SSDs
Version 2.0 of the NVM Express specification has been released, keeping up the roughly two year cadence for the storage interface that is now a decade old. Like other NVMe spec updates, version 2.0 comes with a variety of new features and functionality for drives to implement (usually as optional features). But the most significant change—and the reason this is called version 2.0 instead of 1.5—is that the spec has been drastically reorganized to better fit the broad scope of features that NVMe now encompasses. From its humble beginnings as a block storage protocol operating over PCI Express, NVMe has grown to also become one of the most important networked storage protocols, and now also supports storage paradigms that are entirely different from the...
Mobile M.2 with Full Speed: The ICY DOCK ToughArmor MB720M2K-B
High-performance SSDs are often difficult to transfer them from a system to a system, which is sometimes needed. Removable U.2 drives are easier to use, but they are more...
16 by Anton Shilov on 2/12/2020
Enterprise SATA SSDs: Can Budget 2020 beat Top Line 2017?
Today we're looking at two wildly different enterprise SATA SSDs: the Kingston DC450R entry-level server SSD with the latest controller and 96L 3D NAND, and the Micron 5100 MAX...
21 by Billy Tallis on 2/4/2020
96-Layer 3D TLC Reaches Embedded & Industrial NVMe SSDs: Transcend Reveals MTE662T
Though, as always, it takes some time for newer technologies to filter down into the conservative embedded/industrial market, the time has finally come for 96-layer 3D TLC NAND. SSD...
5 by Anton Shilov on 2/3/2020
SK Hynix to Cut CapEx, Accelerate Transitions, 1z nm DRAM & 128L 4D NAND in 2020
Following a massive revenue and profitability drop in 2019, SK Hynix has announced that it plans to cut down its capital expenditures. While the market has shown some signs...
6 by Anton Shilov on 2/3/2020
Western Digital Roadmap Updates: Energy Assisted Recording, Multi-Stage Actuators, Zoned Storage
Between CES at the beginning of the month, a series of presentations at Storage Field Day last week and a quarterly earnings report this week, we've heard from just...
115 by Billy Tallis on 1/31/2020
Western Digital and Kioxia Announce BiCS5 112-Layer 3D NAND
Western Digital and Kioxia have announced the successful development of their newest generation of 3D NAND flash memory. Their fifth-generation BiCS 3D NAND has commenced production in the form...
19 by Billy Tallis on 1/30/2020
Enmotus MiDrive: Rethinking SLC Caching For QLC SSDs
For consumer storage, CES 2020 brought a new wave of competition for PCIe 4.0 SSDs and promise of faster portable SSDs, but the most intriguing product demo was from...
44 by Billy Tallis on 1/30/2020
USB 3.2 Gen 2 Portable SSDs Roundup - Featuring the Samsung T7 Touch and the SanDisk Extreme Pro
External bus-powered storage devices have grown in storage capacity as well as speeds over the last decade. Palm-sized flash-based storage devices with a Thunderbolt 3 interface are capable of...
38 by Ganesh T S on 1/23/2020
CES 2020: ADATA Preparing Three PCIe 4.0 Consumer SSDs
Among a mountain of new product announcements at CES, ADATA previewed three upcoming high-end consumer SSDs supporting PCIe 4.0. These will launch under their XPG gaming-oriented brand, and will...
29 by Billy Tallis on 1/17/2020
Phison At CES 2020: Preparing For QLC To Go Mainstream
NAND flash memory prices are projected to climb in 2020. The manufacturing transitions to 96-layer 3D NAND and beyond are not going to increase bit output as quickly as...
10 by Billy Tallis on 1/17/2020
CES 2020: Innogrit SSD Controllers Score Multiple Design Wins
Innogrit is one of the latest SSD controller designers to enter the market, having come out of stealth mode and announced their roadmap last August at Flash Memory Summit...
7 by Billy Tallis on 1/17/2020
CES 2020: Patriot Goes Big on Bandwidth For New EVLVR 2 TB3 SSDs
At this year's CES, Patriot has introduced an enhanced version of its EVLVR (Evolver) Thunderbolt 3 external SSD. The new drive is set to offer radically improved sequential read/write...
5 by Anton Shilov on 1/10/2020
CES 2020: Patriot Demonstrates PXD External SSD w/ USB-C
Among the many storage vendors at this year's CES was Patriot, who was showcasing its upcoming PXD external SSD. The device features a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C interface...
5 by Anton Shilov on 1/9/2020
ASUS Going Fast: Quad PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD Storage Add-in Card Hyper M.2
One of the driving features of performance in the high-end desktop space is the creator community: the need for fast CPUs and fast storage is strong, regardless of cost...
19 by Dr. Ian Cutress on 1/9/2020
Samsung Launches Portable SSD T7 Touch with Fingerprint Security
Samsung's mass-market external drive, the Portable SSD T-series, was last updated in August 2017 with the introduction of the T5 with 64-layer V-NAND. The Portable SSD T5 came with...
8 by Ganesh T S on 1/8/2020
Fire At Kioxia & Western Digital NAND Fab - Impact on Supply to be Minimal
Kioxia has reportedly informed its customers that a production tool at one of its fabs caught fire early on Tuesday. The fire was promptly extinguished and no casualties were...
3 by Anton Shilov on 1/8/2020
CES 2020: Samsung 980 PRO PCIe 4.0 SSD Makes An Appearance
Samsung's booth at CES 2020 includes our first look at their next flagship consumer SSD, the 980 PRO M.2 NVMe SSD. This would appear to be Samsung's first client/consumer...
55 by Billy Tallis on 1/7/2020
Samsung’s Fab in Hwaseong Suffers Power Outage
Samsung had to stop production of DRAM and V-NAND memory at its fab near Hwaseong, South Korea, due to power outage earlier this week. Damage caused by disruption of...
48 by Anton Shilov on 1/2/2020
AnandTech Year In Review 2019: Solid State Drives
In 2019, flash memory prices have leveled out and have even crept back upward a bit, and new technologies have been slow to roll out, although we are currently...
42 by Billy Tallis on 12/31/2019
Kioxia: 3D Stacked Storage Class Memory, like 3D XPoint, Isn’t the Future
One of the key battlegrounds of the next decade is going to be storage: density, speed, and demand. Naturally all the major players in the space want to promote...
23 by Dr. Ian Cutress on 12/30/2019
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