SM951 USB Adapter ??

[DnFx91]

Guys do you know if an NVME m.2 drive will work in a USB enclosure that says SATA only ?  Or, do you know of any m.2 enclosures that can operate at NVME speeds over USB3 ?

 

I don't care about the speed bottleneck, i just need a way to access m.2 drives without putting them in a laptop.

 

All the M.2 enclosures i have seen all say SATA, no mention of PCIe drives. Does this mean that a PCIe m.2 will simply not be recognised in the caddy ? or will it just run at SATA speeds ? 

 

Cheers

[79 Potatoes]

USB 3.0 = up to 5 Gbps = ~600 MB/s

If the SSD you're buying can work at SATA mode then it'll work, but if you're going to use it on USB 3.0 I'd just get a normal SSD. If you want to get "NVMe speeds" try to find if a thing like m.2 to thunderbolt exists.

Also there is USB to PCI-e stuff but still going to be limited at USB speeds

[DnFx91]

22 minutes ago, 79 Potatoes said:

USB 3.0 = up to 5 Gbps = ~600 MB/s

If the SSD you're buying can work at SATA mode then it'll work, but if you're going to use it on USB 3.0 I'd just get a normal SSD. If you want to get "NVMe speeds" try to find if a thing like m.2 to thunderbolt exists.

Also there is USB to PCI-e stuff but still going to be limited at USB speeds

man i tried to post this in the least rude way possible, but i don't want opinions, and i DON'T CARE about speed bottlenecks, i know everything you just said, don't mean to be rude. I really specifically need a USB (not thunderbolt) m.2 enclosure that i can use to access the 30 or so SM951's i have on my fleet. Speed not an issue, i just want to be able to access my NVME drives over USB.

[Falconevo]

SATA is a different interface type to an NVMe drive.  SATA is AHCI based and NVMe is a completely different protocol needing completely different cabling types.

The short answer is no

 

SATA Interface cable

NVMe interface cable (non PCI-E)
 

 

 

 

[DnFx91]

Just now, Falconevo said:

SATA is a different interface type to an NVMe drive.  SATA is AHCI based and NVMe is a completely different protocol needing completely different cabling types.

The short answer is no

 

SATA Interface cable

NVMe interface cable (non PCI-E)
 

 

 

 

so an SM951 NVME drive in a SATA NGFF USB3 enclosure will not be recognised ?

[DnFx91]

2 minutes ago, DnFx91 said:

so an SM951 NVME drive in a SATA NGFF USB3 enclosure will not be recognised ?

looking back on this i think you have misunderstood mate, when i say SATA, im talking about the fact that m.2 slots can operate in SATA mode as well as PCIe mode. The enclosures i have found are all saying that they are SATA NGFF, not PCIe NGFF.

 

Can anyone clear this up with a concise answer please ?

[DnFx91]

5 minutes ago, Falconevo said:

SATA is a different interface type to an NVMe drive.  SATA is AHCI based and NVMe is a completely different protocol needing completely different cabling types.

The short answer is no

 

SATA Interface cable

NVMe interface cable (non PCI-E)
 

 

 

 

accidentally quoted myself lol, see above

[paddy-stone]

If it specifically says SATA only, then you won't be able to use an NVME drive IIRC.

[DnFx91]

Just now, paddy-stone said:

If it specifically says SATA only, then you won't be able to use an NVME drive IIRC.

ok i'll have to decrypt the wording of these products, they don't explicitly say SATA only, they just lack mention of PCIe

 

Thanks though.

[paddy-stone]

14 minutes ago, DnFx91 said:

ok i'll have to decrypt the wording of these products, they don't explicitly say SATA only, they just lack mention of PCIe

 

Thanks though.

I had a little look for you and can't find any that seem to support NVME pci-e m.2 drives, there are loads that specifically state that they don't support them though, even if they're keyed the same. Do you need this for a laptop to use? or can you use a pci-e card for PC at all?

[DnFx91]

Just now, paddy-stone said:

I had a little look for you and can't find any that seem to support NVME pci-e m.2 drives, there are loads that specifically state that they don't support them though, even if they're keyed the same. Do you need this for a laptop to use? or can you use a pci-e card for PC at all?

ok thanks for making sure you are informed before posting a reply, much appreciated. I basically maintain a fleet of precision 7510's with the SM951's and i need a way to access the boot sector of them through linux which will be as easy as mounting the partition as long as the drive will work over USB.  

[Falconevo]

They don't support NVMe standard, only M.2 AHCI based drives like the Plextor M6 M.2 module etc.

