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PCI Express 6 spec promises massive headroom for AI and storage
PCI Express 5.0 has barely been finalized, but that isn't stopping its creators from dreaming about what comes next. The PCI Special Interest Group has unveiled a PCI Express 6.0 specification that should deliver up to a blistering 256GB per second across 16 lanes -- that's twice as fast as the yet-to-ship PCIe 5.0 spec, and four times as much as the 4.0 spec that's only just reaching computers. The PCI-SIG aims to achieve the feat by using Pulse Amplitude Modulation technology that can carry twice as much data as existing methods without needing to double the transmission bandwidth and use ridiculously high frequencies.
microSD Express unlocks hyper-fast data speeds for mobile devices
The SD Association has unveiled microSD Express, a new format that will bring speeds of up to 985 MB/s to the tiny memory cards used in smartphones and other devices. Like SD Express, it exploits the NVMe 1.3 and PCIe 3.1 interfaces used in PCs to power high-speed SSDs. The tech is incorporated onto the second row of microSD pins, so the cards will work faster in next-gen devices while maintaining backward compatibility with current microSD tech.
PCIe 4.0 will be twice as fast as today's slots
We've been hearing about a new PCIe specification since 2011. That seems like an eon ago in technology time. PCI-SIG, the community responsible for maintaining these peripheral input/output (I/O) specifications has finally released the specs for PCI Express 4.0, which will give PCs twice the throughput speed (up to 16 GT/s) as previous 3.0 connections while maintaining backward compatibility as well.
There's now a super-speed PCIe SSD you can actually buy
Samsung has taken a commanding lead in next-gen SSDs that blow away old-school models, but it finally has some competition. Kingston's HyperX Predator PCIe SSD is now available with read speeds touching 1.4GB/s. That's still a far cry from Samsung's latest SM951 SSD, which reads at a ridiculous 2.2GB/s. But unlike Samsung's OEM-only model, you can actually purchase the Predator PCIe and jam it into your own PC build or laptop. You'll need an M.2 SSD slot to do so (preferably with four PCIe lanes), but if that's missing, Kingston will supply a PCIe slot adapter for an extra ten bucks or so.
MacBook Air's superfast disk speeds come from Samsung SSDs
Lost in the news of Retina-equipped, 12-inch MacBook was the arrival of all-new MacBook Air models with the latest Intel HD6000 graphics and CPUs. Apple also boasted that the 13-inch version has disk speeds "up to two times faster" than the last generation, and thanks to iFixit, we now know why. The bigger model packs a brand new 128GB M.2 x 4 SSD from frenemy Samsung -- which owns the PCIe SSD market at the moment -- giving it a stellar max read speed of 1,285 MB/s.
Samsung's absurdly fast SSD uses virtually no standby power
Samsung has started manufacturing a PCIe (M.2) SSD that pulls off a rare trick -- it'll be the fastest drive your laptop has ever seen, while consuming almost no power in standby mode. The new SM951 SSD succeeds the Korean company's XP941, a drive that can already read data at a mind-melting 1.4 gigabytes per second (GB/s) clip. On newer laptops or desktops, its successor will shame that with 2.15 GB/s read and 1.55 GB/s write speeds (on PCIe Gen 3 tech) using new 10-nanometer-class MLC flash tech. It also sips 50 percent less power and only consumes a negligible two milliwatts in standby mode. The SSDs will come in 128, 256 and 512GB sizes, but only to major laptop and workstation manufacturers to start with. If it follows the XP941's footsteps, however, you'll be able to supercharge your own laptop later on.
