a composite score of 5,084, which outperforms similar SSDs within the price category. With sequential read/write speeds up to 2,000/1,700 MB/s, the P1 provides unwavering performance via hybrid-dynamic write acceleration, a unique SLC cache implementation. The drive offers an MTTF of 1.8 million hours and an endurance of up to 200 TB total bytes written, with power usage at an active average of 100mW.

Mushkin introduced M.2-SATA variants of its cost-effective Source SSDs. Built in the M.2-2280 form-factor, the drives feature SATA 6 Gb/s interface. The drives combine a Silicon Motion SM2258XT DRAM-less controller with Micron 3D TLC NAND flash, and comes in capacities of 120 GB, 240 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB. On tap are sequential read speeds of up to 560 MB/s, with up to 520 MB/s sequential writes; up to 78,000 IOPS 4K random reads, and up to 81,000 IOPS 4K random writes. Among its unique features are LPDC ECC, Data Shaping, Global Wear-leveling, Static Data-refresh, and MEDS (Muskin Enhanced Data-protection Suite), an imaging and data-backup software. The drives are backed by 3-year warranties, and could be priced mostly under the $100-mark, except for the 960 GB variant.

MSI drew more than a few eyeballs at Computex 2018 when it showcased the X399 MEG Creation motherboard for AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors. With the advent of "new" Skylake-X Refresh processors by Intel, the company has a new high-end motherboard with the X299 MEG Creation. MSI appears to have toned down on the design from its X399-based product, although you still see the metal waveform design along the chipset heatsink that's contiguous with M.2 SSD heatsinks, the VRM heatsink, and the rear I/O shroud. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX, and two 8-pin EPS power connectors, conditioning it for the LGA2066 processor with a 14-phase VRM.

Expansion slots on the MSI X299 MEG Creation include four PCI-Express 3.0 x16, from which three are wired to the CPU, and the fourth one to the PCH. Between them are three M.2-2280 slots with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 wiring, each. You can add up to four more M.2-2280 SSDs with the included M.2-Xpander Aero accessory, which is a 4-slot M.2 riser with air-cooling, which made its debut with the X399 MEG Creation. Another star attraction with this board is Realtek 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, alongside an Intel i219-V powered 1 GbE interface, and an 802.11 ac + BT 5.0 WLAN. Another interesting accessory is the ThunderboltM3, a Thunderbolt 3.0 card with two type-C ports, and two DisplayPort connectors, for daisy chaining your displays. Storage connectivity, besides the seven M.2 slots, includes eight SATA 6 Gbps ports, and a U.2 port. This board could be priced around the $500-mark.

Not all devices are created equal, and this can be seen with the ToughArmor MB998SK-B which skews the realm of possibilities. It boasts the ability to house an unprecedented 8 x 2.5" SATA drives with 5mm to 7mm height into a single external 5.25" bay, making it the ultimate solution for storage dense applications. Our unique hot-swappable 2.5" EZ Slide Nano trays let you painlessly and quickly swap out drives. Dual 40mm fans keep your drives nice and cool while ventilated openings located on the front and sides maximize airflow. The MB998SK-B features a rugged heavy duty full metal housing which is commercially designed for Medical & Military systems, IPC, enterprise, and industrial settings.

Intel today introduced 1.5 TB variants of the Optane 905p SSD that implements 3D XPoint memory. The drive comes in half-height PCI-Express 3.0 x4 add-on card, and 15 mm-thick 2.5-inch form-factor with U.2 interface. Both variants offer sequential transfer rates of up to 2,600 MB/s reads, with up to 2,200 MB/s writes. Random access speeds are rated at up to 575,000 IOPS reads, with up to 550,000 IOPS writes. A function of its sheer capacity and 3D XPoint, endurance for these drives is rated at 27.37 PB (bytes written). The drives retain the feature set of their less capacious siblings, including 256-bit AES native encryption. The company didn't release pricing.

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory solutions, today announced two new internal solid-state drive solutions to rejuvenate old laptops or PCs. The new Lexar NS100 2.5" SATA III (6Gb/s) solid-state drive (SSD) and Lexar NS200 2.5" SATA III (6Gb/s) solid-state drive (SSD). [Editor's note: Lexar is now owned by Longsys, a Chinese company, who acquired the brand from Crucial in Aug 2017].

