storage News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

January 22, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

TerraMaster D1 SSD Pro – A Thunderbolt 5 fanless SSD enclosure with 80Gbps bandwidth, 7GB/s practical performance

TerraMaster D1 SSD Pro connected to MAC Mini

TerraMaster has recently launched the D1 SSD Pro Thunderbolt 5 fanless enclosure, an update to the previous Thunderbolt 4-based TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus. The new version features an 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 port, supports M.2 2280 NVMe SSDs with up to 8TB capacity, and has been tested at up to 7,061MB/s read and 6,816MB/s write speeds, nearly doubling Thunderbolt 4 performance. The enclosure uses a fanless, CNC-machined aluminum design that enables silent operation through passive heat dissipation. It also features smart LED indicators for connection speed, and offers compatibility with Thunderbolt 5/4/3, USB4, and USB 3.2 across Windows, macOS, and Linux, including boot support on macOS. With various protection features (short-circuit, surge, ESD) and a compact, rugged design, it is suited for 8K/4K video editors, power MacBook users, gamers who need real-time editing, ultra-fast transfers, and reliable external boot or workspace storage. TerraMaster D1 SSD Pro specifications Performance (claimed) – Up […]

December 11, 2025December 11, 2025 by Debashis Das - 7 Comments

Up to 16-core AMD EPYC Embedded 2005 Series Zen 5 processors support up 28 PCIe Gen5 lanes, offer 10-year availability

AMD EPYC Embedded 2005 Series Processors

After the release of the high-performance EPYC Embedded 9005, AMD has now introduced the EPYC Embedded 2005 Series, a mid-range processor family also based on the “Zen 5” architecture and designed for space-constrained networking, storage, and industrial edge applications. The new SoCs feature up to 16 cores (32 threads) with 64 MB L3 cache, support dual-channel DDR5-5600 memory with ECC, and offer 28 lanes of PCIe Gen5 connectivity. It also supports advanced RAS capabilities, BMC, PCIe Hot Plug, multi-SPI ROM, and AMD Infinity Guard security. The processors come in a compact 40 x 40mm BGA package, which, according to AMD, is up to 2.4x smaller than competing enterprise solutions (Intel Xeon 6500P-B). Yet, they are designed for 24/7 operation, with up to 10 years of availability with full open-source software support. These features make it suitable for networking switches/routers, cold storage systems, aerospace, robotics, and other high-reliability embedded infrastructure. EPYC […]

November 24, 2025November 23, 2025 by Debashis Das - 5 Comments

Waveshare’s updated Raspberry Pi 5 dual micro HDMI to HDMI adapter adds NVMe storage support

Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe To M.2 Multifunctional Adapter

Waveshare has recently released the Pi5 Connector Adapter (C), an upgraded version of its earlier Pi5 Connector Adapter, adding support for M.2 NVMe SSDs and enabling direct OS booting from an SSD. The board connects to the Raspberry Pi 5 via its 16-pin PCIe interface and supports M.2 NVMe SSDs in 2230/2242 sizes with PCIe Gen2/Gen3 speeds. It also converts the Pi’s micro HDMI ports into full-size HDMI connectors and brings all ports on one side next to the USB and Ethernet ports of the SBC. It offers two methods for power: a USB-C input or a screw-terminal supply. Pi5 Connector Adapter (C) specifications: Supported SBC – Raspberry Pi 5 (it can support the Raspberry Pi 4B too, but the SSD functionality will not work) Storage – M.2 M-key 2230 / 2242 socket for NVMe SSD (support direct OS boot) Display – 2x HDMI outputs via 2x micro HDMI input […]

October 29, 2025December 17, 2025 by Debashis Das - 6 Comments

TerraMaster launches Intel N150 NAS systems with 5GbE networking, AI photo recognition

TerraMaster F4 425 Plus and F2 425 Plus Intel N150 Hybrid NAS

TerraMaster F4-425 Plus (4-bay) and F2-425 Plus (2-bay) hybrid AI NAS systems are upgrades to the earlier Intel N95-based F4-424 and F2-424 NAS systems with an Intel N150 processor, dual 5GbE ports (up from 2.5GbE), and up to three M.2 SSD slots for up to 144TB of hybrid storage. Both models feature DDR5 memory (up to 16GB), 4K/8K video transcoding, and support TerraMaster’s TRAID technology for improved performance and data redundancy. They also offer USB expansion options and quiet cooling, making them NAS solutions suitable for home and business use. TerraMaster F4-425 Plus and F2-425 Plus specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N150 CPU – Quad-core “Twin Lake” processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache GPU – 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1000 MHz Hardware transcoding F4-425 Plus – H.264, H.265, MPEG-4, VC-1 up to 8K@60fps F2-425 Plus – H.264, H.265, MPEG-4, VC-1 up to 4K@60fps TDP – 6W to […]

