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Sep 26, 2023

Adata shows off 14GB/s SSD with enormous liquid cooling system at Computex

WTF?! Solid-state drives with PCIe 5.0 interfaces boast incredible read/write

WTF?! Solid-state drives with PCIe 5.0 interfaces boast incredible read/write speeds, and at least one has showcased a mammoth passive heatsink. Now Adata is taking things to a new level at Computex. One of its newest SSDs pushes top-of-the-line transfer rates with an unprecedented liquid cooler.

Adata unveiled the NeonStorm NVMe SSD at Computex with a liquid cooler that needs to be seen to be believed. The water cooling system that dwarfs the drive helps it maintain sequential read and write speeds of up to 14GB/s and 12GB/s, respectively – impressive even compared to other already blazing-fast PCIe 5.0 SSDs.

The company's exhibit details several components of the elaborate cooler. A transparent casing absorbs heat using a coolant. An aluminum alloy tube inside efficiently transfers heat between air and liquid cooling, while two fans on either side dissipate heat. All these components sit atop a heat spreader and thermal gasket, which enhance radiation and minimize thermal resistance. Adata claims its impressive-looking setup outperforms traditional SSD heatsinks by 20 percent.

To achieve enterprise-level performance, the NeonStorm's blistering read/write speed requires a Silicon Motion NVMe 2.0-compliant SM2508 controller. It can read and write up to two million iOPS and will be available in capacities up to 8TB when it launches later this year.

Although the NeonStorm is a new step for SSD coolers, Adata isn't the first to slam a giant heatsink on an NVMe. Gigabyte's Aorus PCIe 5.0 drive features a passive cooler that similarly dwarfs the drive itself. However, it only achieves more typical PCIe 5.0 speeds of 10GB/s sequential read and 9.5GB/s sequential write.

Despite how hard it often is to fit SSD heatsinks into complete builds, tests have shown how necessary they are to maintain top performance. Without cooling, Crucial's T700 collapses from its incredible 12.3GB/s sequential read to HDD-like speeds of around 101MB/s.

Accompanying the NeonStorm at Computex are two more reasonable-looking but impressive SSDs from Adata. The Legend 970, with its Phison E26-series controller, pushes 10GB/s in both directions and will come in 1TB or 2TB variants. Its heatsink is more standard-sized but still unique, with a fan that pushes and pulls air through multiple sides of the unit. Mass production begins in late June. Meanwhile, the company's SE920 external SSD manages 3.8/3.2GB/s read/write speeds through USB4. Like the Legend 970, it also includes a micro fan. The heat spreader and extendable chassis also help to dissipate heat.

Masthead image: Tom's Hardware