Get new life out of an old Mac Pro (Updated)
You've been drooling at the video of the new Mac Pro, but realize that your chances of having enough money to buy one of the cylindrical black speedsters when they ship this fall are slim to none. Not to worry -- iMore's Peter Cohen has just the answer if you'd like to add some life to your existing Mac Pro. What Cohen wisely suggests is replacing your old Mac Pro's hard drive with a solid-state drive (SSD). He borrowed a couple of SSDs from Other World Computing (aka OWC) and put 'em through the test. The first was a SATA-based drive, the Mercury Extreme 6G (480 GB for US$549.99), while the second drive was a PCI Express-based drive called the Mercury Accelsior_E2 (up to 960 GB for $1,289.99). The Mercury Accelsior_E2 is unique in that it's a PCI Express card with an SSD built on. Cohen notes that you can upgrade the SSDs down the road, as the PCIe card-based devices have removable SSDs on them. Any Mac Pro from 2008 or later should work just fine with this drive placed into one of the two 16x slots, while 2009 and newer Mac Pro models will get the best possible performance from any slot. I won't divulge all of Cohen's test results, but let's just say that the SSDs -- especially the Mercury Accelsior_E2 -- smoked the basic hard drive in terms of performance. While the maximum capacity versions of these drives aren't exactly cheap, they're certainly less expensive than any new Mac Pro will likely be. Update: An OWC spokesperson noted that Cohen was working with incompressible data, and that using the QuickBench suite of tests, they were able to show that the Accelsior_E2 can achieve read and write speeds that are in the 671 - 686 MB/second range (see below). Since the QuickBench suite tests more day-to-day usage, those who aren't using their Mac Pro primarily for video editing or manipulation of large files will see an even better improvement in performance.
Ceton ships InfiniTV 6 PCIe tuner, crams six HD channels into a home theater PC
Ceton vowed that it would release a PCI Express equivalent of its InfiniTV 6 ETH box, and it's delivering on that promise (if belatedly) by shipping the InfiniTV 6 PCIe. The adapter still lets Windows Media Center users watch or record up to six HD cable TV channels through one CableCARD, but in a form factor that slots neatly into a dedicated home theater PC. The board is in stock at Amazon and Newegg today at its expected $299 price. While that cost puts the InfiniTV PCIe at the high end of the TV tuner spectrum, it may be worthwhile for viewers who just can't afford to miss a show.
SATA 3.2 standard finalized, promises faster and smaller storage
There's no doubt that Serial ATA storage is hitting a wall when even mainstream PCs like the MacBook Air and VAIO Pro use the PCI Express interface to get around performance bottlenecks. It's a good thing that SATA-IO just ratified the improved SATA 3.2 specification, then. The new standard centers on SATA Express, which lets SATA storage ride on the PCIe bus and more than doubles the available bandwidth to 16Gbps (2GB/s). Version 3.2 also brings support for the M.2 format, giving Ultrabooks and tablets access to SATA Express in a tiny form factor. We're already getting a peek at what the new spec can do when M.2-based PCIe drives offer comparable performance, but SATA 3.2's ratification should bring that kind of speed to many more PCs in the future.
Samsung announces 3,000 MB/s enterprise SSD, shames competition
The ink has barely dried on Samsung's last SSD announcement and the South Korean manufacturer has already made it obsolete by orders of magnitude. This 2.5-inch enterprise-class SSD isn't for us regular Joes, but if you thought the company's EVO 840's 540 MB/s was zippy, hold on to your desk chair. The newly announced NVMe SSD XS1715 reads data at a mind-numbing 3,000 MB/s. Hitting these absurd numbers isn't without a caveat, though, as this SSD won't run on a SATA-6 port -- it requires a PCIe hookup. When these speed demons do arrive, they'll be available in 400GB, 800GB and 1.6TB sizes. Oh, and we want one. For business.
Samsung makes first PCIe-based SSD for Ultrabooks, we see one likely customer
Solid-state drives are so speedy these days that even a SATA interface might not have the bandwidth to cope. It's a good thing that Samsung has started mass-producing the first PCI Express-based SSDs for Ultrabooks, then. The new XP941 series uses PCIe's wider data path to read at nearly 1.4GB/s -- that's 2.5 times faster than the quickest SATA SSDs, and nimble enough to move 500GB in six minutes. It also ships in a tinier M.2 format that makes past card-based SSDs look gargantuan, even when there's up to 512GB of storage. Samsung hasn't named laptop makers receiving the XP941, although it doesn't take strong deductive skills to spot one of the (probable) first customers. When Apple is shipping a new 13-inch MacBook Air that just happens to use a very similar PCIe SSD from Samsung, there's likely more than coincidence at work.
