storage News - Page 2 of 15 - CNX Software

July 17, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

P250Q-M80 M.2 NVMe SSD supports one-click data destruction by software or hardware (smoke involved)

Team Group P250Q-M80 is a PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 SSD with up to 2TB capacity and a rather unique feature: one-click data destruction with software or hardware method. If you press a button for 5 to 10 seconds, the software method is triggered, and the SSD automatically wipes out all data. A longer 10-second or over press triggers the hardware method, which applies high voltage to the SSD to self-destruct a la Mission: Impossible with smoke and all. P250Q-M80 specifications: Host Interface – PCIe Gen4 x4, M-Key Flash Type – 3D TLC Capacity – 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB Sequential R/W – Up to 7,000 / 5,500MB/s Features – TRIM and SMART support; no thermal sensor, no external DRAM buffer Max. Power consumption – 1358mA @ 3.3V Dimensions – 80 x 22 x 3.5 mm Temperature Range – Operating: 0°C to +70°C; storage: -55°C to +95°C Humidity – 5% ~ […]

July 14, 2025July 14, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Waveshare SATA HAT+ adds two SATA 3.0 ports to Raspberry Pi 5

Waveshare PCIe TO 2-CH SATA HAT+ is a dual-channel PCIe FFC to SATA 3.0 HAT+ board for the Raspberry Pi 5, which offers a low-cost alternative to the Radxa Penta SATA HAT with support for up to five SATA drives. The HAT+ is compliant with the SATA Gen3 and PCIe Gen2 standards and features onboard dual LED indicators for monitoring drive activity. Additionally, it includes an EEPROM for storing HAT+ ID and product information. It can be used for simpler DIY NAS setups or Pi-based media servers. Waveshare PCIe TO 2-CH SATA HAT+ specification: Compatibility – Designed for Raspberry Pi 5 Storage – Onboard EEPROM for HAT+ ID and product info SATA Ports – 2x SATA 3.0 (6Gbps) channels via JMB582 PCIe Gen3 x1 to 2x SATA controller Host Interface – PCIe Gen3 x1 via 16-pin PCIe FFC connector Misc 40-pin header with exposed RPi GPIOs (not used directly by the HAT, […]

June 26, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Topton N18 NAS mini-ITX motherboard ships with Intel N150 or Core i3-N305 SoC, offers 6x SATA, 10GbE, 2x 2.5GbE

Topton N18 is a mini-ITX motherboard powered by either an Intel Processor N150 Twin Lake CPU or a Core i3-N305 Alder Lake-N SoC, and suitable for NAS and networking applications with six SATA ports, a 10GbE RJ45 port, and two 2.5GbE jacks. The motherboard also features a DDR5 SO-DIMM socket for up to 64GB memory, two M.2 PCIe sockets for NVMe SSD storage, HDMI and DisplayPort video output, and up to eight USB ports via ports and internal headers. Topton N18 specifications: SoC (one or the other) Intel Processor N150 quad-core Twin Lake processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1.0 GHz; TDP: 6W Intel Core i3-N305 octa-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.8 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 32EU Intel UHD Graphics @ 1.25 GHz; TDP: 15W System Memory – Single-channel DDR5 SO-DIMM slot fitted with up to 32GB RAM; upgradeable to 64GB […]

June 10, 2025June 11, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 15 Comments

Adapter allows users to connect an M.2 NVMe SSD to a microSD Express card slot

The SD Association released the SD 7.1 standard with support for cards compliant with the microSD Express standard, enabling SSD-like performance on microSD cards by using a PCIe/NVMe interface, and more recent updates to the standard even enable speeds of up to 2GB/s. Saying that adoption has been slow would be an understatement, but things have changed recently, thanks to the introduction of the Nintendo Switch 2 portable game console, the first mainstream device to support the new standard. NVNT has had fun with it by designing a microSD Express to M.2 NVMe adapter (SDEX2M2) for the Nintendo Switch 2 or other devices supporting the microSD Express standard. The board design is pretty simple because it simply routes the PCIe signals from an M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD to the microSD Express connector. Three components can be found on the board: an M.2 2230 M-socket, a 220Ω ferrite bead, and an […]

