M.2 SSD Adapters & Enclosures

Explaining M.2 PCIe adapter cards, and USB enclosures, that can be used to access an M.2 SSD when it cannot be plugged into a motherboard slot.
My follow-up video on "Free Drive Cloning Applications" is here: • Free Drive Cloning App...
You can learn more about SSDs, and their interfaces, form-factors and technologies in my video here: • Explaining SSDs: Form ...
And I have a video all about PCIe slots here: • Explaining PCIe Slots
The CrystalDisk Mark test software I used is free to download from: crystalmark.info/en/download/
The products I purchased and tested in the video were as follows:
Glotrends M.2 PCIe NVMe 4.0/3.0 Adapter (for a x4, x8 or x16 PCIe slot) -- Amazon US: amzn.to/3OQiLof & Amazon UK: amzn.to/3s84JGI This is the PCIe x4 model.
Glotrends M.2 PCIe NVMe 4.0/3.0 Adapter (for a x1, x4, x8 or x16 PCIe slot) -- Amazon US: amzn.to/44gBhM1 & UK: amzn.to/3OM9ugW This is the PCIe x1 model.
Orico M.2 USB enclosure. Amazon US:amzn.to/3KJ84Cq & Amazon UK:
amzn.to/3sdTxsf
I have also added these items to my Amazon US storefronts:
Amazon US: www.amazon.com/shop/explainin...
Amazon UK: www.amazon.co.uk/shop/explain...
Please note that as an Amazon Associate I earn a commission from any qualifying purchases that you may make.
For additional ExplainingComputers videos and other content, you can learn about becoming a channel member here: / @explainingcomputers
More videos on computing and related topics can be found at: / @explainingcomputers
You may also like my ExplainingTheFuture channel at: / @explainingthefuture
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:52 M.2, SATA & PCIe
07:19 PCIe Card Tests
11:20 USB Enclosure
15:17 Cloning Tools
#SSD #M2 #PCIe #NVMe #Adapter #Enclosure #explainingcomputers

[@ExplainingComputers]

Greetings! Just a point of correction that, as some have commented below, there are now a few motherboards with PCIe 5.0 slots. My mistake. But it makes no difference to the content of this video.

[@adamarmfield1069]

I think there are more pci 5 mobo's than there are pcie 5 ssd's

[@pikkuraami]

@@adamarmfield1069 Yes, and there are practically no PCIe Gen5 expansion cards at all on the markets, yet. Support for PCIe Gen5 must start somewhere and motherboards are logical place to start. It gives some future proofing of a system aswell, like full datatransfer support for next gen GPUs.

[@Darkk6969]

@@adamarmfield1069 Well it's been said that there's no real world difference between gen 4 and gen 5 in terms what we can tell other than running benchmarks which is why gen 5 is slow to be accepted out there and another reason is high cost. Later down the road gen 5 will be standard and prices will be reasonable to skip the gen 4.

[@ExplainingComputers]

@@Darkk6969 I suspect that PCIe 5.0 will only become common for M.2 slots, not PCIe slots. Still today a lot of new motherboards have PCIe 3.0 slots only. :)

[@TAP7a]

​@@Darkk6969gen 5 will have much higher bandwidth (twice as much) but when do you personally ever run a task that will tell the difference between running at 15,800Mbps and 7,900Mbps? We all noticed the difference between HDDs, SATA SSDs and NVMe SSDs because the decrease in *latency* was noticeable *and* the bandwidth of *random* read/write was therefore massively increased. This largely manifested in shorter boot times and quicker application loading (assuming they weren't being cached anyway), and now we're seeing some secondary benefits like streaming data directly to peripherals rather than via the CPU in situations like gaming. In the real world, latency for random IP is now sufficiently low relative to the size of applications and common bootloaders that we consumers won't notice the difference, because the perceivable difference between 10ms and 5ms is so much smaller than that between 20ms and 10ms, even though both are halving the latency. And that's being generous to the smaller values, as the latency decrease from PCIE 4.0 to 5.0 random IO is more like 20%

[@wasimking1]

Most honest youtuber, nothing flashy and glittery, just explaining computer.

[@unorthodox5171]

A lot more information in 1 video than dozens of videos from other so called techtubers.