Broadcom intros a trio of 802.11ac WiFi chips for PCs and set-top boxes
Broadcom has focused most of its 802.11ac WiFi efforts this year on high- and low-end mobile chips. Today, it's swinging that attention back to bigger machinery like PCs and set-top boxes. The company's new BCM4350, BCM43556 and BCM43558 all carry more robust, 2 X 2 MIMO antennas that help them hit 866Mbps speeds and optimize traffic through beamforming. Any differences, Broadcom notes, revolve around everything but the WiFi. The BCM4350 carries a more PC-like set of interfaces that includes Bluetooth 4.0, PCI Express and SDIO 3.0; the BCM43558 drops the PCIe and SDIO in favor of USB 3.0, while the BCM43556 also sheds Bluetooth. Although we don't know which companies plan to use the nimbler wireless technology, it should ship to gadget makers in the second half of this year.
OCZ demos Vector SSD in even speedier PCI Express form for the pros
OCZ produced something of a surprise when its in-house Vector SSD stood well against more seasoned competition. It's proud enough of that feat that it's following up with demos of a PCI Express model for creative pros and others that may deal with exceptionally massive file transfers. The switch away from SATA isn't just cosmetic, as PC Perspective saw: PCIe gives the Vector more bandwidth and raw actions per second, on top of boosting the peak storage and reducing lag. OCZ warns us that the demo unit is a prototype and doesn't say when we might see a production model, though we'd venture that the usual PCIe storage price premium will be in effect.
mLogic's mLink Thunderbolt PCIe Mac expansion chassis now shipping for $399
After a lengthy delay, mLogic's mLink PCIe Thunderbolt expansion chassis is now up for grabs. The device branches to any Mac computer equipped with the high-speed port, allowing you to install a half-length PCIe board -- opening up a world of RAID storage, high speed networking and video capture to otherwise slotless Minis or Macbooks. The company says it's now in stock and shipping for $399, and added that it made good use of the lag time for more extensive thermal and EMI testing. A special Red Rocket model is supposed to follow along at $699 for RED cinema camera RAW video conversion duties, but if plain old 2K or HD video is good enough, hit the source to get it.
mLogic's mLink Thunderbolt chassis shipping this month, Red Rocket board version to follow
If you're still wondering how to make use of that Thunderbolt port on your computer, here's a new option. mLogic, a fairly new company that shares the same founder as G-Technology (now under HGST), is now taking orders for the $399 mLink Thunderbolt expansion chassis and will start shipping it this month. What this little box offers is the ability to connect almost any half-length PCIe card to Thunderbolt-enabled computers, so the possibility is endless -- be it for RAID storage, high-speed networking or 2K video acquisition. We noticed that the mLink was meant to launch this time last year, but CEO Roger Mabon explained to us that this massive delay was due to the unexpectedly lengthy Thunderbolt qualification process, on top of the company's further extensive thermal and EMI testing on the product, so it's confident that it now has a rock solid product. In addition to this model, mLogic is also working on a variant dubbed mLink R, which is tailored for Red's Rocket video transcode accelerator. It's currently listed for a much higher $699, but having seen the much larger Rocket chassis offered by other companies, we're certain that the better-off production crews will be happy to pay the premium in exchange for portability. Stay tuned for news on its availability. %Gallery-170772%
Micron's RealSSD P320h PCI Express SSD gets reviewed: wildly fast, but a little unstable
"Taking one's sweet time" just took on an entirely new meaning. Well over a year after Micron first introduced its RealSSD P320h PCI Express SSD, the aforesaid device is finally hitting the general availability stage. And with that, the flood of reviews begins. What sets this guy apart right out of the box is its native stature; much like Fusion-io (and very unlike most all other rivals from OCZ, Intel, LSI, etc.), this thing sidesteps the mishmash of SATA / SAS controllers and opts for a direct-attached PCIe approach. At around $7,000, it's clearly aimed first at enterprise, but given Micron's history in the consumer space, one could assume that this kind of wizardry will eventually trickle down. The fine folks over at HotHardware found their tester to be shockingly quick, easily outpacing its rivals when it came to read and write performance. Unfortunately, the Windows drivers provided weren't exactly mature, which led to a few booting issues when swapping in varying motherboards. Of course, no one ever said the Ferrari of PCIe SSDs would purr without a bit of finagling. Hit up the links below for the full spiel.
