Solved Looking for good external enclosures for the following SSDs

cheaterslick · Aug 29, 2025

MisterEd said:
The 2nd drive is SATA SSD. The drive's speed is limited by the SATA interface which is a little slower then USB 3.0. You won't find a 2.5" SATA enclosure with USB 3.1 because SATA is too slow to take advantage of it. You need an external NVME SSD to take advantage of USB 3.1.

That's good to know. Would that would also be the case if it was USB-C cables, which is the way many laptop connector ports are heading towards?

MisterEd said:
500GB Samsung 870 EVO (2.5" SATA) SSD speed test. It is mounted in a SABRENT 2.5 Inch SATA to USB 3.0 Tool Free External Hard Drive Enclosure. This is the same enclosure that someone mentioned in a previous post.

Yeah, I'm leaning towards that Sabrent, too. The one @glasskuter mentioned. There seems to be plenty of choices for that (2.5 SATA) one.

But I'm still confused about getting an mSATA enclosure for the 850 EVO, the 1st drive I mentioned. It looks like it uses a B-Key.

Since the 850 EVO is also 1TB, it might be worth it to me to re-use that one as well. Any suggestions on how to go about doing that one?

spapakons · Aug 29, 2025

USB-C is same speed as USB 3.0 with a smaller plug.

glasskuter · Aug 29, 2025

cheaterslick said:
But I'm still confused about getting an mSATA enclosure for the 850 EVO, the 1st drive I mentioned. It looks like it uses a B-Key.

The first link I gave you works with both Msata and nvme for me..
Applicable SSD: This M.2 SSD Enclosure is for NVMe PCIE & SATA M-Key / B+M connectors M.2 SSD. Applicable to sizes 2242 / 2260 / 2280 solid state drivers. Does not support M.2 PCIe AHCI SSDs, M.2 PCIe devices such as WiFi and capture cards, mSATA SSDs, and non-M.2 form factor SSDs.

hdmi · Aug 29, 2025

cheaterslick said:
That's good to know.

What's even better to know IMO is that he is wrong.

See post #2 and post #20. As for the link in post #2, whether you want to spend that much extra dough on a 10Gbps capable 2.5″ SATA drive enclosure for such an old 1TB drive is entirely up to you to decide, but the fact remains that the speed difference can go up to ~35% especially with a copy tool like FastCopy.

hdmi · Aug 29, 2025

cheaterslick said:
It looks like it uses a B-Key.

Clearly it doesn't. See post #17.

MisterEd · Aug 29, 2025

hdmi said:
No. Flexense - Data Management Software - USB3 vs. SATA Disk Performance Comparison

Point taken. However, what I was trying to say that a SATA SSD is not fast enough to take real advantage of USB 3.1. That is why you don't see external 2.5" enclosures with a USB 3.1 interface.

1TB Samsung 870 EVO (2.5" SATA) SSD speed test. The SSD was connected internally to a SATA 3 (6.0 Gbit/s) connector. The speed is faster than USB 3.0 but not enough to use a USB 3.1 interface.

2022-08-22 11_27_20-CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 x64 [Admin].webp

BTW, I have an old computer with an eSATA connector. This connects direclty to the internal SATA controller so is amost as fast as an internal SATA drive. eSATA was worthwhile because it was faster than a USB 2.0 connected drive. However, it became obsolete when USB 3.0 was came out.

hdmi · Aug 29, 2025

spapakons said:
USB-C is same speed as USB 3.0 with a smaller plug.

No. USB-C is the connector type whereas USB 3.0 is the USB standard used by the actual connection itself. Since late 2024 (which was when the first products became commercially available) the speed of USB-C has been limited by the 80Gbps maximum limit of USB4 2.0. Whereas USB-A is limited by the 10Gbps maximum limit of USB 3.1 Gen 2 which was renamed to USB 3.2 Gen 2×1, where the "×1" part indicates the number of links, and, USB-A is limited to only one link due to its maximum number of pins being only 9 (versus a maximum of 24 pins for USB-C).

MisterEd said:
Point taken. However, what I was trying to say that a SATA SSD is not fast enough to take real advantage of USB 3.1. That is why you don't see external 2.5" enclosures with a USB 3.1 interface.