[@Trevor4364]

Thanks for this video. You're one of the best, clearest and most comprehensible presenters on the web. Keep up the good work, Chris.

[@CreamPolo]

100% agreed, pure info no nonsense

[@justinkendall8341]

This video couldn't have come at a better time for me. I was just looking into getting one and confused by the variety available. Thank you for yet another helpful and educational video!

[@marcfaur]

One of my favorite computer related channels! Simple and straight forward.

[@johnr8856]

Outstanding video as always. Thank you for the graphics and tables showing the differences between technologies.

[@nerdyneighbor]

This is without a doubt the clearest explanation of this technology I've ever seen. Thanks, mate!

[@ceuser3555]

I love the pace and clarity of the explanation. Thank you for this.

[@michaelbishton9439]

I like and appreciate the way you went through all of the variable permutations. Very informative. Thank you.

[@cowantom]

I was just looking into adding an M.2 card to my PCso this was timed perfectly. Many thanks Chris for a first class explanation

[@loginregional]

Always the best explainer on the block, CB talks about TWO of the craziest concepts in computing: M.2 and PCIe. Confused? Watch the video.

[@StephenC050]

On holiday in Cyprus. KZbin notification. Sunshine, Pool, beer & the new EC video. A perfect Sunday

[@ExplainingComputers]

Enjoy your holiday! :)

[@theofficialrafff]

Dude I love your channel so much, my favorite computer channel on KZbin, you've saved me so many times already with purchases and new tech

[@alanthornton3530]

Thanks Chris for another informative & timely video. I was going to fit a PCIe NVMe adaptor to my old motherboard, from your information I'll hold fire until I can upgrade my system :)

[@johncundiff7075]

Had to work this weekend, so I'm late on the reply.. I enjoyed this one very much.. I just bought one of the PCIe-NVMe adapter cards and wasn't sure which slot was best.. Guess I am NOW!!! Thanks for much for all you do Mr. Barnatt!!!

[@lesliedeana5142]

Great way to start the week! Always the best useful information!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Greetings Leslie! I hope that all is well with you.

[@RoboNuggie]

Excellent as always Chris, I haven't yet got into the M.2 world, but with this info, I know how to approach upgrading my elderly machines 🙂

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for your support. I hope that everything is well with you.

[@RandonBrown]

Thanks for a great comparison. Explanation of how different PCIe slots affects the performance of the same drive was a very well described. Good work!

[@yellowskrub]

Wow. I knew about nigh all of this before watching, but this is by far the best video on the internet for explaining such a matter. Keep it up!

[@kevinshumaker3753]

Thanks, Chris. Bought a low-end laptop with a 128GB nvme drive & 4GB RAM recently. Bought a Vantek internal card and a USB non name brand USB 3 adapter, 2 1TB nvme drives to upgrade the laptop and a home lab server. They (the card and adapter) were well worth the cost, and made the laptop well worth the money, too. Your info followed my steps exactly for determining the speed improvements... This is another video I will put in my reference library to help others understand the what and how of hardware, and examples of speed improvements that can be had for little investment of time and effort.

[@wamy7619]

As usual your video was a great enlightenment about these devices. The fact they look so similar to ram always confused me so, but now it all makes sense. Thanks again!

[@kalensus]

Oh my! Thank you, Christopher. I was wracking my brain trying to think of a way of expanding my PC's storage as cleanly as possible. It never even occured to me to use a PCI Express slot to put an extra NVMe drive in. I order the glotrends one from your Amazon shop and now I'm a happy chappy with 2TB of DirectStorage-ready space! I believe I can already see an improvement loading some of my games on Steam.

[@AK-vx4dy]

Indeed explaining. You work is invaluable ❤

[@beltanewalk8797]

This weeks USB classification names 😀 I love a touch of dry humour.

[@FredHendrix]

Thank you for the informative video - I appreciate the extra work you do with the graphical models as they add to my understanding of the component layout.

[@neilphilip2320]

The usual terrific clarity on all things computing...

[@zebop917]

Very useful to come back to this video again as I’m thinking to add an M.2 adapter to my SFF Optiplex to have 2 NVMe drives available for a dual-drive dual-boot setup.

