Toshiba Memory Europe GmbH is launching two new series of NVMe PCIe 3.0 Gen3x4 M.2 solid state drives (SSDs), the RD500 and RC500 Series.

Both product families feature the company's own 96-layer TLC (triple-level cell) BiCS FLASH 3D memory. A PCIe interface enables the RD500 and RC500 Series to provide a more responsive PC experience with shorter storage latency than that of SATA SSDs.

Designed for PC gaming enthusiasts, the RD500 Series offers high performance thanks to a newly designed 8-channel controller that brings out the full potential of BiCS FLASH. The RD500 Series achieves sequential read and write speed up to 3,400 MB/s and 3,200 MB/s respectively and delivers random read and write performance up to 685,000 IOPS and 625,000 IOPS. The RD500 Series is available in capacities up to 2,000 gigabytes (GB) / 2 terabytes (TB).

Built from the ground up to deliver faster-than-SATA performance, the RC500 Series uses a 4-channel controller. It is available in capacities up to 1,000 GB / 1 TB in a single-sided module.

The new SSD series will be available in the fourth calendar quarter of this year.

Key features of the RD500 and RC500 include:

• 96-layer TLC BiCS FLASH
• PCIe 3.0 Gen3 x4
• NVMe 1.3c interface specifications supported
• Available in a compact M.2 2280 (22x80mm) form factor for compatibility with desktop and notebook PCs
  SLC cache