Smart adapter: Icy Dock allows M.2 SSD exchange from the outside 37 comments
Bild: Icy Dock
The manufacturer Icy Dock now has a practical adapter for the quick exchange of M.2-SSD without opening the PC housing. The Core Express Core MB312M4P-B connects two M.2 SSDs to a PCIE slot. The highlight: The SSDs can be changed from the outside via the slot cover.
Quick exchange of M.2 SSDs from the outside
Basically, the adapter allows that the hot-swap inserts offer for 2.5 “SSDs at the front, just at the back and for M.2 with NVME. For a real “hot swap”, i.e. a change in the current operation, but the product is not designed, because M.2-SSDS is not intended for this. Therefore, it is therefore recommended to switch off the system before changing the SSD.
Nevertheless, the adapter offers the advantage that you do not have to unscrew the housing in order to get to the M.2 slots. The adapter card uses PCIe 4.0 X8 as an interface, so two SSDs with PCIe 4.0 X4 should be able to fully exploit. The prerequisite for use is that the PCIe bifurcation of the main board, i.e. the possibility to distribute the PCIe tracks per slot, supports two X4 connections from an X8 slot. The adapter can of course also be used in a much more common X16 slot.
SSDs are also cooled
NVME SSDs of the M.2 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280 formats are supported. These are installed in a kind of tool-free drawer, which also aims to improve heat absorption with a thermal pad and an aluminum cooling body. The first installation should take less than a minute, then the SSD change happens in seconds.
Two status LEDs on the slot cover indicate whether one or more SSDs are installed and actively transferring data or not. The SSDS power supply takes place via the PCIE slot. The adapter also recognizes when no SSD is installed and then switches off the power supply to save energy.
The product pages provide more information from the manufacturer. A compatibility list (PDF) clarifies on which board-sleeve and in which slot the use is possible.
What the adapter should cost is not yet known. Icy Dock had the same idea before.
Topics: Flash Memory Icy Dock M.2 NVME SSD Source Source: TechPowerUp!
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