[@makouille495]

as always, water clear video, amazing spelling and voice, i wish we had all this content or at least similar quality content in schools to teach kids the basics and more advanced topics around computers... sadly here we didnt when i was in school... thanks for sharing your knowledge with us !

[@martinwilkinson2344]

This is great stuff, haven't explored the wonderful world of M.2 yet, but I feel much better prepared now!

[@wuuurmm758]

I spent hours untangling my options for M.2 extension. This video would have saved me so much time.

[@jamestien6761]

Best demonstration and explanation on the internet. Thank you for making this video!

[@PS_Tube]

Fantastic tutorial, as always, Chris B. 👏👏

[@ldm6015]

Great video, thanks for good explanation of USB3+ standards and the good demonstration with a speed tests. It keeps me updated.

[@gr-os4gd]

Good morning, Chris, and thank you for another informative video! Nice job on the graphics, too!

[@rv6amark]

Great video to keep handy. Sometimes I think of your videos as wonderful explanations that I will need later...like a book kept on the shelf...and then one day I will run into something I don't understand, and will then then remember, "Oh, I think Christopher did a video on this!" Then, I easily find it on your channel or website and I have the solution! What a wonderful resource.

[@srtcsb]

I've used an external case for SSD, with great results. It does get quite warm when in use though, but it's still working fine. Thanks for another great video Chris.👍

[@edwardaudet8367]

I have 3 usb drive cases I use them on my Raspberries to load the OS.They work excellent. I didn't know they made cards I think I wil pick up one for my HP computer. Always a pleasure to learn something new. Love your videos, they teach me new stuff and are really enjoyable. You make my Sunday a great starter to the week

[@xrafter]

PCIe card SSDs are better.

[@edwardaudet8367]

@@xrafter I use the USB deices on my raspberry pi, I'd like to get a pcie card for my HP computer, and see how work

[@xrafter]

@@edwardaudet8367 make sure to watch this video to make sure it is worth it. because raspbarry pi won't benefit from a high speed m.2 drive. it will run like the USB drive but slightly faster .

[@icf6770]

luv your vids very informative and none of the eccentricities of its hosts. oooh closer to one million subscribers now.

[@johnglielmi6428]

I'm currently using An NVMe 6Tb external drive for a backup drive. I remember my first PC was a 386 and the snail speeds back then were considered quite fast but they weren't always reliable. amazing how technology advances so rapidly. Yes I was in my early twenties when I got my first PC. Always thanks for the great info Chris.

[@tonybkent]

My son needed more SSD storage to run Starfield so we quickly bought the same X4 board in your video and a 2TB Nvme drive. All worked perfectly, first time! We put the heatsink on just in case. We took a chance as it was just before this video was published. Learned a lot from this and will check my performance this afternoon. Feels very fast and Starfield works perfectly now.

[@ExplainingComputers]

A great result. :)

[@songsan807]

Thanks for this informational video. Up to mid 2022 I was hesitant on getting an SSD drive. Maybe I was too lazy to open up my case or didn't want to pay about $100 for a 1TB when I can get a 5TB HDD for it. Once I see the big difference between an HDD and SSD in terms of how fast it boot up to Windows and load the apps, I did not mind paying the difference. Then I started upgrading to NVME, which at most computer stores are about the same prices as SSD but about 7 times faster. I leaped for the NVME and so far very impressed. I did not know much still about NVME until I watched your video. So it definitely helped me understand the differences between the different versions. So now I know what to look for on my next PC. Many thanks.

[@garrytuohy9267]

A nice review. I ran into the limitations of some M.2 sockets about a year ago when tring to insert an NVMe into a standard PCIe M.2 socket.

[@NicolasGirls]

These videos are so much like my childhood school educational videos from the 80s.. Superb!

[@tubegor]

Another lovely Sunday with EC☀and million subscribers is so close. Some time ago I tried to give my beloved RPI 4 even more speed using M.2 NVMe with a USB 3 adapter. That didn't help at all, because the bottleneck is with the USB 3 port itself. In addition, M.2 get extremely hot compared to SSD (SATA).

[@brycemartin7670]

Really useful video. Thanks. This stuff is a bit tricky but you make it so easy to understand. It's important to know when purchasing new hardware.

[@lastinline1958]

More great information. I eagerly look forward to your cloning video. It will be very useful to me, because cloning is something I want to be able to do, but it is an impenetrable wilderness to me so far.

