VP4000 Mini: SSD for Steam Deck and Co. delivers up to 5,000 MByte/s and promises strong graphene cooling

Flash memory has revolutionized the PC world. With corresponding SSDs, speeds can be achieved that could only be dreamed of with classic magnetic hard disks. Another major advantage is that flash memory does not require any moving parts and can therefore be miniaturized perfectly. Accordingly, it is not surprising that M.2 SSDs are de facto the standard, at least for primary mass storage, both on mainboards in desktop PCs as well as in notebooks and compact gaming handhelds.

Gaming handhelds are usually particularly limited in terms of available space - and therefore also use compact SSDs that deviate from the typical M.2 2280 form factor. Specifically, M.2 2230 SSDs with a length of 30 millimeters are often used there. The manufacturer Patriot has now introduced new SSDs in this form factor with the VP4000 Mini models. The storage devices are connected via PCIe, using four PCIe 4.0 lanes. The 3-gram flash memories measure exactly 2.2 x 3 centimeters and are only 0.38 centimeters high. In order to delay throttling at least a little, Patriot has also integrated a small and passive cooling solution despite the compact dimensions, which consists of graphene and is therefore intended to dissipate and distribute the heat.

According to the manufacturer, a sequential read rate of up to 5,000 Mbyte/s should be achievable, with a write rate of 3,500 Mbyte/s. In the ROG Ally, this read rate can apparently also be fully accessed in tests, while the Steam Deck is said to stop at 3,200 Mbyte/s. As usual, the durability is specified as the number of terabytes written, which should be 450 TByte for the 2-terabyte version. The storage will be available on the market with 500 gigabytes as well as one and two terabytes. Pricing information has not yet been shared, and the market launch is not scheduled until next year.