Items tagged with pcie 4.0
We're always on the lookout for hot new SSDs here at Hot Hardware, and the folks at TeamGroup just announced two new product families that might be interesting to two types of users: those looking for value-priced PCIe 4.0 SSDs, and those that want a speedy external SSD solution. Starting things off is the T-Force Cardea Z44L, a PCIe 4.0 SSD aimed at gaming enthusiasts. Like many of the T-Force SSDs launched over the past few months, the Z44L uses a super-thin graphene heatsink which can improve heat dissipation by up to 9 percent compared to the same SSD without a heatsink. Although the Cardea Z44L uses the PCIe 4.0 interface, its maximum sequential read and write speeds are more in line with...
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The race to build the fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs for the PC market rages on, with key players like Samsung, TeamGroup, and Corsair pushing the envelope on a seemingly weekly basis. Corsair is the latest to strike with its MP600 PRO XT. The MP600 PRO XT brings attention to itself for a rather beefy (and stealthy) heatsink mounted to the PCB. Corsair says that the reason for this is to more efficiently dissipate heat, which helps to deliver sustained high performance without throttling. However, if you want to go over the top with cooling, Corsair says that the MP600 PRO XT is compatible with its Hydro X Series XM2 Water Block. Going this route will allow you to integrate the SSD with a custom cooling...
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Late last week, Sony released long-awaited beta software that allows PlayStation 5 gamers to take advantage of the empty M.2 slot in their consoles to expand storage with an off-the-shelf PCI 4.0 SSD. The PlayStation 5 comes standard with a non-replaceable 825GB SSD, but it can quickly fill up with games, making further expansion a necessity as more high-profile games come to market. Now that more PlayStation 5 users are installing the beta software, they're sharing their experience on how performance is shaping up compared to the default SSD. One such user is Redditor DanCTapirson, who decided to test Samsung's impressive 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 SSD. The 980 Pro is rated for up to 7,000 MB/sec sequential...
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Intel has been making noise in virtually all segments of the storage market as of late. A few weeks back, we took a look at the Optane Memory H20, which combines 3DXpoint media with traditional NAND on hybrid M.2 device to accelerate the storage subsystem in mainstream notebooks and PCs. More recently, we evaluated the blazing-fast, ultra-pricey Optane SSD P5800X for high-performance workstations, and we can't forget about the budget friendly SSD 670p that arrived in early March. Today, we’ll shift our focus to the enterprise space and inspect Intel’s recently-announced PCIe Gen 4 SSD D7-P5510 series, which targets data center applications with high-capacities, and enhanced throughput...
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When the limits of the PCIe 3.0 interface started holding back high-performance SSDs, the industry made the logical leap to PCIe 4.0. With that change came the arrival of the first SSDs with 5,000MB/sec sequential reads and similar writes. As SSD controller technology has matured and faster NAND has been introduced over the past two years, we’re now surpassing 7,000MB/sec reads, as witnessed by the new FireCuda 530 launched this week by Seagate. Seagate says that the FireCuda 530 is its fastest client SSD to date, and the company isn’t kidding. The SSD uses Phison’s 8-channel PS5018-E18 controller along with 3D TLC NAND. The result is that the FireCuda 530 can deliver sequential...
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TeamGroup is targeting customers looking for large-capacity SSDs, but don't want to compromise too much on performance. The company's solution is the new T-Force Cardea Z44Q family, which uses the PCIe 4.0 interface along with value-conscious 3D QLC NAND to keep pricing in check. Although the SSDs are, of course, backward compatible with the PCIe 3.0 interface, you'll want to use PCIe 4.0 to take advantage of up to 5,000 MB/sec sequential read speeds and 4,000 MB/sec writes. That's far better performance than you'd find in PCIe 3.0 SSD counterparts and miles ahead of comparable large-capacity SATA solutions. According to TeamGroup, random reads and writes are listed at up to 350K IOPS and 600K...
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Extremely fast SSDs are becoming more commonplace in the PC enthusiast realm. As such, we regularly see new SSDs announced that have sequential read/write speeds surpassing 6,500MB/sec and even 7,000MB/sec. However, the problem arises when these SSDs must throttle performance due to the immense heat generated when operating at these speeds. Gigabyte is looking to overcome these throttling limitations by slapping a huge heatsink on its latest storage offering: the Aorus Gen4 7000s Prem SSD. As its name implies, the Aorus Gen4 7000s Prem offers sequential read speeds of up to 7,000MB/sec. Sequential read speeds vary depending on what capacity SSD you choose. 2TB SKUs are rated for up 6,850MB/sec,...
