Feel the Need for Speed with FireCuda
One thing everyone always forgets when building their gaming PC is that not only is the size of your HDD that is important, it what you do with it that matters too. If you are just writing word docs, storing photos and playing Microsoft Solitare, then any old HDD will probably do the trick. But if you are a gamer and like all gamers think that load times are the work of Satan, then a high-quality SSD is a must. Long-time HDD manufacturer Seagate knows this and has released a range of stupidly fast NVMe and External drives to meet gamer’s needs. These have been brought under a new brand for the company, FireCuda, implying their popular BarraCuda range would be faster if it was set alight. Or perhaps they just needed a funky new name, time will tell.
The first product is the FireCuda 520, an internal Gen4 NVMe drive with potential read/write speeds that measure 45% faster than previous-gen NVMe drives, assuming your motherboard supports it. It comes in 500gig, 1tb and 2tb flavours and while pricey, with the 2tb version going for $699, there is an argument to say it is money well spent, especially if you are sick of loading screens and elevator trips.
The next product is perhaps the most interesting. The FireCuda Gaming Dock is part external HDD, part expansion station, part control centre add on for your Laptop. It comes with a 4TB mechanical HDD and an expansion slot to add an NVMe SSD. Connecting to your Laptop via thunderbolt, it also includes Display Ports, network ports, USB 3 ports, 3.5mm audio ports and a partridge in a pear tree. Essentially it gives you all the plugs and tools you would usually only find in a spiffy desktop allowing your Laptop to become a true all-in-one machine.
Finally, there is the Firecuda Gaming External SSD. A USB 3.2 Gen 2X2 Interface (which translates to “faster than normal USB 3) and comes in the 500g, 1tb and 2tb configurations. It also comes with fancy lighting, because Seagate knows how much you PC games love your fancy lights. Once again it is pricey, but you would be hard-pressed to find a faster external drive out there.
In all these look like fantastic products, of course, price is always a barrier to the latest and greatest, but performance is important for a lot of people, which is where the FireCuda range comes in. It is like comparing a Corolla to a Porsche, they both do the same job, one just does it faster and just like with the Porsche, speed costs money. These products will be available at your favourite PC part reseller soon.