June 8, 2025November 16, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

ZimaBoard 2 Review – Part 2: An Intel N150 micro server and mini PC tested with ZimaOS, Ubuntu 24.04

We’ve already checked out the hardware of the ZimaBoard 2 micro server in the first part of the review with an unboxing and a teardown of the Intel N150 mini PC, followed by a first boot to ZimaOS and a walk-through of the web dashboard to see what features it had to offer. I’ve now connected two SATA drives to the ZimaBoard 2 and done further testing with ZimaOS, notably checking system information and testing storage and networking performance. I also installed Ubuntu 24.04 on the ZimaBoard 2 for further testing for people preferring to use the system as a mini PC with SATA storage. ZimaOS v1.4.1 update When I connected to the web dashboard again, there was a new update for ZimaOS v1.4.1. Before and after the update is completed, I was shown the change log with new features like a scheduled shutdown function and a list of bug […]

May 23, 2025May 23, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Apacer PT25R-Pi HAT SSD for Raspberry Pi 5 integrates 60GB to 480GB BGA SSD, supports CoreSnapshot 2 Backup and Recovery function

Apacer PT25R-Pi HAT SSD is an upcoming HAT for the Raspberry Pi 5 or compatible SBCs with a PCIe FFC connector that integrates a BGA SSD chip with 60 GB to 480GB capacity, and supports advanced features like CoreSnapshot 2 backup and recovery solution, write protect, instant keychange for improved security, and power loss protection. We’ve already seen many Raspberry Pi HATs for NVMe SSDs, but those are typically designed for M.2 SSD modules. The PT25R-Pi HAT SSD comes with built-in storage on the HAT, so it’s basically plug-and-play, and all the user has to do is install the HAT and connect the cable. Apacer PT25R-Pi / PT25R-Pi+ HAT SSD specifications (preliminary): Storage – Built-in 60GB to 480GB SSD chip Connection to Raspberry Pi 5 40-pin GPIO header 16-pin Raspberry Pi FFC connector limited to PCIe Gen2 x1 for optimized power usage Advanced features Optional support for CoreSnapshot 2 backup […]

May 15, 2025June 8, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

ZimaBoard 2 micro server review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and ZimaOS interface

We’ve just received a review sample of the ZimaBoard 2 micro server and mini PC powered by an Intel Processor N150 “Twin Lake” CPU. The system features two 2.5 Gbps Ethernet ports, two SATA III ports, two USB 3.1 ports, and a miniDP video port supporting 4K resolution. IceWhale Technology provided us with the ZimaBoard 2 model 832 prototype with 8GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash preloaded with the ZimaOS operating system for review. In this article, we will unbox the device and its accessories, perform a teardown, and boot the micro server with the pre-installed ZimaOS and check the web dashboard. In the second part of the review, we will test ZimaOS in more detail, run some benchmarks since it’s our first Twin Lake mini PC, install an Ubuntu virtual machine, test the SATA ports and PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, and more. ZimaBoard 2 unboxing We received a package […]

May 10, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 19 Comments

Beelink ME Mini is a compact 6-slot SSD NAS and mini PC powered by an Intel N150 Twin Lake SoC

Beelink was one of the first companies to launch an Intel Processor N150 mini PC with the EQ14 model, and they’ve now launched the ME Mini 6-slot SSD NAS based on the Twin Lake processor, coupled with 12 GB RAM, 64GB eMMC flash, and a 2TB NVMe SSD. The compact NAS/computer also features two 2.5GbE ports, a WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless module, HDMI 2.0 video output, and a few USB ports. Like the Beelink EQ14, it comes with an integrated 100/240V power supply instead of an external power brick. Beelink ME Mini specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N150 quad-core Twin Lake processor @ up to 3.6 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel UHD graphics @ 1.0 GHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – 12GB LPDDR5 4800 MHz; note: a 16GB LPDDR5 model will also be available Storage 5x M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 x1 sockets 1x M.2 2280 PCIe 3.0 […]