Hello

To understand why NVMe products are in demand, we must first understand its origins. Legacy interfaces between the processor and storage device did not take into account performance-orientated storage such as flash. Interfaces were originally designed to work with hard disk drives (HDDs), which were relatively slow and did not require high-performance circuits. As a result, there was a bottleneck period with storage. 

The solution is born

In March 2011, the NVMe specifications were developed by the NVM Express Workgroup, which consisted of more than 90 companies. Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) enables the communication between the processor and the storage device to occur quickly. It took some time for NVMe to emerge in the market, but it is now common technology. In 2020, the global NVMe market was valued at approximately $44.6 billion and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.7%, leading to a valuation of $163.5 billion by 2025. The major driving factors of the market include increased adoption of NVMe technologies in SSDs, servers, and in storage. 

NVMe was designed to take advantage of flash capability, and it provides a performance upgrade compared to SATA interfaces, for example. SATA interfaces are compatible with hard disk performance, but it is not enough to support flash performance.

What are the main benefits of NVMe?

The design of NVMe offers numerous advantages over other interfaces. NVMe has lower IO latency because of improved drivers, allowing for an increase in the number of queues and commands in a queue. NVMe technology has lower CPU overhead with handling IO, allowing for more cycles by other computations. It also has improved bandwidth and takes advantage of fast PCIe interfaces. 

Origin Storage NVMe

NVMe by Origin Storage

Origin Storage offers a range of NVMe products that will supercharge your organisation’s IT. The Origin Storage Inception E840 Pro NVMe External USB-C SSD allows you to quickly and easily add storage to PCs or Macs. The embedded PCIe NVMe technology facilitates sequential read/write speeds of up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s respectively. Combined with the incredible speed of USB 3.2 Gen 2, you can transfer large files in seconds rather than minutes. The sleek aluminium body of the device allows for effective cooling of internal components to reduce thermal throttling, allowing you to transfer files without reduced speeds. Contact us today by calling +44 (0) 844 288 686 or emailing us at [email protected] to learn more about the device and place your order.

Additionally, the Origin Storage Inception TLC830 Pro Series 256GB NVMe is 100% compatible as a replacement or upgrade for storage solutions. Also, the device will not invalidate OEM warranty.

The future of NVMe Storage

The migration to SSDs using flash as the primary storage device is a major break from the prior dominance of rotating devices. The NVMe architecture that is specifically designed to support SSDs, and future technologies that are currently being developed, has a very bright future. Flash storage allows the creation of new, innovative technologies that will enable processors to become even more powerful following Moore’s Law.

Solid-state drives (SSD) are storage devices that use flash memory to deliver high performance and durability. Additionally, SSDs have no moving parts, run cooler and use less energy in the process. They allow for faster loading times for applications and games and can withstand more movement than HDDs (hard disk drive). However, there is a price to pay for their superior performance. SSDs are a newer technology, and, as a result, they are more expensive than HDDs. We’ll explore the origins of the SSD and how the technology has changed since its inception.

The origins of SSDs

The development of SSDs started with two similar technologies: magnetic core memory and card capacitor read-only storage. These memory solutions emerged during the time of vacuum-tube computers – think the Enigma machine, which the codebreakers used at Bletchley Park to crack the German codes during the Second World War.

Fast-forward to the late 1970s and 1980s, and SSDs were used in early supercomputers, but they were extremely expensive. The drive for faster, cheaper memory led to innovation in the market. In 1976, Dataram introduced the world’s first SSD, the Bulk Core. The drive was approximately the size of a microwave and contained 2MB of storage. This is a tiny amount of storage by today’s standards but was an impressive amount of memory at the time.

Commercial flash-based SSD 

The first commercial flash-based SSD was introduced in 1991 by SanDisk. The SSD was used in IBM’s ThinkPad pen computer, which had a capacity of 20MB and sold for around $1,000. Ten years later, SanDisk and Toshiba launched the world’s first commercial NANDS MLC 1GB chip, driving the cost of SSD solutions down by 50,000x while increasing chip density by 32,000x.

SSDs became affordable for the average person in the early 2000s, when products such as SanDisk and Motorola’s microSDTM became the fastest growing form factor globally, with five million cards shipped in its first year. In the early 2000s, commercial SSDs were still expensive, costing as much as a powerful laptop or a basic car. 2010 was a pivotal year as the mass adoption of SSDs began. Apple started using SSDs in its MacBooks as its standard option rather than a luxury upgrade. 