The entry-level NS100 SSD is an affordable upgrade for casual users who want more performance than their hard-disk drives (HDD) can provide. It provides faster boot-ups, application load times, and data transfers - turning your old computer from dinosaur to dynamo with sequential read speeds of up to 550MB/s. The NS200 SSD is ready for gamers and professionals looking to refresh their system with a quicker internal drive solution, giving the speed needed to take multitasking on an old PC or laptop to the next level.

In addition to the Savage EXO, Kingston also announced the HyperX Fury RGB series internal SSDs. These drives are characterized by RGB LED diffusers lining the top panels of the drives. Besides SATA 6 Gbps and SATA Power, each drive features a micro USB port that lets you not only use it as a portable drive, but also lets you plug the drive either into a standardized ARGB header of your lighting controller, or a USB header on your motherboard, for software control. The drive is sold in two packages - the base package includes only the drive and a license to Acronis True Image. The Bundle package, on the other hand, also includes a 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch spacer, a portable SSD enclosure, USB cables, and a multi-function screwdriver.

Moving on to the drive itself, the HyperX Fury RGB combines a Marvell 88SS1074 controller with 3D TLC NAND flash memory. The drive comes in capacities of 240 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB. Sequential transfer rates for all models is rated at up to 550 MB/s reads, with up to 480 MB/s writes, although you could expect reduced performance in the USB-powered external drive mode. Endurance numbers (total bytes written) are 120 TB, 240 TB, and 480 TB, for the 240 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB variants, respectively. The company didn't reveal pricing.

Kingston today introduced the HyperX Savage EXO line of portable SSDs. Sized not much bigger than the likes of the Patriot Evolvr, and weighing just 56 g, the Savage EXO is priced in a lower bracket, and takes advantage of USB 3.1 gen 2 (10 Gbps), rather than Thunderbolt 3. The drive comes in capacities of 480 GB and 960 GB. Both variants offer sequential transfer rates of up to 550 MB/s reads, with up to 400 MB/s writes. It supports USB 3.1 type-C to type-C and type-C to type-A cabling. We are awaiting pricing information.

MyDigitalSSD must have began rethinking their BPX Pro SSD lineup's pricing as soon as they entered the market. A mere three weeks later, the company has announced an up to 25% price cut on its lineup, ranging from your choice of 240 GB ($99.99 originally, now $74.99), 480 GB ($149.99 originally, now $129.99), 960 GB ($279.99 originally, now $259.99) and 1920 GB ($599.99 originally, will be available later at $569.99) capacities.

As a reminder, the MyDigitalSSD BPX (Bullet Proof eXpress) Pro NVMe SSDs leverage the PCIe 3.1 x4 complex in the M.2 SSD form-factor to deliver staggering (up to) sequential read and write speeds of 3,400MB/s and 3,100MB/s, respectively - with not too shabby 4K random performance. These speeds are achieved using Phison's new E12 controller paired with Toshiba-made BiCS3 TLC NAND flash, one of the industry's strongest NAND options. With these price-cuts, they've become one of the cheapest options in the market, and are likely vying for the price/performance crown.

Gigabyte today announced they were expanding their SSD storage lineup (started with the UD PRO series SATA III SSDs) with M.2 solutions. The new SSDs transfer data under the NVMe protocol and carry the M.2 form factor, in 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB sizes.

According to Gigabyte's own product pages, the 256 GB version has a sequential read and write speed of up to 1200 MB/s and 800 MB/s, while the 128 GB model cuts those speeds down to 1100 MB/s read and 500 MB/s write.

Kingston Technology Company, Inc., a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, is now partnering with Ontrack, a leading provider of data recovery and erasure services. Kingston customers will now be able to use Ontrack's data erasure services at advantageous rates. Ontrack offers an award-winning software-suite and provides technology services to help legal, corporate and government customers as well as consumers to remove data efficiently and cost-effectively. Through this powerful alliance between two security vendors, Ontrack supports Kingston customers in solving complex data GDPR challenges through cutting-edge erasure solutions.

