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Tom's Hardware reviewed TeamGroup's GA Pro 2TB SSD, a PCIe 5.0 drive built on an InnoGrit IG5666 controller with DRAM and YMTC 232-layer TLC memory, priced at $331.99. The outlet found the drive ran hot and delivered inefficient, generally low performance despite some decent results at QD8 and acceptable steady-state write speeds, prompting it to retest and contact TeamGroup about the results.
Amazon is selling the 13-inch MacBook Air configured with Apple's M5 chip, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD for $1,349, a $250 reduction from its list price. The retailer says this matches the lowest price the configuration has reached since June.
A guide outlines how to reuse a solid-state drive removed from an old or upgraded laptop by placing it into an external enclosure, turning it into a fast USB storage device. It notes that removal is only possible on laptops where the SSD isn't soldered to the logic board, as is common with Apple's MacBooks, and that buyers need an enclosure matching their drive's form factor, either 2.5-inch SATA or M.2 NVMe.
Corsair has discounted its MP700 Pro SE 4TB Gen 5 SSD by $180, bringing the price down to about 14.5 cents per gigabyte. The drive, which launched near $650, offers improved read/write speeds and endurance over the standard MP700 Pro, along with a five-year warranty and 8GB of LPDDR4 DRAM at this capacity.
Amid an ongoing chip shortage dubbed 'RAMageddon,' memory, processors and graphics cards have seen steep price increases, while hard disk drives and solid-state drives have so far been comparatively insulated. Storage prices are still climbing, but industry signals suggest the worst pressure on HDDs and SSDs may ease over time rather than persist indefinitely.
Biwin has launched the M560, a PCIe 5.0 DRAM-less SSD built around the SMI SM2504XT controller paired with 218-layer BiCS8 TLC memory from Kioxia. The drive is available in 1TB ($189.99) and 2TB ($364.99) capacities, rated up to 11,000 MB/s sequential read and 10,000 MB/s sequential write, with a 5-year warranty and endurance ratings of 750TB and 1,500TB respectively.
Apple's new touchscreen MacBook Pro starts at $2,899, but a fully configured 16-inch model with the M5 Max chip, 128GB memory, and a 16TB SSD reaches $14,549, according to MacRumors' analysis of Apple's online configurator. The 14-inch equivalent tops out at $14,249. Preorders begin October 30, with units shipping November 6.
Samsung has released its first USB4 external drive, the Portable SSD P9, available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 8TB capacities with rated sequential speeds up to 4,000 MB/s read and 3,800 MB/s write. The 2TB model tested costs $649, with the 1TB starting at $339 and the 8TB model priced at $2,879.
Newegg is offering a four-part PC component bundle including AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, 32GB of DDR5 RAM, a Gigabyte X870E motherboard and a 2TB SSD for $1,180.99, a $358.99 discount off combined individual pricing. The deal also includes a free MSI MAG Coreliquid A13 240mm AIO cooler and a year of McAfee software.
External USB drives connected to a PlayStation 5 can archive PS4 and PS5 game installs, store screenshots and video clips, and transfer media to a computer, though not all functions work simultaneously on one drive. Game archiving requires a USB 5 Gbps (USB 3.0) drive between 250GB and 8TB, formatted specifically as USB Extended Storage, which erases existing data and can't be used with a hub. Screenshots and clips instead require a standard exFAT or FAT32 formatted drive, meaning separate drives are needed for games versus media.
Developer S-Game published official PC system requirements for Phantom Blade Zero ahead of launch. The game needs 145GB of free SSD space once installed, but preloading before launch temporarily requires 300GB due to unlock-process temp files. Both minimum (GTX 1660/RX 5500 XT) and recommended (RTX 3060 Ti/RX 6700 XT) specs rely on unspecified upscaling to hit their listed resolutions and framerates.
Amazon is selling Samsung's recently launched 990 M.2 SSD in its 2TB capacity for $329, down from its $529 list price. The 990 is a QLC-based drive built on Samsung's PiccoloQ controller and V9 flash, positioned below the 990 Pro and Gen 5 9100 Pro. Amazon is also discounting the 990 Pro 2TB to $409 and the Gen 5 9100 Pro 2TB to $415.