September 4, 2025September 4, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 16 Comments

Review of TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus Thunderbolt 4/USB4 NVMe SSD enclosure

TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus USB4 NVMe SSD enclosure review

TerraMaster has sent me the D1 SSD Plus portable SSD enclosure for review, and helped me get a 2TB WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD for testing, since the PCIe Gen4 x4 storage device reached up 7,300 MB/s to sequential read speeds, and 6,600 MB/s sequential write speeds, well beyond the 40Gbps capabilities of the enclosure. I had reviewed two ORICO NVMe enclosures previously, namely the ORICO COM2-T3 and ORICO M234C3-U4, which were both based on an Intel JH7440 Thunderbolt 3 chip. I tested the COM2-T3 up to 3166.71 MB/s with a fast SSD, but TerraMaster claims up to 3,853MB/s sequential read speed and 3,707 MB/s sequential write speed with a 4TB Samsung 990 PRO SSD, while connected to an Apple M4 Pro Mac mini (MacOS version 15.3.2) using AJA System Test software. So I thought it might be a good idea to give it a try. TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus unboxing […]

August 18, 2025August 17, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

BIWIN Mini SSD offers an alternative to the microSD Express standard

There’s now an alternative to microSD Express if you want ultra-fast storage in a tiny form factor. Meet BIWIN Mini SSD storage with a size (17x15mm) only slightly bigger than a microSD Card and a read speed of up to 3700 MB/s. The new Mini SSD form factor was introduced at Embedded World 2025 last March, but it only recently got some news coverage as mini SSD slots will be found in the upcoming GPD Win 5 handheld gaming PC and ONEXPLAYER Super X gaming tablet. BIWIN Mini SSD highlights: 3D TLC NAND technology Integrates the controller and flash memory modules Interface – PCIe Gen4x2 with NVMe 1.4 protocol Read speeds up to 3700 MB/s Write speeds up to 3400 MB/s Capacity – 512 GB to 2 TB Features – Dynamic SLC caching, wear leveling, TRIM, and garbage collection Dimensions – 17 x 15 x 1.4mm; note: a microSD card measures 15 […]

August 1, 2025August 1, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

microSD-express Pi Adapter is an ultra-small microSD Express adapter for the Raspberry Pi 5

Tiny microSD Express adapter for Raspberry Pi 5

We’ve just written about Will Whang’s RPI5-SDexpress-Hat board, which adds a microSD Express slot to the Raspberry Pi 5, but it’s not that small, and it’s using the 40-pin GPIO for power, so it’s not convenient if you want to install another Raspberry Pi HAT+. Vassily Petrov’s “microSD-express Pi Adapter” is a much smaller microSD Express adapter on a flexible PCB that plugs directly into the PCIe FFC connector and nothing else, driving power from the PCIe connector only. There’s not much on the PCB itself besides a microSD Express card slot and a Microchip MIC2230 800mA/800mA step-down DC/DC regulator. We’re told speeds of up to 800 MB/s are achievable, limited by the PCIe Gen3 x1 interface on the Pi 5 itself. For reference, the RPI5-SDexpress-Hat was tested at about 600 MB/s for sequential reads and under 200MB/s for sequential writes using a 256GB Samsung microSD Express card. A worry […]

July 28, 2025July 28, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

Raspberry Pi 5 gets a microSD Express HAT

Will Whang’s RPI5-SDexpress-Hat is a small HAT+ for the Raspberry Pi 5, adding a microSD Express card slot for ultrafast storage, an eject button, and two Qwiic connectors, probably because there was still some spare space on the board… As a reminder, microSD Express cards can deliver SSD performance thanks to the use of of PCIe interface and NVMe commands. The standard was first introduced in 2019, and even earlier (2018) for full-size SD cards, but manufacturers have not exactly rushed to release compatible hardware. A major change this year is the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 portable game console, one of the first mass market devices with a microSD Express slot, and this was partially why Will created the microSD Express HAT+ for the Raspberry Pi 5. RPI5-SDexpress-Hat board specifications: MCU – WCH CH32V003 RISC-V microcontroller for hotplugging and unmount Host interface – PCIe Gen3 x1 FFC connector […]