M.2 to USB Type C 3.1 SSD Adapter for NVME PCIE NGFF SATA M/B Key SSD Disk Box M.2 SSD Case
Parameters
Buy Ugreen M2 on Aliexpress Ugreen Official Store with discount
Packaging and equipment
The device comes in a branded white cardboard box. On the packaging you can find: an outline of the case, specifications and manufacturer’s contacts.
The delivery set consists of: a case, a cable, two clamps (main and spare) and a manual.
The reversible type-c cable is 50 cm long.
The SSD is secured inside the case with a rubber retainer.
Appearance
The body is entirely made of metal, feels good in the hands, looks solid. Case size 122x40x12 mm. The thickness of the metal is one and a half millimeters.
The case is connected to a computer (or other device) through the type-c connector located on the front end.
On top of the case is an LED indicator that glows when power is applied and blinks while writing or reading.
The main distinguishing feature of the Ugreen M2 case from competing devices is the possibility of “hot” replacement of the drive (in which there is no need to use a screwdriver).
Due to the special design of the case, there were some concerns about the reliability of the cover fastening. Worried in vain — the sliding cover is securely held in place (at least for me).
As you can see in the image below, the chassis is compatible with any length of M2 NVMe drives.
There are no threads in the sockets, so the clips must be taken care of — the screws will not replace them.
Judging by the description on the manufacturer’s website, the ASN2362 chip is used in the Ugreen N2 package.
There are three configurations for this enclosure. You can see the differences in the presented image.
Covers
The case of the Ugreen M2 is shaped in such a way that it is quite difficult to find a suitable case for it. Standard headphone cases are suitable in width, but in most cases they are short in length. If you take a cover of the right length, then it will most likely be too bulky (due to its large width)
After spending a few days, I still found two cases that seemed interesting to me. I didn’t know which one would be better, so I bought both.
External size: 148x62x48mm
Internal size: 138×46 mm
The cover is covered with a material similar to leatherette. Looks and feels pretty cheap.
The zipper has two locks. If one breaks, a backup can be used.
The inner dimensions of the case are ideal for the Ugreen case. But due to the fact that the case was originally created for e-cigarettes, the mesh pockets were not very well suited for storing cables.
External size: 145x77x35 mm
Internal size: 228×60 mm
I liked the second case much more. Its fabric upholstery looks more attractive and it is more pleasant to the touch. There are no stickers, labels or other nonsense. But there is a small loop for a strap or carabiner.
Not without cons, or rather a minus. The tongue of the lock is exactly the same as in the previous case (made of too thin metal). But if in the first case this was compensated by the presence of two locks, then unfortunately there is only one lock here.
The length of the cover is just right, but in width it is slightly larger than necessary. I don’t think this is a minus, since the margin in width makes it easier to get the case out of the case.
In the second niche, a cable (not only the one in the photo, but also a native 50 centimeter) and a small drive can be easily placed.
SSD KingSpec M2 MVMe 1 TB
For the Ugreen case, CM238 chose this SSD. I bought it because I needed an inexpensive, relatively fast drive that, if necessary, could be connected to the M2 slot inside the laptop.
Cooling radiator
NVMe SSDs can get very hot during operation. Actually, one of the reasons why I paid attention to the monitored case is that it has enough space inside to accommodate not only an SSD, but also a radiator .
I bought this particular radiator because …
First: it is made of copper, not aluminum (it should absorb heat better).
Secondly: it has a slightly larger area than most other similar devices.
Thirdly, rubber bands are used to attach the heatsink to the drive. I somehow do not trust the glue. I am afraid that if I suddenly want to put the SSD together with the radiator in a laptop, then over time the radiator may come off, fly off somewhere and short-circuit something.
According to the seller, a graphene coating is applied to the radiator, which dissipates heat much better than copper. When buying a radiator, I did not pay attention to this. I am inclined to believe that the advertised coverage can be a tricky marketing.
Radiator length 70 mm, width 20 mm. The thickness is from 0.5 to 4 mm (I have 1.5 mm).
A thermal pad (non-adhesive) and three rubber rings are supplied with the radiator.
I did not use a thermal stealer (the drive has its own). I also don’t use regular rubber bands. They turned out to be too tight and a little thicker than I need (this prevents the lid from closing). Found other gum. On the contrary, they turned out to be too soft. But after applying the “double girth” they began to hold it as it should.
Testing
The following hardware was used in testing the Ugreen M2 chassis.
• Laptop with USB 3.1 (aka USB 3.1 Gen 2 and USB 3.2 Gen 2).
• Phone (only checking device support, did not measure the speed).
• SSD drive KingSpec M2 2080 PCIe NVMe Gen 3.0×4 1000 GB
• Radiator (used only when checking the temperature difference, it did not participate during speed measurements).
If the SSD is new, you will need to initialize the drive.
Well, the actual speed tests.
CrystalDiskMark
AS SSD Benchmark
Anvil’s Storage Utilities
Copying from laptop to Ugreen case 430 elements with a volume of 100 gigabytes.
Many drives are guilty of the fact that when the capacity is filled to 90%, the speed begins to drop dramatically.
Let’s see how things are with this here.
Filled the container to 90%
As you can see, the speed has remained practically unchanged.
Copy nine 20GB items (SSD 90% full)
And finally, about the temperature.
I tested the temperature as follows.
• Connected Ugreen CM238 to USB 3.1 port of laptop
• Started copying 130 GB to it (slightly over 23,000 files)
• Fixed the maximum temperature
• Disconnected the case from the laptop.
• I waited for the case to cool down and reconnected it, but this time with a radiator
• Started copying the same files
• Fixed the maximum temperature
I repeated all this three times
To monitor the temperature, I used the CrystalDiskInfo utility (HMMonitor did not want to see the SSD).
Without a radiator: the maximum recorded temperature is 75 degrees.
With a radiator: the maximum recorded temperature is 65 degrees.
With prolonged use of the SSD drive (for example, if it is installed in a laptop), the difference in temperatures (with and without a heatsink) is likely to be less noticeable, since it will be more difficult for the heatsink to dissipate the accumulated heat.
Removing the housing cover practically does not affect the temperature (if there are any changes, they are at the level of error).
The case with a heatsink installed inside heats up significantly more than without it.
Comparison
I do not have devices that are direct competitors to both the Ugreen CM238 case and the KingSpec M2 NVMe 2080 SSD drive. Therefore, for comparison, we took ordinary external SSDs, which I have been using for a long time.
KingSpec Z2 128 GB
Kunup 1 TB
Drives can be divided into sections, so CrystalDiskMark does not show full capacity on some screens.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages
+ NVMe (you can also choose the option with HGFF support)
+ Easy and quick SSD replacement
+ The presence of a light indicator
+ It is possible to install a radiator
disadvantages
– Quite long body length.
– It is not possible to use screws instead of standard rubber clamps.
Short summary
At the moment, Ugreen M2 is almost the most popular SSD case (in M2 format) that can be found on AliExpress. The device really turned out to be quite successful.
That’s all for me. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments below the article.