The lack of secure deletion, be it through human or technical error or faulty erasure procedures, can lead to drastic impacts on businesses and organisations. This is felt now more than ever before with the stringent requirements of data protection demanded by the recently enforced GDPR. Permanently deleting data takes time and resources, and data that is not completely expunged is vulnerable to exposure. To increase the security of anyone's data, a secure, verified data destruction process is required.

Raijintek today announced the Ophion and Ophion EVO cases. The Raijintek Ophion and Ophion EVO are two impressive M-ITX cases that are not only affordable at just £119.99/£129.95, but more importantly offer a range of features not often seen in small form factor cases.

The Ophion and Ophion EVO can accommodate a full size 330mm GPU alongside a standard ATX power supply, with the Ophion EVO even supporting top mounted 240mm AIO coolers in a case that's just 17.4cm wide. The case itself has a brushed aluminum front panel alongside two tool-less tempered glass side panels; It also includes a full speed PCIe 16x Riser Cable.

The ECM23 from SilverStone is one of the more interesting M.2-PCIe SSD risers to come out in recent times. It looks like a game cartridge from 1980s, and slots into one of your PCI-Express x16 slots, which it then uses to wire out an M.2-2280 M-key slot with PCIe x4 wiring. The riser itself has x16 interface, but beyond x4, all the other lanes are blank, and only serve to add retention, since the riser doesn't feature an add-on card bracket to hold it in place. The main PCB has no logic of its own, other than link/activity LEDs for the four PCIe lanes.

It's more optimal to use drives with all their hot components on one side, since that side has access to the chunky ~40 g main heatsink. Heat from the other side is drawn from a copper mesh printed on the PCB, which supposedly conveys it to the back side, which has an aluminium back-plate, which bolts onto the main heatsink, sandwiching the PCB and drive in the middle. Measuring 105 mm (W) x 11 mm (H) x 44 mm (D), the ECM23 weighs 52 g (excluding the weight of your drive). The company didn't reveal pricing.

AKITIO, in a partnership with Intel will be releasing a special edition of the popular Node Lite PCIe box, bundled with the recently announced Intel Optane 905P, 960GB SSD as well as other higher capacity drives as they become available.

The Intel Optane 905P SSD is a new technology that is different from NAND flash memory. The Optane is a hybrid between DRAM and typical storage memory. By connecting the Intel Optane drive inside the Akitio Node Lite via Thunderbolt 3, we are able to fully utilize the Thunderbolt 3 bandwidth to achieve incredibly fast performance of up to 2200MB/s in both read and write. Unlike NAND flash based SSD's that provide fast performance in only large sized random read/write operations, the Optane drive provides the same phenomenal speeds in both large and small file transfers.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND flash products, today launched the ADATA IUSP33F PCIe ball grid array (BGA) solid state drive (SSD). The SSD sports a form factor that is 80 percent more compact than M.2 2242 SSDs. Combined with a PCIe Gen3x2 interface and 3D Flash memory for excellent performance and durability, the IUSP33F is an ideal solution for slim-form-factor tablets, notebooks, hybrids, mini-PCs, thin clients, and wearables.

"We are thrilled to be introducing the new IUSP33F SSD, a compact solution that will enable next-generation tablets, ultrabooks, and other slim devices, but without compromising on performance and reliability," said Hedi Huang, Sales Directorof ADATA. "But the versatility of the IUSP33F goes beyond just these applications, and are also well-suited for new emerging applications in areas such as robotics, augmented and virtual reality, and automotive.

KINGMAX, a world-renowned professional memory manufacturer, has consummated its product line of M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe solid-state drives (SSDs), providing users who want to improve their PC performance with a greater variety of choices. In addition to the ultra-fast M.2 PCIe SSD PX-3480 (Gen3x4) and the PX-3280 (Gen3x2), the affordable/entry-level PJ-3280 (Gen3x2) has also been introduced, allowing users who are considering turning to SSDs to boost their computer performance a higher-speed and more economical option aside from 2.5-inch solid-state drives.

