We’re solely simply beginning to see SSDs that push the boundaries of the PCIe 5.0 interface, however work on next-gen drives is already underway, with guarantees of speeds of up to an enormous 28GB/s. That is practically twice as quick because the WD Black SN8100, and it is due to a brand new PCIe 6.0 SSD controller that is simply been introduced by Silicon Movement.
Now, don’t be concerned when you’ve already purchased a WD Black SN8100 on your gaming rig – it is not going to be out of date anytime quickly. The truth is, the top of Silicon Movement has already talked about that it is prone to be at the very least 5 years earlier than we see a PCIe 6.0 SSD sitting amongst your ordinary PC gaming {hardware}. This controller is at the moment solely focused on the enterprise market, however cutting-edge storage {hardware} within the enterprise world typically filters all the way down to gaming gear in some unspecified time in the future, notably with regards to high-speed SSDs.
The brand new controller known as the Silicon Movement SM8466, and tech website IT House stories that it was unveiled on the FMW 2025 World Flash Reminiscence Summit. In keeping with a slide shared by the location (a machine-translated model is proven under), the brand new controller allows an SSD to hit a sequential learn pace of 28GB/s. As a degree of comparability, the WD Black SN8100, which is the quickest drive on our information to purchasing the perfect gaming SSD, tops out at 14.9GB/s, so PCIe 6.0 drives based mostly on this controller might find yourself being practically twice as quick.
The slide additionally states that the controller is constructed utilizing TSMC’s 4nm manufacturing course of, which is extra superior than the 6nm used to make the present SM2508 controller, utilizing smaller transistors. In keeping with the slide, the controller may even assist an unlimited capability of as much as 512TB, though it is not possible we’ll ever see PCIe 6.0 gaming SSDs assist something like this degree of capability.
Unsurprisingly, this controller is not designed for the M.2 type issue both, with Silicon Movement saying it helps the SCSI SCA interface, which is designed for high-performance enterprise drives which are typically housed in giant metallic instances.
Nonetheless, this can be a glimpse of the potential way forward for gaming storage. I do not count on to see a PCIe 6.0 gaming SSD anytime within the close to future, particularly given the warmth they’re prone to generate, however the expertise wanted to make a high-speed PCIe 6.0 SSD is certainly on the way in which now.
Within the meantime, try our new Essential T710 evaluation, the place we benchmark Essential’s newest flagship drive, in addition to our full tutorial on set up an SSD, when you’re pondering of upgrading your storage.
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