News
- InnoGrit N3X SSD delivers 50 DWPD endurance but costs more than typical enterprise drives
- Built for caching, inference, and workloads that punish ordinary SSDs
- Runs entirely in SLC mode, sacrificing capacity for serious performance gains
The InnoGrit N3X SSD introduces a high-endurance storage solution aimed at enterprise workloads with extreme write demands.
Unveiled at Computex 2025, and featuring Kioxia’s second-generation XL-Flash operating in SLC mode, the drive is engineered to deliver 50 drive writes per day (DWPD) over five years, far exceeding the endurance of typical enterprise SSDs.
This level of durability is impressive, but it also raises questions about the cost of the device and whether its performance will justify the expected premium.
SCM roots and a specialized architectureAt the heart of the N3X is storage class memory (SCM), a memory tier designed to bridge the performance gap between DRAM and traditional NAND flash.
When used in SLC mode, Kioxia’s XL-Flash functions as a type of SCM, promising ultra-low latency and high endurance.
Unlike standard NAND, which stores multiple bits per cell, operating XL-Flash in SLC mode prioritizes speed and reliability over capacity.
This design choice closely mirrors the original goals of Intel’s now-discontinued Optane memory, positioning the N3X as a potential successor in that specialized niche.
While SCM technologies like XL-Flash are not new, they remain relatively rare due to their high cost and specialized applications.
InnoGrit’s use of the IG5669 PCIe 5.0 controller, with NVMe 2.0 support, allows for impressive performance claims: up to 14 GB/s read and 12 GB/s write speeds, along with 3.5 million random read IOPS.
Latency is where the N3X particularly stands out - read latency under 13 microseconds and write latency as low as 4 microseconds.
If consistently achieved, these figures would place the N3X among the fastest SSDs in development.
The drive is marketed for workloads involving sustained writes, in-memory computing, and real-time inference, areas where traditional NAND SSDs often struggle with latency and wear.
However, the decision to operate entirely in SLC mode significantly reduces the available capacity per die, resulting in smaller drive sizes and a higher cost per gigabyte.
While the drive is offered in capacities ranging from 400GB to 3.2TB, these fall short of what is expected from today’s largest SSDs.
Although the N3X possesses many of the technical qualities of the best portable SSDs, it is not intended for mainstream use.
Its reliance on SCM architecture, while enabling exceptional performance, places it firmly in the domain of niche enterprise deployments.
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- Dual Thunderbolt 5 ports and OCuLink elevate this eGPU beyond typical external GPU standards
- Nvidia's Ada Lovelace cards shine in this unit
- Compact design and bold specs make FEVM FNGT5 Pro a tempting power upgrade for PCs
External GPUs have long served as a way to upgrade a laptop’s graphical capabilities, particularly for users whose machines lack discrete GPUs.
The FNGT5 Pro from Chinese manufacturer FEVM is the latest entrant in this niche category, bringing an ambitious mix of high-end GPU options and modern connectivity features.
The FNGT5 Pro supports three RTX 40-series laptop GPUs, specifically the RTX 4060, 4080, and 4090. This might raise eyebrows, but it appears to be a calculated decision to balance power and heat management within such a compact enclosure.
RTX eGPU aims highMeasuring 142 x 100 x 60 mm and with a total volume of 0.86 liters, the FNGT5 Pro is compact and travel-friendly, though not quite pocket-sized.
Despite its portability, the device features dual Thunderbolt 5 ports (100W upstream and 30W downstream), a high-speed USB-A port, and an OCuLink interface.
Offering both Thunderbolt 5 and OCuLink sets it apart from most rivals, which typically offer just one of the two.
Display connectivity is handled by HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a outputs.
If you're part of the Apple ecosystem, however, don’t get too excited, you likely can’t use this eGPU with a MacBook Pro.
Apple has not supported external GPUs since its transition to Apple Silicon, and even earlier Intel-based Macs were only compatible with Thunderbolt 3 eGPUs using officially supported AMD GPUs.
Despite Thunderbolt 5 being theoretically backward-compatible and extremely fast, macOS lacks the driver-level support needed for Nvidia cards, especially those housed in non-certified enclosures.
So, while you could physically connect the FNGT5 Pro to a MacBook via Thunderbolt, it’s highly unlikely to function as intended.
As for pricing, the top-tier RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, with 16GB of memory and 9,728 CUDA cores, costs $1,374, steep, but in line with desktop equivalents.
The RTX 4080, featuring 7,424 CUDA cores and 12GB of memory, is priced at $1,040, while the entry-level RTX 4060, with 3,072 CUDA cores and 8GB of RAM, comes in at $555.
For users seeking the best laptop for video editing or for Photoshop, pairing a compatible system with a powerful eGPU like the FNGT5 Pro can help close the performance gap without committing to a full desktop setup.
Via TomsHardware
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