An increasing variety of motherboards or notebooks are currently available on the market, including motherboards equipped with Intel Z270, X99 and the latest 2 Series/3 Series chipsets, all of which are equipped with the M.2 PCIe interface as standard equipment to enable future upgrades. As long as the M.2 slot is the M key version, a solid-state drive that comes with the M.2 PCIe interface can be employed to push the speed and performance of a computer to higher levels. The KINGMAX M.2 2280 NVMe SSD PJ-3280 (Gen3x2) is manufactured using 3D NAND Flash stacking technology, making it highly efficient, stable and durable. Meanwhile, the M.2 2280 is 22x80 mm in size and is available in capacities of 128GB, 256GB or 512GB, suitable for improving the performance of space-challenged notebooks and ultrabooks while expanding capacity.

MyDigital has finally launched their BPX (Bullet Proof eXpress) Pro NVMe SSDs, which leverage the PCIe 3.1 x4 complex in the M.2 SSD form-factor to deliver staggering (up to) sequential read and write speeds of 3,400MB/s and 3,100MB/s, respectively - with not too shabby 4K random performance. These speeds are achieved using Phison's new E12 controller paired with Toshib-made BiCS3 TLC NAND flash, one of the industry's strongest NAND options.

The BPX Pro M.2 NVMe SSDs are available in your choice of 240 GB ($99.99), 480 GB ($149.99), 960 GB ($279.99) and 1920 GB ($599.99) capacities. All are each backed by a five-year, 3,115 TBW (terabytes written) warranty. The drives are available via online retailers and will start shipping by the middle of September.

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today unveiled the Samsung Data Center solid-state drive (SSD) lineup to address current and future trends in high performance computing storage in the big data era for small and medium businesses (SMBs). Samsung's new family of Data Center SSD solutions, which consists of the 860 DCT, 883 DCT, 983 DCT and the 983 ZET, are engineered to meet the evolving needs of SMBs, including faster, sustained performance, higher capacities and enterprise-class reliability and security.

Samsung's Data Center SSD portfolio will raise the bar for efficiency compared to legacy storage systems, requiring fewer servers and reduced power and cooling for a lower total cost of ownership (TCO). The new lineup delivers better Quality of Service (QoS) for SMBs by reducing latency and lowering data delays. The entire line provides enhanced reliability and endurance for 24/7 operation backed by a 5-year limited warranty and impressive Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD) ratings.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today released a new quad-core 3-bay NAS - the TS-332X - that allows for building a RAID 5 array for balancing capacity and protection with the fewest disks. The TS-332X also provides a 10GbE SFP+ port, three M.2 SATA 6Gb/s SSD slots, and supports SSD caching and Qtier auto-tiering technology to help tackle performance-demanding business operations. Featuring a minimalist design, the affordable 10GbE-ready TS-332X can easily fit any commercial space.

The TS-332X is a small NAS, but it is packed full of competitive features," said Dan Lin, Product Manager of QNAP, continuing "It allows for RAID 5 protection in a budget configuration, supports M.2 SATA SSDs, and performs efficient tiered storage. It is a cost-effective 10GbE NAS that empowers even the most budget-conscious small offices to upgrade their entire IT infrastructure."

Crucial has become one of the biggest players in the consumer SSD market due to their excellent price/capacity/performance ratios (their SSDs consistently score highly in our own resident wizard's reviews for some reason, after all). Now, the company is looking to lower price/GB even more as it launches the BX500 series to the market - available in capacities of 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB using Micron 3D NAND chips.

Yes, it's a SATA III SSD. And yes, the SATA III connector really is a limiting factor in this SSD's performance - but remember that SATA III controllers are much less costly than NVMe implementations. Sequential performance is rated for up to 540MB/s read and 500MB/s write (4K performance is sadly absent). The whole plethora of usual SSD technologies are here as well - multi-step data integrity algorithm, thermal monitoring, SLC write acceleration, active garbage collection, TRIM support, self-monitoring and reporting technology (SMART) and error correction code (ECC)... For the pricing, these are likely of the DRAM-less variety of SSDs, which means SLC caching is of utmost importance for performance. But pricing really is some of the lowest ever - Crucial is quoting $29.99 for the 120 GB model, $49.99 for the 240 GB one and $89.99 for 480 GB worth of BX500 storage. Crucial will start shipping out orders on August 31st.

