Storage News - Page 6

All the latest storage news, with everything related to solid-state drives, hard drives & plenty more - Page 6.

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Global SSD shipments are down by 10.7%, but market leaders Kingston and ADATA are doing fine

Kosta Andreadis | Nov 8, 2023 11:06 PM CST

A new report at TrendForce shares some not-so-bright news for the global SSD market, with shipments down 10.7% year-over-year. The report notes that SSD supply and demand issues have been normalized. However, with only 114 million SSDs shipped, the downward has affected the various flash memory and storage companies differently.

Global SSD shipments are down by 10.7%, but market leaders Kingston and ADATA are doing fine

The top three SSD suppliers for 2022 were Kingston, ADATA, and Lexar, with Kingston and ADATA experiencing growth in market share compared to 2021. Kingston remains the global SSD market leader, with an impressive 28% share, followed by ADATA, with a 9% market share.

Also, the Chinese company Colorful "defied market trends" by making the top ten. The report explains the cost advantages of homegrown NAND Flash in the region have led to increased shipments.

Continue reading: Global SSD shipments are down by 10.7%, but market leaders Kingston and ADATA are doing fine (full post)

This external SSD enclosure will turn your M.2 SSD into a Hot Wheels car

Anthony Garreffa | Nov 8, 2023 6:10 PM CST

We all know you've wanted to turn your M.2 SSD into an even better portable SSD storage device. Enter the external SSD enclosure that turns your M.2 SSD into a Hot Wheels car... yeah, it's real and red, so it makes your SSD go faster.

This external SSD enclosure will turn your M.2 SSD into a Hot Wheels car

Chinese manufacturer Jeyi has announced its new ThunderRate, an SSD enclosure shaped like a Formula 1 race car that has four working wheels. Yeah, the wheels turn... and your super-fast M.2 SSD sits inside of it. Jeyi has constructed its SSD enclosure out of aluminum alloy, which the company has painted red.

You'll need to install your M.2 SSD underneath the removable backplate that cools on both sides, keeping your transfer speeds as high as they can be without thermal throttling. Install your M.2 2280 SSD with a single screw holding your SSD and rear plate in place. There's no external power required, with the company using a Realtek RTL9210B-CG controller that supports both NVMe and SATA protocols.

Continue reading: This external SSD enclosure will turn your M.2 SSD into a Hot Wheels car (full post)

Lexar's new NM790 SSD for the PlayStation 5 launches: 7.4GB/sec reads with a heatsink

Anthony Garreffa | Nov 3, 2023 4:35 AM CDT

Lexar has just announced that it has unveiled its new NM790 with Heatsink M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe SSD, which in layman's terms, is the Lexar NM790 SSD for the PlayStation 5 console.

Lexar's new NM790 SSD for the PlayStation 5 launches: 7.4GB/sec reads with a heatsink

The new Lexar NM790 SSD is an upgraded version of the award-winning NM790 SSD, with the new design featuring a heatsink to keep it cool when it's running inside of the PlayStation 5, as well as any gaming PC. Lexar offers some fantastic speeds out of the NM790 SSD, with up to 7400MB/sec (7.4GB/sec) sequential reads and up to 6500MB/sec (6.5GB/sec) sequential writes.

Joey Lopez, Director of Marketing, said: "We are thrilled to offer gamers a powerful SSD with an integrated heatsink that allows players to squeeze the full performance out of their PlayStation 5 gaming systems while keeping their consoles cool".

Continue reading: Lexar's new NM790 SSD for the PlayStation 5 launches: 7.4GB/sec reads with a heatsink (full post)

This Steam Deck modded with a massive 61TB SSD should be enough to install all your games

Kosta Andreadis | Nov 2, 2023 10:57 PM CDT

First of all, Steam Deck or not, modding a PC gaming rig or device with 61 Terabytes of storage for games is kind of crazy - but in the best possible way. With 61TB, you don't have to worry about games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 taking up well over 100GB of drive space. There's enough room for most PC gamers to install their entire Steam library and still have enough room to install all the additional games added during the upcoming Steam Holiday Sale.

