Apex Storage’s X21 Add-In-Card card can support 21 M.2 SSDs for 168TB of storage
This Add-on Storage card can support 21 M.2 SSDs for 168TB of PCIe 4.0 storage
Have you ever thought that your PC doesn’t have enough M.2 slots? Have you ever wanted to push the storage potential of your PC to its limit? Apex Storage has asked those questions, and their X21 storage card has pushed M.2 SSD storage to its limits with support for up to 21 SSDs.Â
This PCIe 4.0 x16 add-in card (AIC) is capable of powering 21 PCIe 4.0 M.2 devices with the card’s two 6-pin PCIe power connectors, and is capable of delivering read/write speeds of up to 31 GB/s.
Below you can see the Apex Storage X21 with 21 1TB Samsung 990 PRO SSDs, g9iving the drive 21TB of total storage potential. With 8TB M.2 SSDs, this storage device is capable of offering users access to 168TB of M.2 SSD storage though a single PCIe x16 slot. While this SSD AIC is passively cooled, Apex Storage recommends that this storage solution should have active airflow from nearby fans to remain cool.Â
Apex Storage’s X21 AIC is a single-slot PCIe 4.0 add-on card that has 21 M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots onboard. This product is not PCIe 5.0 compatible, limiting the potential speeds of this product. Thankfully, this is not a major concern for users, a PCIe 5.0 products remains scarce, though a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot on the bottom of a next-generation X21 could enable doubled maximum SSD throughput from this product.Â
Apex Storage expects 16TB M.2 SSDs to become available in time, allowing their x21 storage card to offer users access to 336TB of potential storage with future M.2 SSDs. This storage card also supports Intel’s Optane M.2 SSDs, giving users access to insane IOPs numbers.
Apex Storage’s x21 AIC is not designed for home PCs, it is designed for servers, servers that require an insane amount of connected storage and a tonne of throughput. This card supports Linux servers, Windows Servers, and Windows 10/11 systems. Apex Storage does not list the price of their insane X21 AIC on their website, but you can bet it is incredibly expensive.
You can join the discussion on Apex Storage’s crazy X21 add-on card on the OC3D Forums.