With the same capacity, higher speeds and assembly without additional cables, the combination of NVM Express and M.2 connection has become the obvious choice for fast storage in both desktop and laptop computers. Intel’s and AMD’s latest processor platforms also open the door to PCI Express 5.0, which raises the theoretical bar for such SSDs to 16 GB/s.
The first models only peak at around 12GB/s, but fortunately there are currently few uses that benefit from this – even fewer where the sky-high limit is a problem. For those who want to chase the highest storage speeds, Asrock now provides a solution with the fast name Blazing Quad. In short, it’s a plug-in card for four PCI Express 5.0 storage devices, which connects to a PCI Express 5.0 x16 connector for full speed.
The creative manufacturer has previously launched similar products for SSD drives according to PCI Express 4.0 and PCI Express 3.0. The Blazing Quad is 244 millimeters long, 126 millimeters wide and occupies one card slot. Under the black-grey cover is an aluminum heatsink. With the current version, the card’s beefy heatsink and two fans out to play a role seriously, since the fresh units have relatively high heat development.
The four M.2 slots are angled 45 degrees to partly shorten the cable paths, partly to make room for M.2 devices with a maximum length of 110 millimeters (22110 and 25110). Of course, the commonly used 2280 variants can also be accommodated. All storage locations are equipped with heating pads on both the top and bottom, and on the back edge the plug-in card has four indicator lights that show activity.
The Blazing Quad works with any computer equipped with a PCI Express 5.0 x16 connection, but the list of requirements also includes a free 6-pin PCI Express connector for power supply as well as a 4-pin PWM connector to control the two fans. It’s clear that Asrock has its sights set on the top performance segment, as the plug-in card comes with the company’s W790 motherboard for Intel’s latest Xeon series. The model is also sold loose in some areas, but the price is unknown at the time of writing.
Can you imagine a plug-in card for M.2 storage? Tell us in the comment thread!
