Toshiba is about to release a 2.5-inch SSD, entitled A100. The entry-level model is based on TLC NAND flash memory chips (15 nm) with the cooperation of SLC cache memory. Traditionally, the drive employs SATA 6 Gb/sec interface and takes Toshiba TC58NC1010 chip as a controller.



The greenhorn is available in two versions: 120 GB and 140 GB (dimensions: 100x69.85x7 mm). The couple is an optimal choice for home & office PCs, thanks to the incorporation of power-efficient, high-performance and shock-proof technologies. The drives’ maximal data transfer speed on sequential operations makes up 550 MB/sec & 480 MB/sec (read/write). The maximal data transfer speed on random operations (4K) achieves 87.000 IOPS & 82.000 IOPS correspondingly.


Toshiba A100 solid-state drives are known to support NCQ, TRIM and S.M.A.R.T. technologies. An estimated MTBF index equals to 1.5 million hours. The 120 GB item might endure 30 TB of written information, while the 240 GB item allows for 60 TB …

AMD has proudly announced the release of the world’s first server-grade graphics accelerator. Entitled FirePro S9300 x2, this GPU is called to facilitate in solving complex computing tasks and take graphics to the next level. The card is linked to the power unit by means of two 8-pin connectors, consuming up to 300 W power at most.



The heart of AMD FirePro S9300 x2 is a bundle of two AMD Fiji GPUs (GCN architecture). They feature a pair of 4096 stream processors and run at 850 MHz frequency. Each GPU employs 4 GB of HBM memory that operates at 1000 MHz clock frequency and offers 512 Gb/sec bandwidth.


The integration of two processing aggregates allows the accelerator to achieve some amazing 13.9 TFLOPS of computing power. As a result, the model exceeds in performance its nearest competitors: Nvidia Tesla K80 with 5.6 TFLOPS as well as Nvidia Tesla M60 with 7.4 TFLOPS.


The support for AMD GPUOpen stack is supposed to be the card’s key advantage. This stack enables …

Internal structure

The motherboard compartment is located above the power supply unit. In this regard, everything is quite standard for a Mid Tower class. A large cutout is made in a tray behind a CPU socket, to allow installation of a CPU cooling system directly into the case; a backplate mount (thrust-pad located on the back side of the motherboard) is used for this purpose.


The four large slots in a tray, equipped with the silicone membrane, are designed for proper cable management which looks very promising here. Plugs of expansion slots are attached by thumbscrews. The front part holds a hard disks’ basket for three drives.


At the back side a slot in a tray can be clearly seen to access cable management system slot. Also, the rear side contains two tool kits for installation of solid-state drives and size 2.5" hard disks.


The side cover is made of 0.7 mm steel, and from the inside has a thick vibration and noise absorbing coating. The recess in the …