By Manny Kressel

CEO and Founder of BitMindz

Non-Volatile Memory (NVMe) storage, defined on Wikipedia as a type of computer memory that can retain the stored information even after power is removed, was developed in 2009. In contrast, volatile memory needs constant power to retain data.  The benefit of Non-Volatile Memory (NVMe) SSDs is the speeds at which these devices will run through the PCIe Bus on the Motherboard.

The current generation of PCIe (peripheral component interconnect express) on higher-end motherboards is at version 5.0.  PCIe 5.0 is twice as fast as PCIe 4.0, with a maximum data transfer rate of 32 GT/s (gigatransfers per second), a maximum unidirectional bandwidth of 64 GB/s (gigabytes per second), and a maximum bidirectional bandwidth of 128 GB/s.  That being said, the current generation of PCIe NVMe SSDs on the marketplace are mostly running PCIe 4.0.

In late 2022, Samsung released the Samsung 990 Pro NVMe (See Figure Below) with reported speeds approaching nearly 7,450 MB/s.  That’s Megabytes per second and not Megabits.  Fairly soon after the release, we were able to get our hands on our first order of the Samsung 990 Pro NVMe‘s.  The test results were exceptional; however, it’s what we expected from the name you trust in storage.  The speeds were close to what Samsung touted.  Remember, those listed speeds are usually high-end with optimal configuration(s).  Our results, at close to 6500 MB/s, were outstanding.  Now add in a handful of these into a processing engine or forensic workstation, and you’re looking at a system that’s capable of parsing through terabytes of data with ease.

Samsung 990 Pro 

In recent years, computer forensics has seen a constant rise in the volume of data associated with each case.  This requires a forensic workstation or processing engine system that can handle these types of voluminous cases.  Speed is the key.  Fast processors, fast RAM, and fast volumes will get you through your work.  An expertly crafted system with high-end equipment is critical.  That said, this does NOT translate into expensive systems costing ten to twenty thousand dollars to manufacture.

We’ve recently tested one of our less expensive Rocket Boxes (RCKTBX) with an Intel 13900KF, multiple Samsung 990’s, a 4TB NVMe, and a Samsung SSD for the Operating System.  With a standard forensic image, it obliterated all other benchmark scores with tests from other processors.  The speeds across the NVMe’s were consistent, and they did not lose any bandwidth even when we tested them running concurrent benchmark tests.  (See Figure Below).

Benchmarking Three NVMe Drives Simultaneously

From the screenshots, you can see that the speeds on the Samsung 990’s (images on the left and center) are indeed exceptional.  The drive on the far left was a PNY PCIe 4.0 NVMe attached directly to the motherboard and was running right along with the Samsung NVMe’s.  This combination of SSD and NVMe drives proved to be a true powerhouse when processing casework.  Speaking of the SSD, take a quick look at the benchmark speeds we are getting on the Samsung 870 Evo.  Yes, that’s 53GB/s on some of the read/write speeds.

Samsung 870 Evo in Rapid Mode on a BitMindz RCKTBX Xi

Even a system like our RCKTBX Xa or Xi is going to outperform a lot of the systems on the market because it utilizes the advanced functionality of the Samsung 870 Evo 2.5″ SSD in Rapid Mode, two (2) Samsung 990’s set in Performance Mode, and then an additional NVMe as a processing drive to store image files.

This type of configuration eliminates the bottlenecks in the system because the data transfer speeds between the motherboard buses are exceptional.  We are constantly testing the threshold of speed, different adjustments to the operating system, and hardware configurations to get the fastest possible speeds out of a system.  It’s just simply what we do.  It’s what we’ve been doing for decades, and there is no end in sight.  Our passion for innovating keeps our systems running consistently faster than any other system on the market.

For questions or comments, please reach out to Manny Kressel at manny@bitmindz.com