This Steam Deck modded with a massive 61TB SSD should be enough to install all your games

The highest capacity off-the-shelf Steam Deck from Valve is 512GB of internal NVMe storage, so going up to 61TB is like watching a graph figure out that there's a thing called 'exponential growth.' The second and important point to make is that this mod isn't exactly something you can try at home as it makes use of the Solidigm P5336 61.44TB enterprise SSD.

An enterprise solution worth many thousands of dollars, which we reviewed last year - calling it "the king of capacity." How StorageReview managed to get this SSD working on Steam Deck is pretty cool - so let's take a look.

Continue reading: This Steam Deck modded with a massive 61TB SSD should be enough to install all your games (full post)

ADATA launches the world's first USB4 external SSD, can transfer 10GB 4K video in 3 seconds

Kosta Andreadis | Nov 1, 2023 12:32 AM CDT

It was only a matter of time before USB 4 hit the scene, beginning the transition from USB 3 to a new, faster, and more performative standard. Right now, USB 4 is "next-gen" technology, but with the arrival of ADATA's USB4 SE920 External SSD, we've got the first external storage solution sporting the new USB 4 technology.

ADATA launches the world's first USB4 external SSD, can transfer 10GB 4K video in 3 seconds

ADATA's USB4 SE920 external SSD, which supports Thunderbolt 3 and 4 and is backward compatible with USB 3.2 and USB 2.0, can reach up to 3,800 MB/s per second in full USB4 mode. As we've seen in the desktop space and PCIe Gen5 SSDS, hitting speeds of up to 40Gbps on an external SSD generates quite a bit of heat.

The good news is that the USB4 SE920 external SSD features a proprietary and patented active cooling solution with a micro fan and a casing that can extend via a simple touch to increase air circulation when in use. Outside of the incredible speed, the casing design for the USB4 SE920 external SSD from ADATA is one of its most impressive features.

Continue reading: ADATA launches the world's first USB4 external SSD, can transfer 10GB 4K video in 3 seconds (full post)

Western Digital is splitting into two companies, one focused on HDDs and one on Flash Memory

Kosta Andreadis | Oct 31, 2023 1:57 AM CDT

A week ago, we heard rumblings that Western Digital and KIOXIA were on the cusp of closing a deal that would see the two companies merge to create the world's largest manufacturer of flash memory solutions. A few days ago, the story changed. The deal fell through due to objections from SK Hynix, a competitor and KIOXIA investor.

Western Digital is splitting into two companies, one focused on HDDs and one on Flash Memory

None of this was confirmed by either party, but today, Western Digital has announced that it will split into two independent public companies - one that will focus on the HDD market and one on flash memory.

According to the announcement, the split will "better position each franchise to execute innovative technology and product development, capitalize on unique growth opportunities, extend respective leadership positions, and operate more efficiently with distinct capital structures." And it's set to happen in the second half of 2024.

Continue reading: Western Digital is splitting into two companies, one focused on HDDs and one on Flash Memory (full post)

KIOXIA and Western Digital merger has apparently been put on hold due to SK Hynix objecting

Kosta Andreadis | Oct 30, 2023 12:32 AM CDT

Recently, we posted on several rumors and sources pointing to a potential and imminent merger between flash memory and storage giants KIOXIA and Western Digital. A union that would make the resulting entity the world's biggest producer of memory and storage solutions for consumers and enterprises alike.

KIOXIA and Western Digital merger has apparently been put on hold due to SK Hynix objecting

With both companies being closely linked regarding operating plants and technologies, the deal had got to the point where the terms were being finalized before being publicly announced. According to insiders, Western Digital shareholders would have acquired a 50+ percent majority stake in the new company, with the remainder to be held by KIOXIA shareholders.