NVMe changes the game

The NVMe specifications were developed by the NVM Express Workgroup, which consisted of 90 companies. NVMe delivers faster access and consumes less power, reducing running costs for users. The beauty of NVMe is that it is futureproofed; its capabilities are extendable to work with technologies that do not exist yet. 

Speed up your storage with the Origin Storage Inception E840 PRO NVMe

Looking for SSD which will speed up your storage? Quickly and easily add storage to your PC or Mac with the Origin InceptionE840 Pro NVMe SSD. The embedded PCIe NVMe technology facilitates sequential read/write speeds of up to 1,050/1,000 MB/s respectively, and combined with the amazing speed of USB 3.2 Gen 2, you can transfer large files in seconds. The sleek aluminium body allows for effective cooling of the internal components to reduce thermal throttling, enabling you to transfer files without fear of speeds dropping.

If you’d like to learn more about our SSD solutions, please get in touch with us today. A member of our team would be happy to help you. Alternatively, you can use the Memory Configurator to find the right solutions for your organisation.

Is your computer running slowly? Or perhaps it keeps crashing? You might need to upgrade your memory. Maybe your files are also saving slower than usual? Are you receiving read-only errors? These are signs you need to replace your SSD. 

Why not upgrade your RAM and SSD at the same time? Discussions often revolve around whether you should upgrade your memory or SSD, but upgrading at the same time has a range of benefits.

Why should you upgrade your RAM?

A RAM upgrade is one of the easiest and most accessible ways to upgrade your PC as it delivers an instant performance boost. If your device is slowing down, a RAM upgrade may be necessary. Suppose you’re finding that your device is struggling to cope with running several programs at once. In that case, a RAM upgrade will allow you to use more programs at once, browse faster, see a boost in network capabilities, and have a better gaming experience. If you want to have a significant boost to your browsing capabilities, photo-editing and mid-range gaming, we’d recommend an upgrade to 8GB RAM. If you’re planning to run more intensive programs that require some serious computing power, 16GB might be more suitable. The more RAM, the better.

Why should you upgrade your SSD?

If your device is booting up slowly, struggles to open a new program, or finds moving files around difficult, an SSD upgrade is recommended. SSDs also have a range of benefits which mean they are a better option than an HDD. If you’re conscious about how much power your device uses, an SSD uses less power than an HDD and does not contain any moving parts that may mean the device is more susceptible to breaking. Additionally, SSDs are quieter to run, typically have a longer lifespan than HDDs, sometimes two to three times longer due to their shock resistance.

The main benefit of upgrading both the RAM and the SSD simultaneously is the boost in performance in terms of speed and efficiency. If your device is struggling, upgrading the RAM and SSD will improve performance significantly and saves you the task of opening up your device twice.

Upgrade your device with Origin Storage

We offer a wide range of RAM and SSDs which are 100% compatible and do not invalidate OEM warranty. You can browse our various memory solutions here. Alternatively, don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to discuss your requirements in more detail. Please email us at [email protected] or call us on +44 (0) 844 288 6868, and a member of our experienced team will be available to assist you.

Upgrades and Repairs Service

If you want to upgrade devices but you’re unsure where to start, you might want to consider using our Upgrades and Repairs Service. As well as upgrading RAM and SSDs, we can also replace laptop screens and keyboards, giving your device a much-needed refresh. We have a purpose-built upgrade facility where our technicians will work with your system using compatible products. Additionally, the whole process is captured by cameras to illustrate each stage.

You’ve probably heard a lot about cryptocurrency over the past few years, and you may have even bought some yourself. Now, cryptocurrency has become embroiled in the component shortage crisis, which continues to cause problems globally.

What is Chia?

A new cryptocurrency, Chia, is expected to cause HDD and SSD shortages in the coming weeks and months. According to the company headed by BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen, users of Chia blockchain will “seed” unused space on their HDD or their SSD by installing software that stores a collection of cryptographic numbers on the disk as “plots”. Using Chia software, users scan the blocks to see what hash is closest to the cryptographic challenge and then pass the result off to a separate server, known as a “timelord.” You can learn more about the process in more depth here. In the simplest terms possible, Chia relies on storage rather than processing performance to mine. Using storage instead of processing performance has several advantages, including reducing electricity wastage in the mining process. For this reason, some have touted Chia as the ‘eco-friendly cryptocurrency’.