[@joeg3950]

Just replaced a m.2 NVME on an old thinkpad t480s. Very timely video with good information. Thanks!

[@systemsdevelopment95]

You are THE BEST, Christopher: max crystal clearness!

[@andrewkinzie9564]

You must be a teacher. This was the most informative video I have found covering the functions of these devices (I have watched many.) You have covered all the bases that I was looking for. Thank you. Subscribed

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for the sub -- and welcome aboard! :)

[@leskaighin8903]

A most useful and timely video. As ever very clearly explained. Thanks.

[@jeffbutterfield3158]

Perfect timing--I just ordered a large M.2 SSD and an enclosure so I could could clone my smaller, rapidly-running-out-of-space onboard M.2 SSD onto it. Thanks, man!

[@awesomearizona-dino]

Excellent Demonstration with clear info. Thanks Chris.

[@RothmanHarv]

14:46 "Otherwise known, at least this week" Haha! I don't have any M.2 storage yet, but your videos have me prepared for when I do. Thank you for the clear and concise videos!

[@jess2690]

Fantastic video! Have been considering an m.2 via PCIe and this helped clear some things up. Thank you!

[@markwiehenstroer2831]

Very well done and complete as usual Chris. There's one thing I'd like to add. If you have an old computer and would like to add an NVME drive to your system via a PCIe slot, check the BIOS if you hope that drive will be a boot drive. However, I don't believe there would be any problem using the USB external enclosure you showed in this video. It all requires a deep dive and close examination of the computer system at hand.

[@devincurrie4145]

Yeah I was wondering about that too as this reminded me of the extra steps we needed to ensure that drivers are installed in order for the old main board to recognize the SATA HDD when it first came out.

[@bitelaserkhalif]

Theoretically, Sandy and Ivy bridge can use them as boot drive, but you need BIOS modding or clover boot. Haswell, introduced nvme boot (even with PCIE adapter)

[@jinty83]

I use both of these device types and they are so useful. My linux pc doesn't have a spare pcie slot due to an added wifi card, but using the 10gbps usb nvme enclosure I can run my extra game drive that way instead with no speed issues. It's also amazing adding the 4x pcie card to my old i7 4770 system and watching the 4x speed, especially as I run that system from a 2.5" sata ssd. Pity you can't boot from the nvme drive instead but it is 9 years old now. Even 1x speed is excellent if that's the only slot available. Thanks for another informative and entertaining video Chris. 😁

[@br.linux.superuser]

There are a few está to boot from nvme.

[@fpham8004]

Two thumbs up - basically everything you ever wanted to know about M.2 in one video.

[@PramodhRachuri]

I have just opened this video and going to give a like right away. I needed this so badly!

[@BobAround]

Thank your for this video. Answered the questions I had without have to look through a bunch of videos.

[@sheldonkupa9120]

Very good video. 👍👏 The subject matter is confusing for the novice, and your structured approach is of great help when trying to understand. Confusing also are the keys. And even more confusing the "wifi" pcie slots😄

[@waynestewart1919]

Thank you for that great introduction to M.2 SSD adapters. I learned how to identify an SSD as SATA or NVMe interfaces. And both the adapter recommendations were good to keep in mind. However, my PC is rather old to try this as I don't think my motherboard can benefit from the performance due the older chipsets it uses.

[@jordantheman25]

I already knew a good amount on M.2 NVMe drives but I learned some things! I was curious on these Adapters & Enclosures but now I am ready to foray into the world of M.2s.

[@VictorBreder]

Thanks for the video. Great video as always. I was just wondering about this last week.

[@FlyboyHelosim]

I actually recently bought an NVMe to PCIe adapter board as I wanted to use it with an NVMe SSD as a boot drive in an older SFF desktop PC. However, after going down a bit of a rabbit hole, it appears that not all motherboards, generations of PCIe, or versions of UEFI (I didn't even know there were different versions of UEFI) support NVMe drives installed via PCIe to be bootable. Therefore, my drive showed up as a generic storage device only and couldn't be booted from. Also note that Microsoft did used to host a Windows 7 NVMe hotfix on their website, but has since been taken down. You can now find it on the support section of Lenovo's website, and should work on any system and not just a Lenovo one, so you can retroactively inject NVMe support in a Windows 7 computer.

