The Ultimate SSK Aluminum M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure Review
SSK Aluminum M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure is a fast, cheap, sleek, and portable Multi-OS compatible device that can help you to get your work done efficiently but please note that this SSD enclosure only fits NVMe PCIE 2241/2260/2280 sizes.
Are you looking for a fast, portable, and cheap NVMe enclosure to clone your drive? Or do you need an enclosure you can use with your Android devices?
To clear any doubt that you may have about the product, I have compiled a critical and honest description of the product in this review.
Shall we?
SSK NVME
SSK Aluminium M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure
The SSK Aluminium M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure uses USB Type C connectors which makes all transfer faster and brings out the best of your NVMe SSD. It also has excellent heat dissipation features that ensures your SSD remains cool and your hand doesn’t get burnt when you touch the SSD enclosure while in use.
SSK Aluminium M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure Specs
- Transmission Speed: 10Gbps: Over 900 MB/s read/write speed.
- Connectivity: USB 3.1 Gen 2
- Interface Type: 2 NVMe PCIe to USB 3.1 Gen 2
- Support SSD Drivers Size: 2242, 2260, 2280mm
- Case Size: 115 * 39 * 11mm
- Cables: USB C to USB C (150mm, 10Gbps) and USB 3.0 A M to USB C (150mm, 5Gbps)
- Colour: Grey + Black
- Material: Aluminum
- Max HDD Size: 2TB
- Compatibility:2 NVMe M-key & (M + B) key 2280/2260/2242 SSD; Windows 7/8/8.1/10, Mac OS 10.10.5 or above, Linux, & Type C Android Phones; Supports TRIM & UASP protocol.
- Price: $20-$30
SSK Aluminium M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure Review
1. Easy Cloning
I consider the SSK Aluminum M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure adapter as a lifesaver and must-have to clone drives. This is because cloning my laptop drive was very tedious until I laid my hands on this enclosure. Initially, cloning my hard drive used to be a long period of doing the following:
- Cloning my laptop SSD to an external drive via USB
- Removing the old NVMe SSD from my laptop drive slot and replacing it with a new NVMe SSD
- Using some sort of bootable cloning USB drive like Macrim Reflect to copy the contents of the external USB drive to the newly installed drive
- Finally, restart the laptop with the hope that it will work. But when it doesn’t work, I have to go over the processes again.
However, the SSK Aluminum M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure adapter has saved me from a lot of trouble by making this process significantly simple.
All I have to do now is to plug in the new NVMe SSD into the enclosure, clone the old NVMe SSD into it, and then replace the old NVMe SSD with the new one.
It’s now as simple as that. No unique configurations needed, no bootable devices required, and yet my new drive works as though it were the old one.
The first time I heard about the SSK Aluminum M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure adapter, I couldn’t believe my ears and was quite skeptical about using it, but after giving it a try, it worked liked magic.
I can’t help but talk about it. If you were like me and needed a simple cloning device, the SSK Aluminum M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure adapter is what you need.
2. High Data Transmission Speed
The high-speed transmission is another unique feature of the SSK Aluminum M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure adapter that got my attention.
While I was cloning my NVMe SSD, I discovered that the enclosure has a read speed of about 970Mbps and a write speed of about 930Mbps using USB C to USB C Gen 2 Cable.
This is rather amazing, especially because this high transfer speed is about twice as fast as the other enclosures that I used to clone my laptop drive in the past.
I did some digging and found out that the SSK Aluminum M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure adapter operates with a high-performance controller chip (JMS583), which is responsible for its high speed.
However, when I tried other SSDs that support 3500Mbps data transmission speed, the transfer speed did not exceed the 1000Mbps mark. I guess that’s part of the configuration of the chip. Overall, the speed is right for me as it gets my work done faster.
3. High Compatibility
Using this enclosure was very convenient for me. Apart from its portability, it also supports USB 3.0 AM to USB C, which makes it possible for me to use the enclosure with older systems that do not support USB type C.
The only downside to that is that the transmission speed was halved, but the transfer speed is still better than contemporary enclosures.
Besides, the SSK Aluminum M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure adapter is a pack of treasure. Its high-quality master chip supports Trim and UASP protocol, which can effectively improve speed and extend the lifetime of your SSD.
It is also compatible with Windows 7/8/8.1/10, Mac OS 10.10.5 or above, Linux, and Type C Android Phones. This means that you are not restricted to a particular OS when using the enclosure. Not to forget that it also supports Android phones, hot-swapping, and plug-and-play – its sleek, portable, and lightweight design makes these features easy to utilize.
It is very handy and pocket-friendly. Its high thermal management design also prevents your drive from overheating. All these treasures are made available in this device at a relatively low price.
4. Excellent Heat Dissipation
NVMe SSDs are born for speed. This makes them generate a large amount of heat during operation. SSK Aluminum M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure adapter not only adopts the use of large copper strips for heat dissipation but also has a unique design that adds plastic shrapnel that lifts the SSD slightly.
With the use of thermal pads, the lifted SSD is tightly attached to the Aluminum chassis to achieve rapid heat dissipation. This helps to keep the temperature of the drive to about 500C, which in turn protects your drive from overheating.
However, this thermal design failed to prevent speed throttle, which is quite disappointing. Also, the Aluminum casing rubs and scratches the bottom and top of the drive enclosure whenever you open or close it, but if you do not intend to change the drive often, it’s okay.
Conclusion
Nevertheless, considering its cost, the SSK Aluminum M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure is worth it.
