IRDM Pro Nano SSD Unleashes Wicked-Fast 7300MB/s Speeds For Gaming Handhelds
As handheld PC game consoles grow in popularity, so too does the number of storage options in the M.2 2230 form factor that many of them use, including Valve's Steam Deck, Lenovo's Legion Go, MSI's Claw, and the ASUS ROG Ally. Interestingly enough, the fastest M.2 2230 SSD we've seen to date comes from a brand that's likely unfamiliar with most gamers in the US—IRDM and it's new Pro Nano model.
This gets a bit convoluted, but IRDM is a gaming sub-brand of Wilk Electronik SA, a Polish memory and storage maker that typically releases consumer products under its Goodram brand. From our understanding, you can think of IRDM as being to Wilk Electronik and Goodram as the Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand is to ASUS and AORUS is to Gigabyte.
Source: IRDM
Branding aside, IRDM is touting "unmatched performance" for its new Pro Nano SSD, which is an M.2 2230 form factor SSD with a PCIe 4.0 x4 drive capable of rip-roaring sequential reads of up to 7,300MB/s (7.3GB/s) and sequential writes of up to 6,000MB/s (6GB/s), according to IRDM. We've not seen a faster M.2 2230 SSD offered at retail (if you have, let us know in the comments section).
"Such performance enables lightning-fast game and application loading, enhancing overall system smoothness. Both gamers and professionals will appreciate reduced downtime and faster data processing, crucial when working with large files and demanding applications," IRDM says.
The actual performance advantage versus slower SSDs really depends on the handheld and what it supports. For example, the Steam Deck utilizes PCIe 3.0 x4 for the M.2 storage slot so you're not going to see a performance benefit from a PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD. That said, PCIe 4.0 x4 SSDs like the Pro Nano are backwards compatible.
IRDM is not not just targeting gaming handhelds, though, and also has gaming laptops in mind.
"SSD IRDM Pro Nano is more than just a drive - it's a thoughtful response to the growing needs of the mobile device market, where speed, small size, and reliability are crucial," says Wiesław Wilk, CEO of Wilk Elektronik SA. "The drive is designed with mobile gamers in mind, who do not accept compromises between performance and mobility of their devices."
The performance benefits of a faster M.2 2230 SSD depends entirely on your platform and what exactly you're doing. Regardless, we like to see companies push the envelope, as it puts pressure on the competition to keep up, both in terms of offering faster drives and driving down prices.
In this case, Wilk Elektronik SA has not revealed pricing and availability, but did say it intends on offering the IRDM Pro Nano in 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities.