[paddy-stone]

2 minutes ago, DnFx91 said:

ok thanks for making sure you are informed before posting a reply, much appreciated. I basically maintain a fleet of precision 7510's with the SM951's and i need a way to access the boot sector of them through linux which will be as easy as mounting the partition as long as the drive will work over USB.  

Ahh I see, don't know what the solution to that would be, but if I think of soemthing I'll let you know. The only thing I can think of at the moment is to have a PC handy with a pci-e m.2 adaptor, but if that's not an option I can't think what will ATM.

[DnFx91]

4 minutes ago, Falconevo said:

They don't support NVMe standard, only M.2 AHCI based drives like the Plextor M6 M.2 module etc.

bugger, well thanks. 

 

Is there nothing other than super expensive thunderbolt enclosures that will run an NVME drive externally ? I've seen mad shit like this before https://www.akitio.com/portable-storage/thunder2-storage-av 

 

but i can't squeeze something of that price past my boss especially seeing as it's not critical hardware, ittl just make my job easier

[paddy-stone]

4 minutes ago, DnFx91 said:

bugger, well thanks. 

 

Is there nothing other than super expensive thunderbolt enclosures that will run an NVME drive externally ? I've seen mad shit like this before https://www.akitio.com/portable-storage/thunder2-storage-av 

 

but i can't squeeze something of the price past my boss especially seeing as it's not critical hardware, ittl just make my job easier

Well, if it was me, and I absoloutely had to have an option to do this, I would either build a SFF PC or get a NUC, would be much cheaper in the long run than any thunderbolt solution.

 

[edit] I mean if it had to be small and transportable to take to clients premises.

[DnFx91]

Just now, paddy-stone said:

Well, if it was me, and I absoloutely had to have an option to do this, I would either build a SFF PC or get a NUC, would be much cheaper in the long run than any thunderbolt solution.

true, itt'l be janky but i suppose i could just buy a motherboard with a PCIe m.2 slot on it, i've got spare PSU's and shit laying around at work, so i could do it on the cheap, i just wanted a solution that didnt require a frankenstein PC in the corner of my office lol.

 

Cheers for the help

 

PS. thumbs up to all those who actually read the entire post before replying in order to not look like a moron

[Falconevo]

Might want to contact StarTech as they make the majority of these adapters etc;

 

https://www.startech.com/uk/HDD/Adapters/M-2-NGFF-SSD-to-2-5in-SATA-Adapter~SAT32M225

 

That looks like it would do the job if it has NVMe support, however it has no confirmation on NVMe protocol support.  If the controller allows for it then you might be able to utilise something like that and then use the USB3 caddy with it.  I am not sure if the product you need currently exists though as the BUS types are unique from each other.

[paddy-stone]

I was then going to suggest something, but then saw that @Falconevo had posted, his suggestion is much better

 

[paddy-stone]

5 minutes ago, Falconevo said:

Might want to contact StarTech as they make the majority of these adapters etc;

 

https://www.startech.com/uk/HDD/Adapters/M-2-NGFF-SSD-to-2-5in-SATA-Adapter~SAT32M225

 

That looks like it would do the job if it has NVMe support, however it has no confirmation on NVMe protocol support.  If the controller allows for it then you might be able to utilise something like that and then use the USB3 caddy with it.  I am not sure if the product you need currently exists though as the BUS types are unique from each other.

Oops, thought your suggestion was good, but looks like it's keyed wrong to me for sm951 m.2 drives.

[Falconevo]

1 minute ago, paddy-stone said:

Oops, thought your suggestion was good, but looks like it's keyed wrong to me for sm951 m.2 drives.

Yep, just managed to find an obscure bit of info on the unit which gives this;

 

Quote

Although M.2 SSDs come in similar form factors, only an M.2 SATA drive with an NGFF B key will operate with this device. M.2 drives that are PCIe or have a different key position are not compatible with this device.

This device can adapt an M.2 SATA drive to standard SATA connections, which is not possible for a PCIe based M.2 drive. The key type refers to the connector type on the M.2 SATA drive. B key can be M.2 PCIe x2 or SATA, so it is important that you check the specifications of the drive to see if it supports SATA.

I dont think the adapter you need @DnFx91 currently exists might want to hit up StarTech to see if they are working on one though.  They take a bit to reply but you can get them here; https://www.startech.com/uk/TechSupport

[paddy-stone]

I'd go with a small NUC system or build a SFF PC if you can squeeze it out of your boss. I priced up a complete SFF PC system for only £450 the other day, but obviously it depends on your boss allowing it.

[DnFx91]

1 hour ago, paddy-stone said:

I'd go with a small NUC system or build a SFF PC if you can squeeze it out of your boss. I priced up a complete SFF PC system for only £450 the other day, but obviously it depends on your boss allowing it.

i'll see what i can get out of the beancounters lol