Seagate Expands External Flash Storage Lineup with FireCuda Gaming SSD and BarraCuda Fast SSD
by Ganesh T S on January 6, 2020 4:00 AM EST
Late last year, Seagate had launched the FireCuda Gaming Dock, a 4TB external hard drive / Thunderbolt 3 dock with a Titan Ridge controller. It stood out in the Thunderbolt 3 peripheral market for two different aspects - a number of USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps ports, and a PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD slot inside the dock. At CES 2020, Seagate is further expanding their external storage solution set for gamers with the FireCuda Gaming SSD. Equipped with a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 bridge chip and a FireCuda NVMe 510 SSD inside, the external SSD can reach speeds of up to 2000 MBps. The design of the chassis is similar to that of the FireCuda Gaming Dock, as seen above. It also brings in the option of controllable RGB lighting with the Seagate Toolkit.
The FireCuda Gaming SSD will be available in 500GB ($190), 1TB ($260), and 2TB ($500) capacities in March. The product will be going against the WD_BLACK P50 which is already available in retail for $180, $250, and $500 for the same capacity points. It must be noted that USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 host ports are not currently widespread yet, and hence, Seagate is not losing much by delaying its entry into that market segment.
The new Seagate BarraCuda Fast SSD is a follow-up to the Seagate Fast SSD that we reviewed in late 2018. Even though it wasn't explicitly mentioned, we believe that the new BarraCuda Fast SSD uses newer 96L 3D NAND while retaining the same SATA SSD controller and USB 3.2 Gen 2 bridge chip. Rated speeds remain the same at up to 540 MBps, but the pricing is down to $95, $170, and $300 for the 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacity points.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
13 Comments
View All Comments
coburn_c - Monday, January 6, 2020 - link
You can get a Corsair MP510 1TB for $140 or 2TB for $275 and an enclosure for $25. In the HDD space externals are often cheaper than internal. Why do flash memory makers continue to try to rip people off?Philmatic - Monday, January 6, 2020 - link
Where are you seeing this mythical USB 3.1 Gen 2x2 external NVMe enclosure? The ones you see everywhere are using USB 3.1 Gen 1x1 devices, maxing out at 10gbps, this is double that.jabber - Monday, January 6, 2020 - link
...and for gaming it will make no difference. Just you'll have more storage and not been ripped off.lilkwarrior - Tuesday, May 12, 2020 - link
That's patently false regarding SSD speeds. There's a reason why PCIe 4 SSDs are a HUGE deal on the Xbox Series X & PS5.A correct thing to say is that many current games don't capitalize on SSDs yet because of the bottleneck of still needing to accommodate mechanical HDDs. That's certainly changing.
yetanotherhuman - Monday, January 6, 2020 - link
"USB 3.1 Gen 2x2"Sorry, but that's out of date.
It's USB 3.2 Gen 2.
The USB IF just doesn't give a f***
yetanotherhuman - Monday, January 6, 2020 - link
I mean of courseUSB 3.2 Gen 2x2
jabber - Monday, January 6, 2020 - link
Don't worry about it. Most of us gave up worrying when we got faster than 100MBps.Some of us remember using serial/parallel laplink cables every single day! Never left home without a set. Kids today don't know they are born!
rrinker - Monday, January 6, 2020 - link
AH yes, good old LapLink. Don't forget that fun network system, Lantastic!jabber - Monday, January 6, 2020 - link
Yeah to build a Windows 95 laptop with no USB or CD drive I'd Laplink to the empty laptop with another laptop and a parallel link cable, boot Laplink on the empty laptop, copy the contents of the Win95 CD to the new laptop HDD and once done, run the Install.exe file. Worked a treat.When I bought my first 64MB USB1.0 thumbdrive...revelation.
Cullinaire - Monday, January 6, 2020 - link
Had a parallel port ZIP drive since I wasn't savvy enough to have a SCSI card back in the day...100MB was nice but it wasn't much faster than floppies!