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The SSD wars are heating up now that both AMD and Intel have desktop platforms that fully support the PCIe 4.0 interface. AMD has supported PCIe 4.0 on the desktop side since Zen 2 (Ryzen 3000), while Intel entered the fray recently with 11th generation Rocket Lake-S processors. Now, Patriot is looking to cater to these enthusiasts with a brand-new high-performance SSD. Patriot today introduced the Viper VP4300 PCIe 4.0 SSD, which uses an Innogrit Rainier IG5236 controller and a high-quality DDR4 DRAM cache. Using this foundation, the Viper VP4300 can achieve sequential read speeds of a staggering 7,400MB/sec, while sequential writes come in at up to 6,800MB/sec. To put that in perspective, the...
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A month ago, AMD confirmed that many 500 Series motherboards were having problems with USB connectivity. The issues were long documented on the AMD subreddit, but it was comforting news from Ryzen enthusiasts to hear that AMD finally had their backs regarding this annoyance. ASUS today announced that it uploaded new AGESA 1.2.0.2 BIOS updates for its AMD 500 Series motherboards which should hopefully resolve any lingering issues with USB functionality. Obtaining the new AGESA 1.2.0.2 BIOS for your motherboard is relatively simple, as you need to just visit ASUS' support website and select Motherboards. Then select your Product Series and Product Model. Next, click "Driver & Utility" under...
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When it comes to PCIe 4.0 SSDs, the sky is the limit with performance. When the first-generation SSDs landed with sequential read speeds surpassing 5,000 MB/sec, we were impressed. Things have only progressed from there, with SSDs using second-generation PCIe 4.0 controllers like the Adata XPG Gammix S70 delivering sequential reads/writes of 7,400 MB/sec and 6,400 MB/sec, respectively. TeamGroup is now throwing its hat in the ring for PCIe 4.0 SSD performance dominance with the T-Force Cardea A440 SSD. The Cardea A440 trades a bit in maximum sequential read speeds compared to the Gammix S70 in favor of higher sequential writes, coming in at 7,000 MB/sec and 6,900 MB/sec, respectively. We should...
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If you purchased an MSI Z490 motherboard with your new Comet Lake-S processor last year or are looking to save some bucks by forgoing a newer Z590 motherboard, we've got some good news for you. MSI announced this morning that all its Z490 motherboards support PCIe 4.0 with 11th generation Rocket Lake-S processors via a simple BIOS update. While some motherboard manufacturers are taking a selective approach regarding enabling PCIe 4.0 support, it's good to hear that MSI made the necessary hardware choices on the backend to make this possible. "To be PCIe 4.0 compatible, several components on the motherboards are necessary, including PCIe 4.0 ready clock generator, lane switch, redriver, PCIe...
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There have been some rumblings in recent months about USB connectivity problems with AMD Ryzen processors in combination with 500 series chipset-based motherboards. To be more specific, the problem seems to stem from USB 2.0 ports that act erratically when PCIe 4.0 is enabled on the motherboard and a PCIe 4-enabled device is installed -- like a GPU, for example. Given that many enthusiasts are rocking new GPUs like the Radeon RX 6800 or GeForce RTX 30 Series, which are PCIe 4.0-enabled, this can certainly be a problem. Users are experiencing problems where low-speed devices like mice, keyboards, and headsets are dropping out periodically, without any rhyme or reason, when attached to a USB...
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ADATA has been consistently expanding its line-up of XPG, or Xtreme Performance Gaming branded hardware, targeting PC enthusiasts and gamers. The XPG family now consists of everything from micoSDXC cards all the way on up to full gaming systems and notebooks. XPG's SSDs (Solid State Drives), however, are arguably the most extensive array of products in the company's portfolio. ADATA has a myriad of XPG SSDs available, at a wide variety of price points and performance levels. The two drives we’ll be showing you here today, the new ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 and XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite, are both bleeding-edge PCI Express 4.0 NVMe drives, packing some of Micron’s latest TLC NAND. The ADATA...
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Ever since AMD introduced its Ryzen 3000 Zen 2 desktop processors and X570 platform in 2019, we’ve been seeing a steady stream of PCIe 4.0-based SSDs flood the market. The first PCIe 4.0 SSDs featured sequential read speeds that topped 5GB/sec, which far outpaced the fastest PCIe 3.0 SSDs available at the time. Over the past few months, second-generation PCIe 4.0 SSDs have entered the market which have cranked read and write speed even further. The latest to enter the fray is Gigabyte with its new Aorus Gen4 7000s SSDs. As you might have presumed from the model number, Gigabyte claims that this SSD can hit sequential read speeds that top 7,000MB/sec. Gigabyte can achieve this...
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The market for PCIe 4.0 SSDs is expanding at a rapid pace, helped in part -- in the consumer market -- by the introduction of AMD's Zen 2/X570 platform in 2019. With the launch of Tiger Lake and the upcoming Zen 3 and Rocket Lake desktop processor platforms, PCIe 4.0 SSDs are going to filter further into the mainstream market. One of the newest entries in the mainstream market is coming from PNY, and it's called the XLR8 CS3040. The XLR8 CS3040 offers a significant uplift in performance compared to the top PCIe 3.0 SSDs, delivering sequential read and write speeds of 5,600MB/sec and 4,300MB/sec respectively. This performance puts it in the company of the first-generation PCIe 4.0 SSDs...