You do see them. See post #2.

"USB 3.1" can either refer to USB 3.1 Gen 1 or refer to USB 3.1 Gen 2. The former is 5Gbps and is just a different name for USB 3.0, and so is USB 3.2 Gen 1×1. The latter is 10Gbps and is just a different name for USB 3.2 Gen 2×1, and, the link in post #2 points to a 2.5″ enclosure with an interface that supports this.

MisterEd · Aug 29, 2025

External SATA SSD connected with USB 3.0 and USB 3.1. USB 3.1 is definitely faster than SATA. If use the same enclosure with a M.2 NVME SSD the sequential speeds are almost 1000MB/s)

500GB Adata SU800 (M.2 SATA) SSD
Ugreen CM400 external enclosure M.2 SATA/NVME SSD to USB 3.1 (10Gb/s)

MisterEd · Aug 29, 2025

hdmi said:
No. USB-C is the connector type whereas USB 3.0 is the USB standard used by the actual connection itself. Since late 2024 (which was when the first products became commercially available) the speed of USB-C has been limited by the 80Gbps maximum limit of USB4 2.0. Whereas USB-A is limited by the 10Gbps maximum limit of USB 3.1 Gen 2 which was renamed to USB 3.2 Gen 2×1, where the "×1" part indicates the number of links, and, USB-A is limited to only one link due to its maximum number of pins being only 9 (versus a maximum of 24 pins for USB-C).

You do see them. See post #2.

"USB 3.1" can either refer to USB 3.1 Gen 1 or refer to USB 3.1 Gen 2. The former is 5Gbps and is just a different name for USB 3.0, and so is USB 3.2 Gen 1×1. The latter is 10Gbps and is just a different name for USB 3.2 Gen 2×1, and, the link in post #2 points to a 2.5″ enclosure with an interface that supports this.

I agree that this enclosure is USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gb/s). However, with SATA SSDs that will give maybe 10-20% increase in speed. These drive's main limitation is the SATA III interface. SATA III has a theoretical maximum speed of 6 Gb/s, which translates to about 600 MB/s of actual data throughput, though real-world performance for a fast SATA SSD is closer to 500–550 MB/s due to overhead.

My main laptop has both USB-A and USB-C ports they are all USB 3.0 (5Gb/s).
My old laptop also has USB-A and USB-C ports. However, the USB-A ports are USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. Its USB-C port is USB 3.1 according to the manufacturer. Note the manufacture implies that this is 5Gb/s but testing shows that it is actually 10Gb/s. For example, I get speeds of over 900MB/s with an external SSD which is only possible with USB 3.1 Gen 2.

Note that when I bought this old laptop in 2018 USB 3.1 implied 10Gb/s. Later they further designated USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gb/s) and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gb/s).

bobkn · Aug 29, 2025

spapakons said:
USB-C is same speed as USB 3.0 with a smaller plug.

Except when it isn't.

My USB-C front port is USB 3.2 Gen2. 10Gbps.

gunrunnerjohn · Aug 29, 2025

USB & USB-C is very muddy water, they really screwed up in naming the various options!

cheaterslick · Aug 29, 2025

hdmi said:
As for the link in post #2, whether you want to spend that much extra dough on a 10Gbps capable 2.5″ SATA drive enclosure for such an old 1TB drive is entirely up to you to decide, but the fact remains that the speed difference can go up to ~35% especially with a copy tool like FastCopy.

Actually, I'm looking more at the selections in post #3

hdmi said:
Clearly it doesn't. See post #17.

Yeah, I read that but I'm confused. What Key does my 850 EVO mSATA use?

bobkn · Aug 29, 2025

cheaterslick said:
(snip)

Yeah, I read that but I'm confused. What Key does my 850 EVO mSATA use?

I believe it's a B key.

NVME drives use the M key.

I believe it's common for current SATA m.2 drives to use B+M.

hdmi · Aug 29, 2025

cheaterslick said:
What Key does my 850 EVO mSATA use?

mSATA doesn't use any keying at all. M.2 does.

MisterEd said:
I agree that this enclosure is USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gb/s). However, with SATA SSDs that will give maybe 10-20% increase in speed. These drive's main limitation is the SATA III interface. SATA III has a theoretical maximum speed of 6 Gb/s, which translates to about 600 MB/s of actual data throughput, though real-world performance for a fast SATA SSD is closer to 500–550 MB/s due to overhead.