[@bjre.wa.8681]

Yes, Yes, I went down all the same "Rabbit Holes" you did. Days of investigating. I found to be incredibly frustrating. I was working with older computer systems (Dell office grade - not true work stations). It was the final straw. Update hardware so I got the newer - NOW -- UEFI AND motherboards with internal M.2/NVME slots. I'm still on WIN10. I've recently been migrating to Linux/Ubuntu/Mint/Cinnamon. I to the point I JUST want SOMETHING to work consistently. I've work to do and just don't have time to constantly diddle with hardware issues. I know Chris "mentioned Heat issues with the external drive enclosure and wished he had spent a little more time exploring that as I've read that people are experiencing enormous slowdowns (throttling) in real world use. Again with the rabbit holes!

[@Darkk6969]

@@bjre.wa.8681 Chris did mention in his video that it's only a quick test so didn't need to use the heatsink. Under normal use I'd definitely use them in my Linux setups.

[@devincurrie4145]

I have an old Lenovo m93p SSF desktop PC. Is it worth going down the rabbit hole to see if this PC is able to boot from NVMe?

[@FlyboyHelosim]

@@devincurrie4145 That's entirely up to you and depends on your proposed use-case.

[@subhashsehgal2278]

I have Asus H110M-CS Motherboard for Intel 6th generation which don't have NVME M.2 slot on board and on Asus website 4210 is the last BIOS available which I already have installed there is no Nvme configuration settings available so i have only PCie x 16 slot free to attach Nvme adapter but I want to use Nvme SSD for Boot drive so is there any chance to use it as boot drive if yes then please make a installation of windows 10 on Nvme using adaptor Card and please reply my question asap if anyone is sure about it because on the KZbin no one has done this experiment so it will be very helpful for many people in the world thanks.

[@caizza3]

super clear explanation, probably the best and clearest I've seen :D

[@MicrobyteAlan]

I’m late because of a 8:47 morning launch of an Atlas V from the cape. Anyway, good comparative analysis of the different interfaces. Even on usb it’s fast. Thanks as always.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Now that has to be one of the best ever reasons for being late! :)

[@hugmenow.]

Fantastic!

[@MicrobyteAlan]

@@hugmenow. hi, 🤗

[@hugmenow.]

@@MicrobyteAlan ☺

[@33lex55]

It seems my response to a comment some weeks ago inspired you, lol. It's a good video, and very practical; a lot of users will benefit from it. I had also tried another Orico USB enclosure with a 2TB NVMe-drive, but it was excruciatingly slow (may have been due to my case-front connectors) so eventually, I decided to use the adapter, instead. It's now cheerfully running MS bootmanager and Windows 11Pro. Looking forward to the cloning software video! Cheers.

[@MyOliver64]

Another excellent video with an exceptional graphic animation to understand how the whole thing works. Bravo! Maybe you could also make an animation of how a CPU works inside?

[@carlolalattacosterbosa5821]

great video! so well made that i'll subscribe immediately to you channel , confident that also your other contents are brilliant as this one is!

[@dylanwilsonYT]

Another very informative video Chris! I'm planning to purchase an NVMe enclosure to basically use as a USB drive and hopefully I can get Veracrypt up and running on it and have some really fast, portable storage! :)

[@ExplainingComputers]

Good luck! Veracrypt should work fine on an NVMe drive in a USB enclosure -- fast, portable and secure!

[@2Toadz]

Very nice video, sir! I had to learn this last year when I used one of the PCI interfaces to add an M.2 drive to my Plex server.

[@stephen5224]

A much needed video, thank you Chris.

[@joecan]

Thanks again for another great video! Just bought a glow trends adapter too!

[@horusfalcon]

This topic is on time for me, sir. I recently acquired a Dell Precision 7520 in which the primary drive is a 500 GB Hynix NVMe SSD. It has a heat spreader mounted, and moves along quite nicely. I use a 1TB SATA hard drive I had at hand already as my second (data) drive, which keeps the primary drive reasonably free.

[@davidprice875]

An excellent review of the topic, thanks Chris

[@fhm3762]

This is the kind of video you always look for but never find .. Thanks for the informative upload.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for watching!