Netstor rolls out Thunderbolt-powered PCIe and storage expansion options for Macs
We can sympathize -- your task-master Mac is hurting for PCIe expansion and more storage. Fortunately, Netstor has just announced several new products to boost your computer's ego and add either item via those newly christened Thunderbolt ports. The TurboBox NA211TB will lend three extra PCIe slots to any Mac that has the 10Gb/s port, while the NS780TB Desktop Storage will use it to bolt on 16 bays of disk storage. The company's rackmounted NA333TB Mac Mini Server, meanwhile, gives you 16 removable storage bays along with most RAID array options, and the aforementioned PCIe upgrade integrated to boot. Shipping dates and pricing weren't announced, but if you're looking to transform that Macbook Air into a video-editing behemoth, you may want to check all three options at the source.
ASUS offers Thunderbolt upgrade card for some 7-series motherboards
Want to have your mobo cake now and eat the Thunderbolt later? ASUS is there for you with its new Thunderbolt EX Upgrade card -- as long as you buy, or have bought, certain of its 7-series motherboards. The supported models have a "unique system link connector" to cable to the upgrade card, which will gobble up one of your PCIe x4 slots and use a DisplayPort to serve up the 'bolt. So if you don't feel like laying the cash down now and don't mind giving up ports later, pass-through the break to see which models will work.
AMD announces 900MHz version of the Radeon HD 7750, calls it 'the other 7750'
The original Radeon HD 7750 won plaudits for its low-wattage performance and $109 price tag, but now AMD's decided to put out an additional version with 100MHz more clock whizz. The new card also happens to be called the Radeon HD 7750, and it'll sit alongside its doppelganger on the shelves of the world's computer stores just daring you spot the difference. How will you do that? By checking if it requires a separate power supply: the original 7750 was powered entirely through the PCIe slot, limiting its power to 75W and hence its clock speed to 800MHz, while the new one accepts additional power to deliver slightly more grunt and stay ahead of looming competition from NVIDIA. XFX has already jumped aboard with the 7750 Black Edition Double Dissipation priced at $115 after a rebate, and AnandTech says other vendors will follow suit. So, unless you're totally out of power jacks, you know what to look for. Image courtesy of Newegg.
Intel's PCI-E 910-Series SSD reviewed: blazing fast, even under pressure
Intel's not one to mess around when it storms a new market, and its jump into enterprise-level PCI Express SSD seemed no exception. Now, a full review by Hot Hardware of its 400GB ($1,929) and 800GB ($3,859) 910-series confirms that while not as stupid-fast as some, the 2 GB/s read and 1 GB/s write speeds are still sublime. On top of that, throughput holds steady even when the device is besieged by thousands of IO demands. A lack of bootability and on-board RAID were complaints, but these SSDs are intended for datacenters, not your gaming PC. And for its target market, the lowish $4.82 price per GB and chart-topping 14 Petabyte max endurance are also endearing qualities. Given its history of SSD reliability, Intel is bound to draw a crowd of corporate admirers to its 910 series -- even though it's fashionably late to the boardroom.