My main laptop has both USB-A and USB-C ports they are all USB 3.0 (5Gb/s).
My old laptop also has USB-A and USB-C ports. However, the USB-A ports are USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. Its USB-C port is USB 3.1 according to the manufacturer. Note the manufacture implies that this is 5Gb/s but testing shows that it is actually 10Gb/s. For example, I get speeds of over 900MB/s with an external SSD which is only possible with USB 3.1 Gen 2.

Note that when I bought this old laptop in 2018 USB 3.1 implied 10Gb/s. Later they further designated USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gb/s) and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gb/s).

With the 1TB Samsung 850 PRO, yes, ~15% difference in real-world, sustained transfer speed seems about accurate, as these USB 3.0 enclosures don't go much faster than 450 MB/s and the 1TB Samsung 850 PRO hit 517.85 MB/s according to this: Samsung SSD 850 PRO Review

mngerhold · Aug 30, 2025

hdmi said:
mSATA doesn't use any keying at all. M.2 does.

Surely mSATA is a 'keyed' connector - it just doesn't conform to the M.2 standard?

SlicEnDicE · Aug 30, 2025

Whatever USB enclosure you decide to purchase, ensure it supports UASP (USB Attached Storage Protocol). It significantly improves transfer speeds. Essentially full SSD speed with minimal overhead. Without UASP, you get about half or less transfer speeds.

SlicEnDicE · Aug 30, 2025

I'd go with these enclosures:

For your mSATA drive (enclosure also supports nVME) NOTE! I did not check the physical dimensions of your drive.
Inateck - Hard Drive Enclosure / M.2 NVMe SATA SSD FE2024

For your SATA drive:
Inateck SATA enclosure - FE2005
I have one of these and it is great.

or

Inateck SATA enclosure - FE2014

All the above are cheap, and often have great discounts and work like clockwork. I'm very happy with Inateck products.

cheaterslick · Aug 30, 2025

SlicEnDicE said:
Whatever USB enclosure you decide to purchase, ensure it supports UASP (USB Attached Storage Protocol). It significantly improves transfer speeds. Essentially full SSD speed with minimal overhead. Without UASP, you get about half or less transfer speeds.

You're talking about the links you supplied in post #37, yes? They all have UASP support, right?

SlicEnDicE said:
For your mSATA drive (enclosure also supports nVME) NOTE! I did not check the physical dimensions of your drive.

There's a picture of it in post #1 and it's about 2" long x 1 & 1/4" inch wide.

Quite small, actually...

SlicEnDicE said:
For your SATA drive:
Inateck SATA enclosure - FE2005
I have one of these and it is great.

or

Inateck SATA enclosure - FE2014

All the above are cheap, and often have great discounts and work like clockwork. I'm very happy with Inateck products.

I'll take a look. Thanks!

Helmut · Aug 30, 2025

It is quite simple.

Both drives are limited to SATA speeds of 500 MB/s(5 Gbps). That is the lowest speed USB 3.2 Gen 1 (latest naming convention) be it USB-A or USB-C connectors.

1. The 2.5" SATA SSD drives - There are hundreds of enclosures for that sort of drive.

2. The mSATA drives - enclosures for these are less common but you can still get them, e.g. detailed in post lucky #13. Easy to make the mistake of M.2, it looks similar, no big deal.

UASP is an improvement, useful but not essential.

OK, I did not spot or look up the size of the drives, it looked very small. Never the less mSATA is 10+ years old technology and back then SSDs in laptops tended to be very small.

spapakons · Aug 30, 2025

mSATA was a step forward from eMMC storage in old netbooks and tablets. M.2 is a step forward from SATA 2.5" technology and newer than mSATA. mSATA is wider than M.2 so you can tell the difference if you see them side by side. Of course M.2 is also faster than mSATA.

Solved Looking for good external enclosures for the following SSDs

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

aka Mama Glass

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Jack of all trades – master of none

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Jack of all trades – master of none

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Jack of all trades – master of none

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Jack of all trades – master of none

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Well-known member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computers

My Computer

My Computers