Using NVMe externally is very easy. They can become a great alternative to expensive external storage devices. So, if you have an NVMe SSD lying around, you can use it as an external drive for your laptop, camera, desktop, smartphone, or tablet. Some people even buy new drives and cut the cost of buying the external SSDs. The setup that we are going to talk about today works completely like an external drive.
However, keep a thing in mind that you won’t get the full NVMe speed by using it externally. The speed will get bottlenecked by the USB interface by which you will connect your drive.
All you need is an NVMe drive and an M.2 NVMe enclosure that supports NVMe. In this way, you can use NVMe SSD without any M.2 slot on your laptop. That’s it. Let’s see how you can do it.
Setup (NVMe and Enclosure)
I have had a WD Green SN350 lying on my desk. It is considered a low-end drive in the market but for our setup, it is perfect. I had purchased it just for the same purpose some months ago.
I have two enclosures at my home because I have been using this setup for many years for raw storage. The one I am using is from a brand called Uni. I found it pretty impressive in terms of look and performance. Here is another good M.2 NVMe+SATA SSD Enclosure for you. Both of these are tool-free.
Note: The enclosure must support M.2 NVMe drives or both M.2 NVMe and M.2 SATA drives. Only the SATA enclosure will not support NVMe SSD.
Step 1: Opening up the enclosure
There are two types of enclosures. One is Tool-Free and the second one uses some kind of screwdriver. The Orico enclosure in the image requires a screwdriver. So, make sure to choose wisely.
Step 2: Install the SSD
The next step is to properly install the SSD on the given M.2 port. Some enclosures will come with heat pads which you can use if you want to use your SSD for longer periods of time or permanently. I personally do not use the heat pads. But, for your information, it just goes above the main side of your drive. Do not peel the branding label on your drive.
Step 3: Close the Enclosure and connect the cable
Close the enclosure depending on its type. If it has a screw, tighten the screw, otherwise, use the appropriate method. Now, you are ready to install
Setup and Performance on Desktop
Depending on the type of connector cable that comes with your enclosure, choose the appropriate port on your computer. In my case, the cable is Type-C to Type-C and my system has just one Type-C port on the back. So, I am installing it there and running a benchmark test for you.
Note: Make sure your USB and Thunderbolt drivers are up-to-date for maximum performance.
CystalDiskMark Benchmark Scores
The drive was reaching almost the speed of 1GB/s sequentially. The random performance is also pretty good. This is enough to replace any of the popular external storage drives out there.
Setup and Performance on Smartphone
Because I have got the Type-C variant of this NVMe enclosure, I can easily connect it to my smartphone as well. This is perfect for moving big amount of data between devices. Also, keeping a backup of my smartphone becomes pretty easy.
Benefits of using NVMe externally using an enclosure
The biggest benefit of using an NVMe SSD externally using an enclosure is that it saves you from spending around 20 to 30$ extra for the same amount of storage capacity. You can get a decent 1TB NVMe SSD just for 50 to 80$. Add 5 to 10$ for the enclosure. You do not have to go for a very high-end one for this setup. But, a 1TB external NVMe can easily cost you around 100$. So, it is a real money-saving setup.
Drawbacks of using NVMe externally using an enclosure
The biggest drawback is the poor build quality and bad heat management that I have personally felt using enclosures. If you try to write a big file to your drive with the enclosure, it will heat up pretty soon and sometimes bottleneck the speed.
Another serious issue is the official SSD software like WD Dashboard and Crucial Storage Executive not detecting their own drives. Look at the WD Dashboard itself in this case. I have opened the WD Dashboard and the software recognizes both the drives but I can’t use the features like temperature graphs, speed data, firmware updates, SMART data, and encryption if available.
This is the case with most of the drives. Encryption becomes the biggest issue here. If you are storing really important data, you can’t keep it without encryption. So, keep this thing in mind.
The speed of your NVMe drive is going to be way higher than what you get with this setup. Also, some cheap enclosures are known to have bad power supply input to the drives. This can result in drive failures and permanent data loss.
Conclusion
I would not recommend this setup if you are doing some serious storage tasks. This is good for quick data movement from here and there. If you want software encryption, you possibly won’t be able to use it. However, it is a good option for those who are pretty tight on budget and can’t purchase a proper external SSD. In fact, you get the same performance with both. So, it could be a good option for your general tasks.
I hope this helps.