Seagate Lists FireCuda 512N SSDs for Handheld Consoles and Compact PCs

Seagate
(Image credit: Seagate/Amazon)

Amazon has listed Seagate's compact FireCuda 520N solid-state drives. The drives primarily target handheld gaming devices like the Asus ROG Ally and Valve Steam Deck, but are also useful for svelte PCs like Microsoft's Surface laptops. The new SSDs come in an M.2-2230 form-factor and can extend storage capacity and performance for portable consoles. As a bonus, the drives include Seagate's Rescue Services for extra piece of mind.

Currently, Amazon lists both Seagate FireCuda 520N 1 TB and FireCuda 520N 2 TB models. Despite their compact M.2-2230 stature, the drives do not compromise on performance, boasting impressive sequential read speeds reaching 5,000 MB/s for the 2 TB SKU, and 4,750 MB/s for the 1 TB SKU, which is in line with the performance offered by Seagate's original FireCuda 520,  an M.2-2280 form-factor device. 

While Seagate remains tight-lipped about the specific NVMe 1.4 controller or 3D NAND devices used by its FireCuda 520N lineup, Seagate typically works with Phison, so it is likely that the drives use one of Phison's platforms that is optimized for portable gaming consoles that have limitations when it comes to heat and power. 

Storage-wise, Seagate's FireCuda 520N does not disappoint with 1 TB and 2 TB capacities available from day one. Both offer significant storage enhancements for devices like the Asus ROG Ally and Valve Steam Deck, which are sold in SKUs with 512GB or less built-in storage.

For now, Amazon has not disclosed the pricing of Seagate's FireCuda 520N drives, but we would expect them to carry price tags that are comparable to those of Western Digital's WD_Black SN770M M.2-2230 SSDs released last week ($109.99 for the 1 TB model, and $219.99 for the 2 TB SKU). 

While the M.2-2230 form-factor has been around for years, almost no companies offered retail M.2-2230 drives until this year, and the majority of SSDs sold in this format were meant initially for OEMs. Everything changed with Valve's launch of Steam Deck last year and Asustek's launch of ROG Ally this year. First, Sabrent came to market with higher-capacity offerings targeting Steam Deck, and now both Seagate and Western Digital have begun to offer high-capacity drives for portable consoles. 

 

 

Anton Shilov
Contributing Writer

Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

  • linuxdude
    I wonder how manufactureres will be able to keep 2230' prices as high as they currently are - there is simply no justification for selling low-end SSDs for twice the price of their 2280 counterparts, simply because components are soldered in a smaller PCB.

    It seems thanks to steam dock and similar portable devices volume is rapidly growing (as can be seen by the increasing number of models available). I guess it won't take that long until prices will come down simply because of growing supply.
    Reply
  • HuskerTX
    Why would you waste your money on that when you can get a Micron 2400 2TB for $149?
    https://www.crucial.com/ssd/2400/mtfdkbk2t0qfm-1bd1aabyyr
    Reply