How will Chia cause component shortages?

Chia will start trading on 3rd May, and in preparation, miners in China are purchasing as many HDDs and SSDs as possible. For this reason, 4TB to 18TB drives are now in high demand. The sudden jump in demand will undoubtedly have an impact on prices until suppliers can react accordingly. This is a worrying development as the pandemic has increased demand significantly, and suppliers are struggling to keep up.

In recent weeks, Nvidia’s CFO Colette Kress explained that the company expects demand to “continue to exceed supply for much of this year”. Similarly, chip manufacturer TSMC, who makes processors for Apple, Qualcomm and AMD, has warned that shortages could continue into 2022. When it comes to cryptocurrency, enthusiasts have caused supply problems in the past. Earlier this year, Nvidia said it will deliberately reduce the efficiency of its latest card by 50% when it is used to mine Ethereum, a cryptocurrency growing in popularity. 

Jiahe Jinwei, one of the biggest domestic manufacturers in China, said that the company’s high-performance 1TB and 2TB NVMe M.2 SSDs are sold out. The company also plans to put restrictions in place to stop over-enthusiastic miners from buying large stocks of SSDs. Ahead of Chia’s launch, HDD prices have increased by as much as 67 per cent in China. However, it isn’t only the Chinese market feeling the effects. A growing number of regions around the globe are experiencing HDD and SSD shortages. As a result, manufacturers are looking to increase production to try and meet demand as quickly as possible. 

Looking for high-performance HDDs and SSDs? We can help you

Looking for high-performance HDDs and SSDs? We can help you despite growing shortages, we want to assure our current and prospective customers that we have sufficient stock, enabling us to continue supplying our products without interruption. 

At Origin Storage, we pride ourselves on our multifaceted offering: affordable, high-quality, and compatible components that last. If you would like to purchase our high-performance HDDs and SSDs, please get in touch with us, and a member of our team will be happy to assist you.

The end of the financial year is approaching, which means that there are budgets that need to be spent. The best investment that the public sector can make in this climate is in technology. Access to powerful devices has never been so important. 

Digitisation is accelerating.

Organisations across a range of sectors are being met with the challenge of rapid digitisation. This has only been amplified by the pandemic. In March, millions of people began working from home due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. This instigated a demand for laptops and desktops that allowed employees to work from home efficiently until they could return to the office when safe to do so. As a result, 2020 was the biggest year for PC demand in over a decade, with shipments of notebooks and mobile workstations increasing by 44 per cent.

Digital transformation is now essential.

With digitisation on fast-forward due to the pandemic, companies, both public and private, must undergo a digital transformation as soon as possible. The rapid increase in data being processed means that there is a growing demand for powerful devices.

Raj Hazra, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Communications at Micron, explained that “the storing of data and making it available to the right computer at the right time is the bottleneck problem.” This is a problem that businesses have had to confront head-on to find workable solutions. The public sector, in particular, is finding that digital technologies have a ‘major impact’ on their operations. With the budget deadline approaching, the public sector should consider putting the money to good use by investing in IT upgrades to increase efficiency. We are referring specifically to SSD and memory upgrades.

Why SSD and memory upgrades specifically?

If a device uses a newer operating system, such as Windows 10, it will require at least 2GB of RAM to function efficiently. Unfortunately, a proportion of public sector employees will be using devices that will struggle to run Windows 10 properly, meaning they are likely using Windows 7. Earlier in the year, Channel Web reported that one in seven public sector computers are still running Windows 7. The problem is that the older operating system has been plagued with problems since its release, including slow performance, compatibility issues with a range of programs, and more. Even more concerning is that Windows ended their support for this earlier version of the operating system in January 2020. If the public sector is to truly embrace digitisation, it needs to offer employees devices that can run newer versions of Windows to cope with more data. 

One affordable way to run Windows 10 on an older device is to upgrade the device memory. If there are older devices that aren’t currently fit for purpose, upgrading the memory may be enough to make the device operational. If the public sector has some of it’s remaining budget to use before the end of March, investing in new memory for devices in need of an upgrade will increase a department’s ability to embrace digitisation. Click here to find out more about the memory solutions we have available. If you are interested in a memory upgrade but don’t know where to start, our upgrades and repairs service might be just what you need.