Seagate Launches FireCuda 520 PCIe 4.0 Gaming SSD With 5GB/sec Performance

The FireCuda 520 uses the newly adopted PCIe 4.0 interface, which means that the only consumer platform out there that currently fully supports it is AMD's X570 for Ryzen 3000 processor. However, if you have a compliant X570 motherboard, you'll be able to enjoy read speeds of up to 5GB/sec and write speeds of up to 4.4GB/sec. This is right in line with other PCIe 4.0 SSDs that we've seen announced over the past few months. Random read/write performance is rated at 760K and 700K IOPS respectively, which is also competitive in this space.

Seagate says that the FireCuda 520 uses the familiar Phison E16 SSD controller along with 3D TLC NAND flash. The SSD is rated for a MTBF of 1.8 million hours and comes backed by a 5-year warranty limited. At this time, Seagate is making available three capacities: 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB priced at $125, $250, and $430 respectively.

Announced alongside the FireCuda 520 is the FireCuda Gaming Dock, which gives you access to a boatload of connectivity and storage options that connects to your PC with a single Thunderbolt 3 cable. Not only does the FireCuda Gaming Dock incorporate an integrated 4TB HDD, but it also includes an M.2 NVMe PCIe expansion slot for adding an SSD. The dock also includes single Thunderbolt 3 and DisplayPort port, along with five USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports. You’ll also find an Ethernet port and audio in/out ports.

In addition, given that this is a gaming-centric device, you'll notice customizable RGB LED lighting on the chassis. The FireCuda Gaming Dock weighs in at a beefy 5.9 pounds, comes backed with a 3-year warranty, and is priced at $350.

The FireCuda 520 SSDs are available now, while Seagate says that the FireCuda Gaming Dock will ship later this month.