UGREEN M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure, USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps NVMe External Enclosure, Aluminum Tool-free Hard Drive Enclosure Support UASP & TRIM, NVMe Pcie Adapter for M and M&B Key in 2230/2242/2260/2280 SSD

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Depending on what you need, any one of these M.2 SSD enclosures could be the best choice. But what sets one apart from another? Here’s what we’ve learned about each of these enclosures. We've already mentioned one you know—SSD. It stands for "solid-state drive," a storage drive made up of flash memory in modules called NANDs and governed by a controller chip. (The name NAND comes from a type of logic gate in Boolean algebra; we'll try to explain terms as we go along, but if you need a refresher in SSD lingo see our rundown of 20 terms you need to know.) Unfortunately, SSD shopping has been complicated in recent years by the emergence of three new technologies: M.2, PCI Express (abbreviated PCIe), and NVMe. All three are centered around making SSDs smaller or faster. They also make buying a solid-state drive more challenging than ever. One other form that NVMe drives take, the U.2 drive, is confined at the moment to just a handful of SSDs. Its physical interface is much more common in servers than consumer PCs. A few high-end motherboards may have onboard U.2 ports, but most will require a specialized U.2 adapter that plugs into an M.2 slot. In recent years, M.2 drive technology has been changing how we think about storage. Traditional storage has either been internal or external. Yes, you can swap out a traditional 2.5” or 3.5” internal drive if you want to. But there are multiple steps involved. An M.2 drive is a drop-in solution that can be implemented not just in full-sized PCs but in portable systems. You can use these PCIe 4.0-based SSDs in PCIe 3.0-only systems, but they'll just dial down to PCIe 3.0 speeds. So should you opt for one? If you'll be assembling or upgrading a late-model AMD or Intel PC with the right chipset, by all means. Hardcore gamers and content creators working on today's newer PCs will stand to gain the most. If you have a PCIe 4.0-capable slot for one, get one; otherwise, 3.0 will likely do you fine.

Of course, these are just the basics. To truly understand these enclosures, we’re going to have to take a much closer look. Once we’ve given them a thorough evaluation, we’ll know enough to deliver a verdict. Let’s get started! Best Overall: UGREEN M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure Specifically, Intel users will need a 12th or 13th Generation Core CPU with a motherboard based on Intel's Z690 or Z790 chipset. AMD fans must have a Ryzen 7000 series processor and an AM5 motherboard with an X670, X670E, or B650E chipset. Important: You'll also have to be sure the motherboard actually has a PCI Express 5.0 M.2 slot implemented. The chipset is not a guarantee of that, just an indication that the motherboard maker could include one. (Some of these boards will have only PCI Express 5.0 x16 expansion card slots, and not 5.0-compliant M.2 SSD slots.) The first generation of M.2 PCI Express SSDs made use of a PCI Express x2 interface with throughput higher than SATA 3.0, but not enormously so. That's changed. Today's mainstream M.2 drives support PCI Express 3.0 x4 (four lanes of bandwidth), working alongside a technology called Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe). The idea behind NVMe is to accelerate performance further, especially with hardy workloads. An M.2 slot on an MSI AMD-based motherboard, showing multiple mounting points One thing we appreciated about the design of the UGREEN enclosure is the easy, tool-free installation. The outer shell of the case is hollow, and you can slide it off with a little effort. Once you’ve pulled out the inner case, you install your M.2 drive in the enclosure. It’s large enough to fit any standard-sized NVMe drive: 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280 will all fit. We started out our list with the UGREEN M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure. This enclosure accepts any length NVMe SSD, and installation takes just a few moments. That’s convenient if you intend to swap different drives in and out of your enclosure. We also appreciated the large, 8TB maximum capacity, which is great for archives.In practice, all of today's PC builder- or upgrader-minded M.2 drives and slots are 22mm wide, so you can expect this number to start with 22. The most common lengths are 80mm (M.2 Type-2280) and 60mm (M.2 Type-2260). Drives as short as 30mm (M.2 Type-2230) or as long as 110mm (M.2 Type-22110) do exist, however. Why the differences in length? The longer the drive's PCB (printed circuit board), the more surface area it has to hold memory chips. Installing your M.2 SSD is straightforward, although you’ll need to use the included small screwdriver. Remove the screw from the lid and slide it away to reveal the inner housing. Inside is a thermal silica gel pad that helps transfer heat to the outside. The compartment will accommodate any sized M.2 SSD, from 2230 all the way up to 2280. And it supports both NVMe and SATA SSDs, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility.

Ready to shop? Not quite: Increasingly, mainstream drives now cite support for PCI Express 4.0 as opposed to 3.0. We've tested our share of M.2 SSDs that support the upgraded interface, and they are fast indeed. How much you'll be able to tell the difference, though, comes down to what you do with your PC. As we discuss in our parallel roundup, The Best M.2 Solid-State Drives, M.2 drives are differentiated by a four- or five-digit number listed in their names or specifications. The number is a measurement in millimeters, with the first two digits being the drive's width and the remaining two or three digits telling you how long it is. The SK Hynix Platinum P41 is a worthy choice for anyone looking to buy a high-performance PCI Express 4.0 NVMe SSD without breaking the bank. It blew away several of our benchmark records. The P41 provides AES hardware-based encryption and a clone utility tool as well as SSD management software. Just be forewarned that with its blistering speed, you will want to add a heatsink, the one item of note that it is missing.The StarTech.com USB-C M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Enclosure is drop-proof and waterproof for extreme durability. South Korean memory-chip maker SK Hynix is a relative newcomer to the consumer solid-state drive market, but you would never know that based on its first offerings. The SK Hynix Platinum P41, a PCI Express 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD, is its best yet. It dominated our PCMark 10 and 3DMark Storage benchmark testing, setting several new records in the process. The P41 supports 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption. SK Hynix provides a clone utility tool, the SK Hynix System Migration Utility, for its SSDs, in addition to Easy Drive Manager software, which lets you see detailed information on drive health, run diagnostics, and erase the drive. And the P41 can be had for a very reasonable price in its 1TB and 2TB capacities. Who It's For Most M.2 drives aren't exactly pretty; they look like bare circuit boards with silicon chips grafted onto them. Some may be topped by a heat spreader or heatsink (usually an array of metal fins) that is equal parts practical and decorative. The most important thing to know about M.2, though, is what it is and what it isn't. Third on our list was the ORICO M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure. This is a more affordable enclosure that can get you set up on a budget. It’s compatible with both SATA and NVMe SSDs, so you don’t have to worry about what type you’re using. And while it only supports up to a 2TB drive, you get the benefit of a 10-minute auto-shutoff timer to save power. Iv found caddies that use the realtek rtl9210 and B varient work very well for stability and reliability. No disconenctions no corruption no random drop outs.