M.2 Help :: Hardware and Operating Systems

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Bryan999 17 hours ago

M.2 Help

Hi first time post, i am in the process of sorting out what parts i need for my first time pc build and keep seeing good offers on m.2 drives but not ready yet to buy the other parts, so if i buy a m.2 drive now i will need a way to make sure it works, my options are connect it to an external m.2 enclosure or connect it to a heatsink in my ps5, this will only be temporary while i sort out my pc build but i dont want to buy the m.2 drive and leave it until its too late to return without testing it, i am worried that if i choose the external enclosure option it would be not easy to remove the drive without damage eg adhesive or sticky labels, the ps5 option is similar dont't want any adhesive sticking to drive.hope somebody can help thanks

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Showing 1-15 of 15 comments

Electric Cupcake 16 hours ago

It's good to have an enclosure or dock anyway, since you never know when you might need to do an emergency backup or clone. Don't cheap out, though. It needs to be actively cooled.

At any rate, adhesive has never been a problem in my experience. You don't want to loose the heatsink strip, since as far as I know, they're only sold at Microcenter or online. They're only a little sticky to ensure a good thermal connection without slipping or bunching up.

(to clarify, most motherboard M.2 slots don't need a heat sink. That's for enclosures and docks, or Raspberry Pi cases)

Last edited by Electric Cupcake; 16 hours ago

Bryan999 16 hours ago

thanks for your reply, will have a look at some enclosures

_I_ 13 hours ago

ps5 is picky about compatible m.2 nvme ssds
https://www.tomshardware.com/best-picks/best-ps5-ssds

you can use it in a usb enclosure, but that will severely limit its speed

m.2 comes in 3 flavors
m key = nvme
b key = sata
e key = wifi

the board will have keys for compatible types
and the drives have keys for compatible slots

slot with e key, only works with e wifi nic or pci-e cards
slot with m key, only works with m.2 nvme drives
slot with b key, only works with m.2 sata drives
slot with no key will work with either nvme or sata drives

drives have b and/or m keys, and will work in compatible slots

if unsure, look up the mobo manual to see what slots can take what type of drives

ChickenBalls 11 hours ago

uh so currently you dont have a PC at all that have a m.2 slot?
even most of the lowest end laptops got at least one m.2 slot unless its an Apple of course because they just solder everything

SlowClick 10 hours ago

Just buy new and you can be 99.99% sure that it will work.
But a dock is a good to have if you have a PC anyway - you never know when you might need one.

x 8 hours ago

Unless you are buying a very expensive or specific m2, deals come and go and usually you can always find something nice. Buying a decent enclosure for 20/25 bucks will mostly void any "gains" from he sale. But, as others have said, a dock or enclosure might come in handy at some point. Then again, I might need a cane to walk sometime in the future but sure as hell am not buying one now :D
If possible, just find a mate with a pc where you can test the m2.

Bryan999 7 hours ago

an enclosure is my ideal option in this situation as i might need one in the future you never know as long as i dont spend a lot on it, i just dont want to damage it when removing it, my current pc is over 8 years old and has one slot but tried the slot previously but it didnt work.

SlowClick 7 hours ago

Look for a M.2 USB dock like this -
https://www.mbeat.com.au/h1-usb-3-2-gen2-10gbps-m-2-nvme-sata-ssd-mini-dock.html

x 7 hours ago

Originally posted by Bryan999:
an enclosure is my ideal option in this situation as i might need one in the future you never know as long as i dont spend a lot on it, i just dont want to damage it when removing it, my current pc is over 8 years old and has one slot but tried the slot previously but it didnt work.

Honestly, if my drive(s) burn it's a pain and a hassle but no information is lost at all. I've had too many drives go bad in the past so I just have a good cloud server and all the files I want to keep are directly saved (or copied) directly to the cloud. For extra peace of mind I have been thinking about getting a second cloud service.
Same with my phone that synchs photos and videos. Last two phones that died (luckily they lasted quite a lot) I just installed apps the apps and all the photos were on the server. Last time my PC died it was the MB (and possibly the RAM fried too). I didn't even took the trouble to get anything out of the drive.
Obviously I needed to install everything again, but all the files that are important are automatically saved. In a lot of cases, a dock won't help save a fatally dead drive, so other options are safer.

And as always, each person will have a different situation so what works for me might not be the solution to the next guy.

Bryan999 3 hours ago

thanks for the replies had a look at the m.2 docks and they look good but based on reviews they can be quite flimsy because the drive has not protection so can be knocked and banged and damaged and i tend to be quite clumsy so will have to look at enclosures that won't damage the drive and i can swap easily.

#10

Affronter 2 hours ago

I’d get the guts of the new PC build bought first, especially the mobo which will determine how many, Gen version support, and physical size needed. Then buy the storage. You see good deals now but there’ll be better deals later. Black Friday & Cyber Monday aren’t far off.

#11

x 2 hours ago

MSI are (in some markets) offering a bundle of the RTX 5060 + 1TB m.2 that basically makes the m.2 free. At least at amazon.es they have this offer. I almost went for it but with the m.2 supposedly being prone to heating and a 2 week shipping wait, I just bought the GPU + drive from a local shop.

#12