Vik

HighPoint RocketStor 6618 Thunderbolt 3 DAS: 8-Bays, Up to 96 TB, 2.7 GB/s, $999
  • Comments are Closed

HighPoint RocketStor 6618 Thunderbolt 3 DAS: 8-Bays, Up to 96 TB, 2.7 GB/s, $999

HighPoint has started to ship its RocketStor 6600-series Thunderbolt 3 RAID enclosures that can accommodate up to eight storage devices. The enclosures support all popular RAID levels and can enable up to 1.6 GB/s throughput with HDDs or up to 2.7 GB/s throughput with SSDs, which is in line with other 8-bay TB3 storage boxes. Meanwhile, one of the key characteristics of the RocketStor 6618T enclosure is its $999 price point.

The HighPoint RocketStor 6600-series family consists of three models: the RocketStor 6618A tower enclosure with hardware RAID and 8 bays, the RocketStor 6618T tower enclosure with software RAID and 8 bays as well as the RocketStor 6674T rackmount enclosure with software RAID and 16 bays. The DAS boxes support hot swapping of 2.5”/3.5” storage devices, RAID in 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and 50 modes, intelligent fan control, audible alarms, and come with HighPoint’s storage management and monitoring software for Apple’s macOS and Microsoft Windows. The manufacturer ships its RocketStor 6600-series enclosures unpopulated and provides a list of compatible drives: the boxes support a wide range of enterprise and NAS-class devices, including 12 TB HDDs as well as up to 4 TB SSDs from various makers, including HGST, Seagate and Samsung.

As for performance, the HighPoint RocketStor 6600-series are designed for various professional applications and are aimed to support simultaneous streaming, editing, and backup of UHD video or other data. When an 8-bay RocketStor 6618A enclosure us populated with HDDs, its maximum sequential read performance is rated at up to 2000 MB/s, with SSDs, its performance as listed increases to 2700 MB/s. The RocketStor 6618T (with software RAID) is a bit slower, offering up to 1800 MB/s throughput with HDDs and up to 2400 MB/s with SSDs. At present, HighPoint does not reveal performance numbers for the rackmount 16-bay RocketStor 6674T.

The HighPoint RocketStor 6600-Series DAS with Thunderbolt 3
  RocketStor 6618A RocketStor 6618T RocketStor 6674T
Number of Bays 8 hot-swappable bays for 2.5″ or 3.5″ HDDs or SSDs 16 hot-swappable bays
HDD/SSD Interface SAS/SATA SATA SAS/SATA
List of Compatible HDDs/SSDs Link (PDF)
Capacity HDD RAID 0: 96 TB (8 × 12 TB)
RAID 5: 84 TB (8 × 12 TB)		 RAID 0: 192 TB
(16 × 12 TB) (?)
SSD RAID 0: 32 TB (8 × 4 TB)
RAID 5: 28 TB (8 × 4 TB)		 RAID 0: 64 TB
(16 × 4 TB) (?)
RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50
RAID0 HDD  2000 MB/s 1800 MB/s unknown
SSD 2700 MB/s unknown
RAID5 HDD 1700 MB/s 1600 MB/s unknown
SSD 2700 MB/s 2400 MB/s unknown
RAID Block Size Up to 1 MB Up to 128 KB unknown
RAID Controller HighPoint RAID-on-Chip I/O controller and 512 MB cache memory with ECC Software RAID that uses host system’s CPU and RAM
Ports 2 × Thunderbolt 3
PSU integrated
Dimensions (W x H x L) 144 × 330 × 257 mm
5.67 × 13 × 10.12 inch		 2U
Cables Included USB-C (Thunderbolt 40Gb/s or USB 3.1 10Gb/s) cable
Software HighPoint Storage Monitoring and Management Suite
Price (MSRP) $1299 (?) $999 unknown

Just like competing DAS products from other manufacturers, the HighPoint RocketStor systems feature two Thunderbolt 3 ports, making it possible to daisy chain a display or another TB3 device to the storage arrays. The maker bundles one active Thunderbolt 3 cable certified for 40 Gb/s.

