Day: January 19, 2021

Samsung unveils new 870 EVO SSD with faster performance

The 2.5-inch SATA solid-state drive aims for a speeder ride than its predecessor and offers storage options from 250GB to 4TB.

Samsung’s 870 EVO solid-state drive

Image: Samsung

Samsung has introduced a new SSD that promises speed, reliability, and budget-friendly prices.

SEE: Quick glossary: Storage (Tech Pro Research) 

Available this month, the new 870 EVO SSD is Samsung’s follow-up to the 860 EVO, which debuted in 2018. Packaged with a 2.5-inch SATA configuration, the 870 EVO is built with Samsung’s latest V-NAND controller to help it reach maximum SATA sequential read and write speeds of 560 and 530 megabytes per second, respectively.

With a large variable SLC buffer, the drive’s TurboWrite technology keeps it at peak performance levels, according to Samsung.

The 870 EVO also kicks in a nearly 38% improvement in random read speed and a 30% gain in sustained performance over its 860 predecessor. With those boosts, Samsung touts the 870 EVO as offering a better experience whether you’re multitasking, web browsing, or just booting up your PC.

Samsung is positioning the new drive as a solid choice for a variety of consumers, from general PC users to IT professionals. With its 2.5-inch SATA interface, the 870 is

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2021 Ram 1500 TRX review: Glorious overkill

Put 700 horsepower in just about anything, and you’re bound to have a good time.


Andrew Krok/Roadshow

Back when the Dodge Hellcat lineup was first unveiled, I joked that it was only a matter of time before that hulking supercharged V8 made its way into every vehicle its parent company builds. While my hopes of a Chrysler 200 Hellcat have been sorely dashed, that whining lump did eventually find a strange bedfellow in the Ram 1500 pickup. The result is the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, and while it defies common sense, I’ve been having way too much fun to notice.

Like

  • Goes like spit
  • Over-the-top aesthetics
  • Great cabin tech

Don’t Like

  • Starts at $70,000
  • Has a drinking problem

Modern pickup trucks already look like they’re chiseled from solid blocks of testosterone, yet somehow the TRX manages to amplify that even further. The Ram is almost 2 inches wider, about 2.5 inches taller and has 0.3 inches more ground clearance than the Blue Oval’s Baja big-boy, the F-150 Raptor. In my quaint, quiet neighborhood, the TRX looms large on my driveway — well, mostly on my driveway, since it’s so wide that the passenger-side tires bleed over onto my neighbor’s lawn.

… Read More View More 2021 Ram 1500 TRX review: Glorious overkill

SpaceX Starlink launch: How to watch Falcon 9 drop 60 satellites into orbit Wednesday

A Falcon 9 blasts off on Aug. 30.


SpaceX

SpaceX will launch a batch of 60 satellites from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, in what will be the first Starlink launch for the year and second launch for Elon Musk’s spaceflight company in 2021. If you want to watch live, we have you covered right here.

The launch was originally targeted for Monday, but unfavourable weather conditions have seen the flight pushed back 48 hours. SpaceX is now targeting a launch time of 5:02 a.m. PT (8:02 a.m. ET) on Wednesday, Jan. 20. 

It will be the 16th launch for Starlink, the satellite megaconstellation designed to beam broadband across the world, enveloping the sky with thousands of small satellites. The launch also aims to set a rocket recycling record. The Falcon 9 booster used in this mission will be B1051, which has previously flown a record seven times. It will aim to go one better and then land on the drone ship Just Read The Instructions stationed in the Atlantic Ocean about 10 minutes after lift-off. 

If successful, it will

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