[@ilovealbundy]

Very interesting, I've always had problems recognizing the differences. Thank you very much!

[@chriholt]

Yet another crystal-clear explanation :)

[@yldrmcs]

That was quite good benchmark demonstration, thanks!

[@kevinhanley6462]

Very clear explanation! You can't always tell if something will work the way it should do unless you test it. For instance, a PCIe NVME 4x adapter is only recognised on the system sometimes until you restart it, where the mSATA drive works every time but causing the hard disk drive light to constantly stay on instead of showing when it's being accessed. The solution could be to connect it to the remaining SATA 3 socket, which could work faster as so it's not connected to SATA 2 by default. NVME drives use the same technology as a GPU via PCIe, thereby communicating directly with the CPU as opposed to a hard disk drive interface. Everyday use would appear the same in speed, unless booting into the operating system.

[@ollyalme]

Oh come on people, give Christopher the additional 49k subs he needs to reach that magic 1 million! Another interesting video. I plan on putting my daily computer from 2014 on steroids. It looks like an adapter card like this can take care of that.

[@terrydaktyllus1320]

I would, but you can't subscribe more than once!

[@fbridge]

Many thanks Chris - you've cleared up a lot of questions for me. 🤩

[@mattparker9726]

OOOH this is actually VERY useful to me, right now! Thanks so much, Christopher!

[@MCallsen]

Wonderful - looking forward to the coming cloning video!

[@roelfbackus]

Excellent video ....and wow, you're installing those cards en screws very quick!

[@BillyRazOr2011]

Great job Chris! I hope all of M.2 SSD would be very great options for saving storage mounting space and really lightweight.

[@billywallace1360]

I dug-out one of the x4 PCIe NVMe cards when you previewed this in a members-only message a couple of weeks back. I had previously tried this on a Windows 7 PC, which didn't work. That machine has since been "upgraded" to Windows 10 and can now see the drive, but the machine can't boot from it as the BIOS is presumably too old to cope with such drives. I'm now off to the Amazon locker to collect the toy hovercraft you previewed this week!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Good luck with the hovercraft!

[@Robbie-mw5uu]

I am having the same problem with my non-UEFI bios motherboard from 2011.

[@Non-Artificial-Intelligence]

Thank you again. Excellently done, as always. I can't wait for the free cloning tools video!

[@theodorechryssanthidis]

Bravo Christopher!!! Very nice and to the point presentation!!! Thank you!!!

[@johng.4959]

Awesome video as usual!! Clear and concise! Thank you! 👍

[@JohnSmith-gb6tg]

I got so confused with this topic, so thanks for the clarification. Now, I know what I need to add an MVME drive to my system.

[@helloimatapir]

14:47 Shots fired! Excellent video. Informative as always. I got one of those PCI-e expansion cards for a server I built for someone awhile back, and it works great!

[@zacmitchell_1984]

Thanks, i never understood all these m.2 shenanigans until now!

[@DataChiller]

another Sunday, another interesting explanation 🤖

[@lawrenceallwright7041]

The PCIe M.2 adapter cards were news to me, thanks for the insight.

[@mattb7406]

Suburb video. All around. Detail, cadence. Everything

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks. :)

[@act.13.41]

The Orico works very well. I will admit that the grommet will allow the drive to move a bit if it gets handled roughly and you have to open it up and push the drive deeper into the M.2 slot. So, if it stops working, that is where you should look first.

[@largepimping]

I wondered if having the heatsink and sil-pad installed would help avoid this - IOW, are those designed to help hold the drive in place, etc.

[@act.13.41]

@@largepimping That could hinder getting the outer case off and on.

[@cwt114]

That happened to me, I have an exact blue enclosure, I ended up cutting a drinking straw at the same length of enclosure internal width and put it to keep the rubber thing and drive stay in place.

[@itstheweirdguy]

Is the Orico detected in clonezilla, and is it bootable? I have a off brand one and it is neither. Works fine if you are already booted into an OS, it defeats the purpose for me.

[@act.13.41]

@@itstheweirdguy I have not tried it with clonezilla, so I have no answer for you. Maybe someone else will speak up.

[@DevotedGamer1]

As always, excellent explanation.

[@KarimMGS]

Another excellent video. Keep up the good work 👏🏼