One of the key things about the HighPoint RocketStor 6618-series Thunderbolt enclosures are their recommended prices: the more advanced model 6618A is priced at around $1300, whereas the model 6618T (with software RAID and lower performance) is set to cost around $1000. With such price points, HighPoint aims to make Thunderbolt 3-based RAID storage solutions considerably more accessible compared to pre-configured off-the-shelf DAS systems.

HighPoint claims that its RocketStor 6618T is now available in North America at its MSRP of $999. While the enclosure is available, in some cases it comes populated with HDDs and comes at appropriate price points. Meanwhile, Amazon offers empty RocketStor 6618T for $1092.19 (so, not quite $999) as well as empty RocketStor 6618A for $1299.

Related Reading:

HighPoint RocketStor 6618 Thunderbolt 3 DAS: 8-Bays, Up to 96 TB, 2.7 GB/s, $999
  • Comments are Closed

HighPoint RocketStor 6618 Thunderbolt 3 DAS: 8-Bays, Up to 96 TB, 2.7 GB/s, $999

HighPoint has started to ship its RocketStor 6600-series Thunderbolt 3 RAID enclosures that can accommodate up to eight storage devices. The enclosures support all popular RAID levels and can enable up to 1.6 GB/s throughput with HDDs or up to 2.7 GB/s throughput with SSDs, which is in line with other 8-bay TB3 storage boxes. Meanwhile, one of the key characteristics of the RocketStor 6618T enclosure is its $999 price point.

The HighPoint RocketStor 6600-series family consists of three models: the RocketStor 6618A tower enclosure with hardware RAID and 8 bays, the RocketStor 6618T tower enclosure with software RAID and 8 bays as well as the RocketStor 6674T rackmount enclosure with software RAID and 16 bays. The DAS boxes support hot swapping of 2.5”/3.5” storage devices, RAID in 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and 50 modes, intelligent fan control, audible alarms, and come with HighPoint’s storage management and monitoring software for Apple’s macOS and Microsoft Windows. The manufacturer ships its RocketStor 6600-series enclosures unpopulated and provides a list of compatible drives: the boxes support a wide range of enterprise and NAS-class devices, including 12 TB HDDs as well as up to 4 TB SSDs from various makers, including HGST, Seagate and Samsung.

As for performance, the HighPoint RocketStor 6600-series are designed for various professional applications and are aimed to support simultaneous streaming, editing, and backup of UHD video or other data. When an 8-bay RocketStor 6618A enclosure us populated with HDDs, its maximum sequential read performance is rated at up to 2000 MB/s, with SSDs, its performance as listed increases to 2700 MB/s. The RocketStor 6618T (with software RAID) is a bit slower, offering up to 1800 MB/s throughput with HDDs and up to 2400 MB/s with SSDs. At present, HighPoint does not reveal performance numbers for the rackmount 16-bay RocketStor 6674T.

The HighPoint RocketStor 6600-Series DAS with Thunderbolt 3
  RocketStor 6618A RocketStor 6618T RocketStor 6674T
Number of Bays 8 hot-swappable bays for 2.5″ or 3.5″ HDDs or SSDs 16 hot-swappable bays
HDD/SSD Interface SAS/SATA SATA SAS/SATA
List of Compatible HDDs/SSDs Link (PDF)
Capacity HDD RAID 0: 96 TB (8 × 12 TB)
RAID 5: 84 TB (8 × 12 TB)		 RAID 0: 192 TB
(16 × 12 TB) (?)
SSD RAID 0: 32 TB (8 × 4 TB)
RAID 5: 28 TB (8 × 4 TB)		 RAID 0: 64 TB
(16 × 4 TB) (?)
RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50
RAID0 HDD  2000 MB/s 1800 MB/s unknown
SSD 2700 MB/s unknown
RAID5 HDD 1700 MB/s 1600 MB/s unknown
SSD 2700 MB/s 2400 MB/s unknown
RAID Block Size Up to 1 MB Up to 128 KB unknown
RAID Controller HighPoint RAID-on-Chip I/O controller and 512 MB cache memory with ECC Software RAID that uses host system’s CPU and RAM
Ports 2 × Thunderbolt 3
PSU integrated
Dimensions (W x H x L) 144 × 330 × 257 mm
5.67 × 13 × 10.12 inch		 2U
Cables Included USB-C (Thunderbolt 40Gb/s or USB 3.1 10Gb/s) cable
Software HighPoint Storage Monitoring and Management Suite
Price (MSRP) $1299 (?) $999 unknown