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Following the release of the AMD Ryzen 3000 desktop processor family, and complementing X570 motherboards, PCIe 4.0 SSDs have been sought after by enthusiasts looking for some extra performance. There aren't many companies out there making PCIe 4.0 SSD controllers, so when new products are announced, we definitely take notice. Such is the case today with three new PCIe 4.0 SSD controllers that are coming from Silicon Motion (one of which we've already heard about). The first is the 8-channel SM2264, which is aimed squarely at the enthusiast market for those craving the ultimate in performance. According to the company, the SM2264 features a quad-core ARM R8 CPU directing four lanes of 16Gb/s...
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Earlier this week, Intel confirmed that its Rocket Lake-S processors are coming during Q1 2021. Interestingly, Intel made the announcement just one day prior to AMD’s unveil of its Zen 3-based Ryzen 5000 processors. Coincidence? We think not. With that being said, 11th generation Rocket Lake-S engineering samples have been running around in the wild for the past few months. Now, a new example has been spotted by ITCooker, which alleges to have obtained benchmarks confirming PCIe 4.0 support with a Z490 motherboard. Now if you recall, Z490 motherboards launched earlier this year alongside 10th generation Comet Lake-S, and some even were labeled as PCIe 4.0-ready....
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We first caught a glimpse of the Samsung SSD 980 Pro all the way back at CES in early January. The highly-anticipated drive was tucked away in a display case in Samsung’s massive booth on the show floor, but other than the branding, some early claimed performance data, and the fact that drive had a native PCIe 4.0 interface, details were scant. All that changes today, though. We’ve gotten our hands on a couple of shiny, new Samsung SSD 980 Pro drives – in 250GB and 1TB flavors – and are finally able to give you the full scoop. The Samsung SSD 980 Pro series of solid state drives not only support the PCI Express 4.0 interface, but they are outfitted with a completely new...
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Just a week ago, we brought you news of XPG's latest mainstream SSD: the PCIe 4.0 based GAMMIX S50 Lite, which provides slightly better performance that typical PCIe 3.0 SSDs on the market. Today, however, XPG is targeting the other end of the spectrum with the high-performance GAMMIX S70 PCIe 4.0 SSD that will be duking it out with the likes of the Samsung 980 Pro and Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus. If you thought that the Rocket 4 Plus was fast, you ain't seen nothin' yet. XPG says that the GAMMIX S70 is good for maximum sequential reads of 7,400MB/sec, while sequential writes are rated for 6,400MB/sec. To put that in perspective, this is how its peers compare: ...
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Earlier this month, we brought you news that Sabrent was looking to snatch the speed crown away from Samsung with a new Rocket 4 Plus PCIe 4.0 SSD, which uses the next-generation Phison E18 controller. With an incoming crop of faster SSDs on the way, it stands to reason that Sabrent would be offering discounts on its existing products, and Amazon is leading the charge. The retailer is offering an across-the-board 20 percent discount off both Sabrent’s internal and external SSD solutions, including its popular 1TB Rocket 4.0 PCIe SSD (not the new Plus model, of course). The 1TB Rocket is Sabrent’s first-generation PCIe 4.0 SSD, and offers sequential reads/writes of 5,000MB/sec...
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With the launch of the AMD Ryzen 3000 processors and X570 chipset in July 2019, the PCIe 4.0 SSD era kicked off with a bang. We saw a number of PCIe 4.0 SSDs enter the market, all of which were using a Phison PS5016-E16 controller, including XPG with its GAMMIX S50. Now, XPG is looking to flesh out the GAMMIX S50 family at the lower end of the pricing spectrum. Enter the GAMMIX S50 Lite, which still leverages the PCIe 4.0 interface, but uses the SMI SM2267 PCIe 4.0 controller instead of the Phison E16. As a result, the GAMMIX S50 is still able to offer respectable speeds, but its pricing will be more geared towards mainstream PC shoppers. Where the standard GAMMIX S50 offers sequential read/write...
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Over the weekend, we were made privy to official specifications for the Samsung 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 SSD, which should be arriving relatively soon on the consumer market. The 980 Pro offers some pretty spectacular performance stats, with maximum sequential reads and writes of 7,000MB/sec and 5,000MB/sec respectively. However, Sabrent is looking to crash Samsung’s brief “hurrah” with the Rocket 4 Plus. Sabrent’s first PCIe 4.0 SSD, the Rocket, used a Phison E16 controller and provided sequential reads and writes of up to 5,000MB/sec and 4,400MB/sec respectively. However, the new Rocket 4 Plus is off the charts with sequential reads of 7,000MB/sec (matching that of the...
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