CFD Gaming's PCIe Gen 5 SSD Launches With A 21K RPM Fan, Listen To It Here
We recently reported that the first consumer PCIe Gen 5 SSD had hit retail, in Japan, in the shape of the CFD Gaming PG5NFZ Series. Now, eminent Twitter PC hardware leaker momomo_us has acquired one of these impressive 10GB/s devices. The Tweet text translates to ‘Gun gun gun gun’ which in Japanese is a way of saying ‘rapidly’ or ‘vigorously’. This phraseology is likely in reference to data transfer and the fan, as an embedded video shows the little spinner rotating highly rapidly—it can achieve an astonishing 21K RPM.
ｷﾞｭ-ﾝ⬇️ｷﾞｭ-ﾝ⬆️ｷﾞｭ-ﾝ⬇️ｷﾞｭ-ﾝ⬆️ pic.twitter.com/JhCaRBJcDy
— 188号 (@momomo_us) February 5, 2023
It is the video, and particularly the audio track of the video, which has precipitated the most comments on the above Tweet. It will come as no surprise to seasoned PC DIYers that a tiny fan with high RPMs is likely to be a recipe for unpleasant noise. Moreover, this M.2 SSD’s cooler noise sounds like it would be hard to bear for any significant duration.
Some context would have been helpful alongside the video. For example, we don’t know whether the rapid fan rotation was induced by a storage stress benchmark, or it was a rare occurrence in the day-to-day use of this computer. Also, an open air test system like the one shown does nothing to abate the transmission of the higher-pitched sounds of tiny fans, where a standard closed mini-tower case might make a big difference.
If momomo_us’ tweet makes you nervous about PCIe 5.0 storage, there is a noteworthy comment from Chris Ramseyer, the Technical Marketing Senior Manager at Phison Electronics, to weigh. Remember, this SSD and others that look like it are probably built on the Phison reference design, so it would be understandable for Ramseyer to be defensive. However, he asserts that the “video is misleading,” explaining that any fan can sound loud if you place a microphone “right next to” it.