Just like competing DAS products from other manufacturers, the HighPoint RocketStor systems feature two Thunderbolt 3 ports, making it possible to daisy chain a display or another TB3 device to the storage arrays. The maker bundles one active Thunderbolt 3 cable certified for 40 Gb/s.

One of the key things about the HighPoint RocketStor 6618-series Thunderbolt enclosures are their recommended prices: the more advanced model 6618A is priced at around $1300, whereas the model 6618T (with software RAID and lower performance) is set to cost around $1000. With such price points, HighPoint aims to make Thunderbolt 3-based RAID storage solutions considerably more accessible compared to pre-configured off-the-shelf DAS systems.

HighPoint claims that its RocketStor 6618T is now available in North America at its MSRP of $999. While the enclosure is available, in some cases it comes populated with HDDs and comes at appropriate price points. Meanwhile, Amazon offers empty RocketStor 6618T for $1092.19 (so, not quite $999) as well as empty RocketStor 6618A for $1299.

Related Reading:

HighPoint RocketStor 6618 Thunderbolt 3 DAS: 8-Bays, Up to 96 TB, 2.7 GB/s, $999
  • Comments are Closed

HighPoint RocketStor 6618 Thunderbolt 3 DAS: 8-Bays, Up to 96 TB, 2.7 GB/s, $999

HighPoint has started to ship its RocketStor 6600-series Thunderbolt 3 RAID enclosures that can accommodate up to eight storage devices. The enclosures support all popular RAID levels and can enable up to 1.6 GB/s throughput with HDDs or up to 2.7 GB/s throughput with SSDs, which is in line with other 8-bay TB3 storage boxes. Meanwhile, one of the key characteristics of the RocketStor 6618T enclosure is its $999 price point.

The HighPoint RocketStor 6600-series family consists of three models: the RocketStor 6618A tower enclosure with hardware RAID and 8 bays, the RocketStor 6618T tower enclosure with software RAID and 8 bays as well as the RocketStor 6674T rackmount enclosure with software RAID and 16 bays. The DAS boxes support hot swapping of 2.5”/3.5” storage devices, RAID in 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and 50 modes, intelligent fan control, audible alarms, and come with HighPoint’s storage management and monitoring software for Apple’s macOS and Microsoft Windows. The manufacturer ships its RocketStor 6600-series enclosures unpopulated and provides a list of compatible drives: the boxes support a wide range of enterprise and NAS-class devices, including 12 TB HDDs as well as up to 4 TB SSDs from various makers, including HGST, Seagate and Samsung.

As for performance, the HighPoint RocketStor 6600-series are designed for various professional applications and are aimed to support simultaneous streaming, editing, and backup of UHD video or other data. When an 8-bay RocketStor 6618A enclosure us populated with HDDs, its maximum sequential read performance is rated at up to 2000 MB/s, with SSDs, its performance as listed increases to 2700 MB/s. The RocketStor 6618T (with software RAID) is a bit slower, offering up to 1800 MB/s throughput with HDDs and up to 2400 MB/s with SSDs. At present, HighPoint does not reveal performance numbers for the rackmount 16-bay RocketStor 6674T.

