Generally if the drive is readable I'll boot off a custom WinPE disk I built and run USMT to salvage the user profile data to a compressed MIG store. Then I'll replace the drive or laptop, re-image, and restore the salvaged profile. So the faster the drive is the faster I can complete these tasks. Which makes users happier. I've been using a M2 Sata enclosure, but I also have 2.5" external cables that let me plug a 2.5" directly into a USB port. A notable convenience is the inclusion of two cables: a USB Type-C cable and a USB Type-C to USB Type-A cable. The earliest versions of M.2 PCI Express SSDs made use of the PCI Express Gen 2.0 x2 interface, which defines a throughput ceiling that's higher than SATA 3.0's, but not enormously so. That evolved into PCI Express Gen 3.0 x2 and x4, paired with a technology called Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) to propel performance even further, especially with heavy, deeply queued workloads. The broad compatibility of the UGREEN M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure caught my eye, supporting NMVe protocol M and B&M Keys and accommodating SSD sizes ranging from 2230 to 2280, with a maximum capacity of 8TB. It is supported with Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, and iOS operating systems.

Designed with portability in mind, this enclosure leverages a combination of aluminum top and plastic bottom to ensure it remains light yet capable of good heat dissipation.Another aluminum enclosure that is sleek and reliable in thermal performance. This enclosure is only available for M-Key M.2 SSDs i.e. M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs of up to 80mm in size. Most popular brands such as Samsung and Sabrent produce them. These enclosures can be used as external accessories to our smartphones, tablets, and other devices like gaming consoles, computers, and smartphones. Simply insert your M.2 SSD into these enclosures, and then connect them to your computer using USB cables.

A distinguishing feature is the blue indicator which informs users of the data transfer status clearly and easily, adding a functional yet aesthetically pleasing element to the enclosure. The SSK Aluminum M.2 SSD enclosure stands out as a portable option to house your NVMe PCIe and SATA M-key/B+M connector M.2 SSDs. First, focusing on the applicable SSDs, it caters to M-Key and B+M connectors and accommodates 2242, 2260, and 2280 size solid-state drivers. In short, you can use both M.2 NVMe and M.2 SATA SSDs. I am all for tool-free installations, and this enclosure does not disappoint in this regard. The setup is a breeze, involving just plugging the SSD into the M.2 NVMe USB adapter and securing it with a rubber plug. This is why it’s in the third position in our list of best M.2 SSD enclosures.

They're The Same!?

How often will you open it? Most of the M.2 SSD enclosures we tested were made to be opened once, have a drive installed inside and then screwed closed for the long haul. While you can reopen all of them and change drives at any time, you should consider an enclosure with a tool-less design if you think you’ll be changing the drive frequently. Installing an SSD is pretty easy as you just need to unscrew the cover, attach the M.2 drive along with the optional cooling pad, screw in the mounting screw and reattach the cover. Unfortunately, both the cover and the mounting screw are 5-point star shaped screws, which are not very common. However, there’s a screwdriver in the box. However, from an engineering point of view, SSDs didn't needto be that big. The enclosure an SSD comes in has a lot of dead space inside. It's designed in that 2.5-inch size and shape to make the drive fit into those existing bays. So when mobile-device designers, challenged with slimming down laptops and tablets, reassessed this issue, the consensus was clear: The bulky 2.5-inch form factor, eventually, would have to go. Yeah, thats pretty similar to the bench I did in the enclosure. Though for time I limited the run to 3 instead of 5. The ultra-slim aluminum case paired with an ABS frame brings to the table not just style but remarkable durability. The supported SSD sizes are 2242, 2260, and 2280. The maximum speed you can get with this enclosure is 1000 MB/s. No additional drivers are required for installation because it is completely a Plug-and-play device.

TDBT M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure with Heat Sink, 10Gbps USB-C to PCIe NVMe M.2 Hard Drive Enclosure with Thermal Cooling Pad, NVMe M.2 Drive to USB-C External Storage Enclosure, Fits M-Key B+M Key NVMe SSDby TDBT On a few M.2 enclosures, including the SSK SHE-C325, we found that our test Kingston Rage Fury SSD’s built-in graphene heat spreader, which adds 3.5mm of z height to the drive, didn’t leave much vertical clearance. However, the SHE-C325 could close anyway, without scraping the drive’s surface. Considering that many M.2 SSDs have built-in, non-removable heat spreaders, every enclosure should accommodate them. One last caveat to drop in before we get to our product recommendations surrounds Intel's SSD line. Intel for a while sold a family of M.2-based storage products under the brand name Optane, in two very distinct types of drive. Intel's"Optane SSDs"were SSDs like any other, bootable drives that can serve as a stand-alone boot drive or as secondary storage. They were discontinued for consumers in 2021, but you may still see them around. (Intel sold its SSD business at the end of 2021 to SK Hynix, which spun it off into a new subsidiary, Solidigm.)The ADATA XPG Spectrix S40 is an unapologetically bright RGB-lit PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2 SSD that blings up your PC. Its 4K read and write speeds should keep most gamers happy, too. The ADATA XPG Spectrix S40G carries some respectable wins out of its duel with other competing drives we've tested, and it looked great doing it.