It turns out that it's the latter that has been the issue when it comes to the merger. SK Hynix wasn't too happy with the deal. As one of KIOXIA's key investors, SK Hynix is also one of the largest manufacturers of DRAM and NAND flash. Japanese publication Nikkei Business Daily also reported that top Kioxia shareholder Bain Capital could not agree to the terms.

Continue reading: KIOXIA and Western Digital merger has apparently been put on hold due to SK Hynix objecting (full post)

Rumor - Western Digital and Kioxia merger will create world's largest NAND flash memory company

Kosta Andreadis | Oct 24, 2023 1:28 AM CDT

According to sources, flash memory pioneer KIOXIA is close to merging with Western Digital. This deal would make the combined entity the world's biggest producer of memory and storage solutions, and all of the terms could be agreed upon by the close of this month. The Japanese-based KIOXIA is close to Western Digital, with them jointly operating plants in Japan's Iwate and Mie prefectures.

Rumor - Western Digital and Kioxia merger will create world's largest NAND flash memory company

According to Kyodo News, the combined market share of KIOXIA and Western Digital for NAND memory and storage earlier this year topped 35.4 percent, a slight increase over the market's top player, Samsung.

Suppose KIOXIA and Western Digital are to merge. In that case, over 50 percent of the new company will be owned by Western Digital shareholders, with the remainder held by existing KIOXIA shareholders, including major stakeholder Toshiba.

Continue reading: Rumor - Western Digital and Kioxia merger will create world's largest NAND flash memory company (full post)

SanDisk Ultra microSD UHS-I cards deliver the world's fastest 1.5 TB high-capacity card speeds

Kosta Andreadis | Oct 22, 2023 8:28 PM CDT

SanDisk, a division of Western Digital, recently announced its fall lineup of storage solutions - and it includes the new SanDisk Ultra microSD UHS-I cards with capacities going all the way up to 1.5TB. This highly versatile microSD card from the company is compatible with thousands of devices, including portable gaming rigs like the Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and ROG Ally.

SanDisk Ultra microSD UHS-I cards deliver the world's fastest 1.5 TB high-capacity card speeds

However, when paired with Android devices like Chromebooks and Windows laptops with a SanDisk MobileMate USB 3.0 microSD card reader, transfer speeds hit an impressive 150 MB/s. This speed makes 1.5TB SanDisk Ultra microSD UHS-I cards one of the best capture and storage solutions for photos, videos, games, podcasts, documents, and more.

With SanDisk's 10-year limited warranty and the SanDisk Ultra lineup featuring proprietary Proprietary Flash Management technology and NAND, plus A1-rated performance for launching apps - you've got an excellent and super easy storage expansion option for the PC gaming handhelds of the world.

Continue reading: SanDisk Ultra microSD UHS-I cards deliver the world's fastest 1.5 TB high-capacity card speeds (full post)

Microsoft's Project Silica will store terabytes of data on glass plates for cloud storage

Kosta Andreadis | Oct 16, 2023 7:58 PM CDT

Storing up to 7TB of data on something the size of a DVD might not sound all that groundbreaking in a time where SSD storage with that sort of capacity is notably smaller in physical stature.

Microsoft's Project Silica will store terabytes of data on glass plates for cloud storage

Microsoft's Project Silica is genuinely fascinating because it's offering precisely that, with the something being glass - with the company describing glass storage as a sustainable cloud storage solution with data integrity that could last up to 10,000 years. According to Microsoft, a small sheet of glass can store up to 1.75 million songs or 3,500 movies.

The Global Music Vault in Svalbard, Norway, is already collaborating with Microsoft Research's Project Silica team to use silica-based glass plates to house its music archive. Microsoft's Project Silica has been in development for some time now, with recent advances improving the overall speed and durability of the medium - paving the way for it to become a cloud storage solution.

Continue reading: Microsoft's Project Silica will store terabytes of data on glass plates for cloud storage (full post)