The HighPoint RocketStor 6600-Series DAS with Thunderbolt 3
  RocketStor 6618A RocketStor 6618T RocketStor 6674T
Number of Bays 8 hot-swappable bays for 2.5″ or 3.5″ HDDs or SSDs 16 hot-swappable bays
HDD/SSD Interface SAS/SATA SATA SAS/SATA
List of Compatible HDDs/SSDs Link (PDF)
Capacity HDD RAID 0: 96 TB (8 × 12 TB)
RAID 5: 84 TB (8 × 12 TB)		 RAID 0: 192 TB
(16 × 12 TB) (?)
SSD RAID 0: 32 TB (8 × 4 TB)
RAID 5: 28 TB (8 × 4 TB)		 RAID 0: 64 TB
(16 × 4 TB) (?)
RAID 0/1/5/6/10/50
RAID0 HDD  2000 MB/s 1800 MB/s unknown
SSD 2700 MB/s unknown
RAID5 HDD 1700 MB/s 1600 MB/s unknown
SSD 2700 MB/s 2400 MB/s unknown
RAID Block Size Up to 1 MB Up to 128 KB unknown
RAID Controller HighPoint RAID-on-Chip I/O controller and 512 MB cache memory with ECC Software RAID that uses host system’s CPU and RAM
Ports 2 × Thunderbolt 3
PSU integrated
Dimensions (W x H x L) 144 × 330 × 257 mm
5.67 × 13 × 10.12 inch		 2U
Cables Included USB-C (Thunderbolt 40Gb/s or USB 3.1 10Gb/s) cable
Software HighPoint Storage Monitoring and Management Suite
Price (MSRP) $1299 (?) $999 unknown

Just like competing DAS products from other manufacturers, the HighPoint RocketStor systems feature two Thunderbolt 3 ports, making it possible to daisy chain a display or another TB3 device to the storage arrays. The maker bundles one active Thunderbolt 3 cable certified for 40 Gb/s.

One of the key things about the HighPoint RocketStor 6618-series Thunderbolt enclosures are their recommended prices: the more advanced model 6618A is priced at around $1300, whereas the model 6618T (with software RAID and lower performance) is set to cost around $1000. With such price points, HighPoint aims to make Thunderbolt 3-based RAID storage solutions considerably more accessible compared to pre-configured off-the-shelf DAS systems.

HighPoint claims that its RocketStor 6618T is now available in North America at its MSRP of $999. While the enclosure is available, in some cases it comes populated with HDDs and comes at appropriate price points. Meanwhile, Amazon offers empty RocketStor 6618T for $1092.19 (so, not quite $999) as well as empty RocketStor 6618A for $1299.

Related Reading:

ASUS Launches GeForce GTX 1080 & GTX 1060 Models With Faster RAM
  • Comments are Closed

ASUS Launches GeForce GTX 1080 & GTX 1060 Models With Faster RAM

ASUS has released graphics cards based on NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1060 and 1080 GPUs that are equipped with faster memory. The new add-in-boards (AIBs) are designed to offer greater performance in high resolutions than reference designs and enable ASUS to charge a premium for the higher FPS.

Back in February when NVIDIA cut the price on the GTX 1080, the company also announced that they would be working with partners to sell factory overclocked cards with higher speed grades of memory. At launch the fastest grades available for the GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 were 10Gbps GDDR5X and 8Gbps GDDR5 respectively; however in the last year, 11Gbps GDDR5X and 9Gbps GDDR5 have become available. Now those faster memory grades are being made available to their partners for use in factory overclocked cards, giving partners more configuration options for their factory overclocked SKUs.

For partners, this marks their first real opportunity to sell cards with memory overclocks. While NVIDIA’s GPUs have been able to support these higher speeds, the stock configurations for the GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 were already pushing their respective RAM types to their limit, leaving partners no real headroom for the kind of stable and consistent overclocks required for factory overclocking.

At a hardware level, things are pretty straightforward for GTX 1080 cards; vendors can now grab Micron’s 11Gbps GDDR5X chips and use them in the place of 10Gbps chips. Things are a bit less clear on the source of the GDDR5 however. The only manufacturer with an official 9Gbps part listed is Samsung, whose K4G41325FE is still at the “Customer Sample” phase. More importantly however, that chip is only offered in a 4Gb density, whereas NVIDIA has used 8Gb chips for both the GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 6GB. So it will be interesting to see just how 9Gbps GTX 1060s are equipped.

