A Tiny SSD With Big Performance
The Biwin CL100 is a seriously interesting new storage option that looks more like a phone SIM card than a traditional SSD. Despite its tiny footprint, it delivers real NVMe performance and could play a big role in future handheld gaming PCs if manufacturers decide to support it.
This mini SSD measures just 15 mm by 17 mm and slides into a tray that closely resembles a SIM tray in a smartphone. Unlike microSD cards, which are usually used for casual storage and media, the CL100 aims to act like a full system drive with proper NVMe 1.4 support and strong performance numbers.
Biwin offers the CL100 in three capacities:
- 512 GB
- 1 TB
- 2 TB
So even though it is tiny, it is not short on space, and the 2 TB option makes it a realistic choice for storing modern AAA games, operating systems, and applications.
Performance Versus microSD and M.2 SSDs
Where the Biwin CL100 really stands out is speed. It uses a PCIe 4.0 interface with two lanes, which lets it offer performance similar to a compact M.2 NVMe drive that uses the same kind of connection.
The largest 2 TB model is rated for:
- Up to 3.7 GB per second read speeds
- Up to 3.5 GB per second write speeds
- Around 550K read IOPS
- Around 650K write IOPS
In practice, these numbers put it in the same ballpark as many mainstream PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs that also run on two lanes. You can definitely get faster PCIe 4.0 drives that use four lanes, and even quicker PCIe 5.0 models at the high end, but for a card this small the Biwin CL100 is more than respectable.
Compare that with microSD and microSD Express cards. Even the theoretical maximum for the fastest microSD Express standard is about 985 MB per second, and the quickest real world cards today usually top out somewhere around 800 MB per second. That can be fine for storing media, light games, or backups, but it is not ideal as your main system drive if you care about load times and general responsiveness.
The Biwin CL100, by contrast, is clearly fast enough to be used as primary game storage in a PC or handheld. Game installs, texture streaming, and operating system tasks would all benefit from full NVMe speeds instead of typical memory card performance.
Why Handheld Gaming PCs Are the Real Target
The most exciting use case for the Biwin CL100 is not in desktop PCs or laptops. It is in handheld gaming PCs, where internal space is tight and users are looking for easier ways to upgrade storage.
Right now, upgrading storage in a handheld like a Steam Deck or similar device often means opening the shell, dealing with tiny screws, and carefully swapping an M.2 SSD. It is doable, but not exactly beginner friendly.
The Biwin CL100 aims to change that by working more like a console memory card or phone SIM. In theory, you could just pop open a slot on the side of your handheld, slide in a CL100 card, and instantly enjoy much more storage without taking the system apart.
The card has already been shown as an internal component in devices like the GPD Win 5 and the OneXPlayer Super X. These are both high powered handheld gaming PCs where storage speed really matters. If manufacturers build Biwin compatible trays directly into their designs, then upgrading could become as simple as swapping a game cartridge.
There is even an external USB 4 card reader from Biwin that lets the CL100 work as a blazing fast external SSD. In that setup, you could use it like a tiny portable drive for moving games and files between systems without giving up much speed.
The Big Catch: A Proprietary Standard
All of this sounds great, but there is one major downside right now. The Biwin CL100 uses a proprietary standard. That means it is not based on an open, widely adopted connector like M.2. You cannot simply buy one and plug it into a typical PC motherboard, laptop, or handheld that was not specifically designed for it.
For the CL100 to matter to most gamers, handheld manufacturers need to adopt Biwin's tray and interface in their products. If only a few niche devices support it, the ecosystem will stay small and the card will remain more of an interesting experiment than a mainstream solution.
There are two ways this could improve:
- More handheld and small form factor PC makers choose to integrate CL100 trays
- Biwin opens the standard so that other brands and hardware makers can build around it more freely
For now, its appeal is mostly on paper. The idea of microSD sized cards with full NVMe performance is very attractive, especially for gamers who love portable systems. But until more devices support it, the CL100 will be limited to specific models and regions.
Speaking of regions, at this stage the Biwin CL100 appears to be available only in China, with approximate prices of around 85 dollars for 512 GB, 155 dollars for 1 TB, and 310 dollars for 2 TB. Those prices are not wildly out of line with good quality NVMe drives, though you can definitely find cheaper M.2 options if size is not a concern.
In short, the Biwin CL100 is a glimpse at what future handheld gaming storage could look like: tiny, fast, and simple to upgrade. Whether it becomes a standard part of the handheld ecosystem will depend on how many manufacturers decide to back it.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/memory/this-sim-card-sized-2-tb-ssd-hits-3-5-gb-s-and-has-full-nvme-functionality-but-its-arriving-just-in-time-for-the-memory-apocalypse/
