Is "m.3" an actual standardised form-factor, or are they just using m.2 30110 and giving it made-up name in a 'higher number = more better' marketing exercise?
I don't see it at all as a "higher number = more better" thing. I think it makes a lot more sense to create a distinction. Makes more sense to have a wider PCB with some of the new enterprise features be called M.3. Because M.2 is almost always associated with 22mm wide sticks. Who even makes M.2 30110? Plus it's just more numbers for no added benefit. How is that better? Or maybe you'd prefer M.2 Gen 2.2 or some other convoluted naming scheme? M.3 should just get the association with the 30+mm PCB and hotswap features etc. And YES consumers will probably get this option too. They already have problems figuring out that M.2 can be NVMe or AHCI (and has different keys). Imagine if they just called the AHCI/SATA ones M.1. Boom. Simple. Easy to tell.
M.3 was envisioned by Samsung as simply a wider M.2 to be to host two flash chips side by side on the narrow axis. It looks like PCI-SIG didn't like the name per the article but it looks like the Samsung backed standard is moving forward.
There is another hot swap PCIe based storage called U.2 which was supposed to take off with Sky Lake-C due to the increase in host PCIe lanes and VROC. It reuses the 2.5" form factor with a SAS-like connector.
Any further storage formats will have to consult R2-D2.
So M.2 = 22mm wide, "M.3" = 30mm wide. Apart from "M.3" being available now and using existing tech, Intel's "ruler" design seems to have a lot more going for it. Although the nice thing about this design is that you could theoretically use standard M.2 drives with it, if you don't want "M.3".
Also, unless I'm reading wrong, those IM3P33EI drives consume 24W each, which means a fully-kitted-out server consumes 864 watts for storage alone. Yikes!
The hot-pluggable capability is the big thing here imo. M.2 is nice and all, but no hot-pluggability is just a real no-go for enterprise usage. And the big advantage of U.2 over M.2
To create good performance we use hard ware of good companies and drivers that are used in running your system well many of the applications are available online. People are available online to http://best-essay-writing.services/ but they do this for money and different people demand different rates for writing.
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
11 Comments
Back to Article
Space Jam - Tuesday, January 16, 2018 - link
Gallery works for me on desktop.vanilla_gorilla - Tuesday, January 16, 2018 - link
3:29PM CST - Gallery still broken. Including screenshot. https://i.imgur.com/xgGjsTt.pngRyan Smith - Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - link
Thanks for the heads up, Gorilla, but everything checks out on the gallery on our end.If you're still having issues, please shoot me an email, as it would require more precise troubleshooting.
edzieba - Tuesday, January 16, 2018 - link
Is "m.3" an actual standardised form-factor, or are they just using m.2 30110 and giving it made-up name in a 'higher number = more better' marketing exercise?CheapSushi - Tuesday, January 16, 2018 - link
I don't see it at all as a "higher number = more better" thing. I think it makes a lot more sense to create a distinction. Makes more sense to have a wider PCB with some of the new enterprise features be called M.3. Because M.2 is almost always associated with 22mm wide sticks. Who even makes M.2 30110? Plus it's just more numbers for no added benefit. How is that better? Or maybe you'd prefer M.2 Gen 2.2 or some other convoluted naming scheme? M.3 should just get the association with the 30+mm PCB and hotswap features etc. And YES consumers will probably get this option too. They already have problems figuring out that M.2 can be NVMe or AHCI (and has different keys). Imagine if they just called the AHCI/SATA ones M.1. Boom. Simple. Easy to tell.Kevin G - Tuesday, January 16, 2018 - link
M.3 was envisioned by Samsung as simply a wider M.2 to be to host two flash chips side by side on the narrow axis. It looks like PCI-SIG didn't like the name per the article but it looks like the Samsung backed standard is moving forward.There is another hot swap PCIe based storage called U.2 which was supposed to take off with Sky Lake-C due to the increase in host PCIe lanes and VROC. It reuses the 2.5" form factor with a SAS-like connector.
Any further storage formats will have to consult R2-D2.
The_Assimilator - Tuesday, January 16, 2018 - link
So M.2 = 22mm wide, "M.3" = 30mm wide. Apart from "M.3" being available now and using existing tech, Intel's "ruler" design seems to have a lot more going for it. Although the nice thing about this design is that you could theoretically use standard M.2 drives with it, if you don't want "M.3".Also, unless I'm reading wrong, those IM3P33EI drives consume 24W each, which means a fully-kitted-out server consumes 864 watts for storage alone. Yikes!
timecop1818 - Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - link
Why would a 5G communications server need so much fast storage, so they can archive and spy on all the LTE traffic??remosito - Wednesday, January 17, 2018 - link
The hot-pluggable capability is the big thing here imo. M.2 is nice and all, but no hot-pluggability is just a real no-go for enterprise usage. And the big advantage of U.2 over M.2Ev3rM0r3 - Wednesday, February 7, 2018 - link
Yeah but how many servers is this thing replacing with just the one. 800 watts for one that replaces 10? Might be quite the trade off.Rachel Dundas - Friday, April 13, 2018 - link
To create good performance we use hard ware of good companies and drivers that are used in running your system well many of the applications are available online. People are available online to http://best-essay-writing.services/ but they do this for money and different people demand different rates for writing.