Now, back to ASUS’ GeForce GTX 10 cards with faster memory. At present, the company offers two of such boards: the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 OC Edition 8 GB 11 Gbps as well as the ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 6 GB 9 Gbps. The two AIBs belong to different classes of products, but in both cases ASUS did something more than just soldered faster memory chips to PCBs.

The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 OC Edition 11 Gbps GDDR5X is based on the company’s proprietary PCB design with an 8+2 phase VRM, one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The enhanced power supply circuitry and an additional power connector enable ASUS to increase GPU and memory frequencies from those recommended by NVIDIA and ensure some additional headroom for end-user overclocking. Meanwhile, ASUS does not disclose exact GPU clock rates of its flagship GeForce GTX 1080, which means that the company is still finalizing them.

To ensure proper cooling of the GPU, VRM and memory, ASUS equips its ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 OC Edition 11 Gbps with a 2.5-wide cooling system featuring six heat pipes and three fans (which stop rotating at low GPU temperatures). As an added bonus, the cooler features ASUS’ user-controllable Aura Sync RGB lighting.

The ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 6 GB 9 Gbps also uses ASUS’ own PCB as well as the company’s DirectCU II cooling system with four heatpipes and two fans. Obviously, since this is an OC Edition AIB, its GPU frequency is higher than that on reference cards, but ASUS does not publish it. The card does not belong to the ROG or the Strix families, it is not the top-of-the-range GeForce GTX 1060 from ASUS, so expect company to offer something faster based on the GP106 GPU over time.

Specifications of ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 11 Gbps and GTX 1060 9 Gbps
  ASUS
ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080
OC Edition
11 Gbps		 NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 1080
Founders Edition		 ASUS
GeForce GTX 1060
OC Edition
9 Gbps		 NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 1060
Founders Edition
Stream Processors 2560 1280
Texture Units 160 80
ROPs 64 48
Core Clock (MHz) 1670 – 1695 (?) 1607 1506 – 1531 (?) 1506
Boost Clock (MHz) 1809 – 1835 (?) 1733 1708 – 1746 (?) 1708
Memory Capacity 8 GB 6 GB
Type GDDR5X GDDR5
Clock 11 Gbps 10 Gbps 9 Gbps 8 Gbps
Power 1×8-pin PCIe
1×6-pin PCIe
>180 W		 1×8-pin PCIe

180 W

 1×6-pin PCIe
~150 W		 150 W
VRM 8+2 phases 5+1 phases ? 3+1 phases
PN, Additional Details ROG-STRIX-GTX1080-O8G-11GBPS – GTX1060-O6G-9GBPS –
Launch Date Q2-2017 5/2016 Q2-2017 8/2016
Launch Price ? $699 ? $449

ASUS has not announced MSRPs for its GeForce GTX 1080 11 Gbps and GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB 9 Gbps products, but since they are listed on its website, they are going to show up on shelves soon and thus prices will be revealed. As usual, bear in mind that prices will vary depending on the region.

Related Reading:

ASUS Launches GeForce GTX 1080 & GTX 1060 Models With Faster RAM
  • Comments are Closed

ASUS Launches GeForce GTX 1080 & GTX 1060 Models With Faster RAM

ASUS has released graphics cards based on NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1060 and 1080 GPUs that are equipped with faster memory. The new add-in-boards (AIBs) are designed to offer greater performance in high resolutions than reference designs and enable ASUS to charge a premium for the higher FPS.

Back in February when NVIDIA cut the price on the GTX 1080, the company also announced that they would be working with partners to sell factory overclocked cards with higher speed grades of memory. At launch the fastest grades available for the GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 were 10Gbps GDDR5X and 8Gbps GDDR5 respectively; however in the last year, 11Gbps GDDR5X and 9Gbps GDDR5 have become available. Now those faster memory grades are being made available to their partners for use in factory overclocked cards, giving partners more configuration options for their factory overclocked SKUs.