IMFlash Technologies (IMFT), the Intel-Micron joint venture that manufactures NAND flash and 3D Xpoint memory for use in Intel and Micron end-user products, and Micron Technology-branded NAND flash supply to other SSD manufacturers, is facing a big hurdle with its QLC NAND flash manufacturing ramp-up, which if not checked, could influence SSD prices globally. The company is apparently seeing dangerously low yields of less than 50 percent for its 3D QLC NAND flash memory. This effectively makes its QLC NAND pricier (in terms of $/GB) than current-generation 3D TLC NAND.

The first victim of low yields of 3D QLC NAND flash is Intel's SSD 660p series, a mainstream NVMe SSD that brought 1 TB of storage under the $200-mark. Sources within IMFT tell Tweaktown that the company is seeing 48% yields in its 64-layer QLC NAND flash wafers (i.e. 52% of the wafer is unfit for further production). In contrast, 64-layer 3D TLC yields are above 90% (margin/incomplete dies are excluded from these figures). What's worse, the source predicts that the conditions may never get better with this generation.

Silicon Power today introduced the P34M85 solid-state drive. Built in the M.2-2280 form-factor, this drive features PCI-Express 3.0 x4 interface, and takes advantage of the NVMe 1.2 protocol. The company didn't drop any hints as to what combination of controller and NAND flash is under its heatspreader. It comes in capacities of 240 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB. It could be DRAM-less, given its HMB (host memory buffer) support, wherein the drive uses a small portion of your system memory. The P34M85 offers sequential transfer rates of up to 2,700 MB/s reads, with up to 1,400 MB/s writes. The drive is backed by a 5-year warranty. The company didn't reveal pricing.

ADATA Technology, a leading manufacturer of high-performance DRAM modules and NAND Flash products, today announces the launch of XPG SX6000 Pro PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 SSDs. With NVMe 1.3 technology and 3D NAND Flash, they sport excellent speeds and up to 1TB of capacity, making them a viable alternative to SATA SSDs. In addition, SX6000 Pro SSDs are slimmer than standard M.2 2280 SSDs for a higher level of compatibility thanks to a single-sided design.

ADATA produces the SX6000 Pro in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. For PC users looking at tangible performance enhancements, the SX6000 Pro makes complete sense as a SATA successor. The principal advantage of the SX6000 Pro is embodied in its superb cost-performance ratio. Using 3D TLC NAND, NVMe 1.3 technology, and a PCIe Gen3x4 interface, it reaches up to 2100 MB/s read and 1500 MB/s write and random performance of up to 250K/240K IOPS. This means up to four times the speed of typical SATA SSDs.

Shuttle Inc., the global leader in small form factor computer technology, today announced the latest generation of its slim mini-PC series, the XH310/XH310V. The XH310 series packs Intel Coffee Lake technology, dual monitor support, and expandable drive capacity in a 3-liter small form factor chassis.

Equipped with the Intel H310 chipset and the LGA 1151v2 socket, the XH310 series supports the new wave of 8th Generation Intel Core , Pentium or Celeron processor with integrated UHD graphics; it's able to deliver multi-core performance and fulfill needs for demanding computation tasks.

At the Flash Memory Summit (FMS) 2018, LITE-ON Storage previewed the first EDSFF 1U solid-state drive (SSD) to emerge from its work with CNEX Labs. The revolutionary drive gained great interest among storage advocates.

In collaboration with such partners, LITE-ON delivers an innovative and highly efficient storage solution for scalable computing that aligns to Open Compute Project (OCP) specifications. The resulting EDSFF (Enterprise and Datacenter SSD Form Factor) SSD will provide a more cost-effective solution for enterprise and hyperscale cloud environments.

"Standard SSD solutions are great at handling many typical business workloads, but the complexity of storing information in both cloud and data center infrastructure requires SSD firmware to be flexible and adaptable," said Charlie Tseng, CEO of LITE-ON Storage. "LITE-ON's expertise in SSD firmware is perfect for the varying needs of customers."