For partners, this marks their first real opportunity to sell cards with memory overclocks. While NVIDIA’s GPUs have been able to support these higher speeds, the stock configurations for the GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 were already pushing their respective RAM types to their limit, leaving partners no real headroom for the kind of stable and consistent overclocks required for factory overclocking.

At a hardware level, things are pretty straightforward for GTX 1080 cards; vendors can now grab Micron’s 11Gbps GDDR5X chips and use them in the place of 10Gbps chips. Things are a bit less clear on the source of the GDDR5 however. The only manufacturer with an official 9Gbps part listed is Samsung, whose K4G41325FE is still at the “Customer Sample” phase. More importantly however, that chip is only offered in a 4Gb density, whereas NVIDIA has used 8Gb chips for both the GTX 1080 and GTX 1060 6GB. So it will be interesting to see just how 9Gbps GTX 1060s are equipped.

Now, back to ASUS’ GeForce GTX 10 cards with faster memory. At present, the company offers two of such boards: the ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 OC Edition 8 GB 11 Gbps as well as the ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 6 GB 9 Gbps. The two AIBs belong to different classes of products, but in both cases ASUS did something more than just soldered faster memory chips to PCBs.

The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 OC Edition 11 Gbps GDDR5X is based on the company’s proprietary PCB design with an 8+2 phase VRM, one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The enhanced power supply circuitry and an additional power connector enable ASUS to increase GPU and memory frequencies from those recommended by NVIDIA and ensure some additional headroom for end-user overclocking. Meanwhile, ASUS does not disclose exact GPU clock rates of its flagship GeForce GTX 1080, which means that the company is still finalizing them.

To ensure proper cooling of the GPU, VRM and memory, ASUS equips its ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080 OC Edition 11 Gbps with a 2.5-wide cooling system featuring six heat pipes and three fans (which stop rotating at low GPU temperatures). As an added bonus, the cooler features ASUS’ user-controllable Aura Sync RGB lighting.

The ASUS GeForce GTX 1060 OC Edition 6 GB 9 Gbps also uses ASUS’ own PCB as well as the company’s DirectCU II cooling system with four heatpipes and two fans. Obviously, since this is an OC Edition AIB, its GPU frequency is higher than that on reference cards, but ASUS does not publish it. The card does not belong to the ROG or the Strix families, it is not the top-of-the-range GeForce GTX 1060 from ASUS, so expect company to offer something faster based on the GP106 GPU over time.

Specifications of ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 11 Gbps and GTX 1060 9 Gbps
  ASUS
ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1080
OC Edition
11 Gbps		 NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 1080
Founders Edition		 ASUS
GeForce GTX 1060
OC Edition
9 Gbps		 NVIDIA
GeForce GTX 1060
Founders Edition
Stream Processors 2560 1280
Texture Units 160 80
ROPs 64 48
Core Clock (MHz) 1670 – 1695 (?) 1607 1506 – 1531 (?) 1506
Boost Clock (MHz) 1809 – 1835 (?) 1733 1708 – 1746 (?) 1708
Memory Capacity 8 GB 6 GB
Type GDDR5X GDDR5
Clock 11 Gbps 10 Gbps 9 Gbps 8 Gbps
Power 1×8-pin PCIe
1×6-pin PCIe
>180 W		 1×8-pin PCIe

180 W

 1×6-pin PCIe
~150 W		 150 W
VRM 8+2 phases 5+1 phases ? 3+1 phases
PN, Additional Details ROG-STRIX-GTX1080-O8G-11GBPS – GTX1060-O6G-9GBPS –
Launch Date Q2-2017 5/2016 Q2-2017 8/2016
Launch Price ? $699 ? $449

ASUS has not announced MSRPs for its GeForce GTX 1080 11 Gbps and GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB 9 Gbps products, but since they are listed on its website, they are going to show up on shelves soon and thus prices will be revealed. As usual, bear in mind that prices will vary depending on the region.

Related Reading: