StarTech.com M.2 SATA SSD to 2.5" SATA Adapter [NOT NVMe], Open-Frame Bracket, 7mm High, M2 Hard Drive Adapter - TAA

Purchased to clone my current laptop's SSD to a bigger capacity, using the laptop's 2.5 inch HDD tray. It did the work flawlessly. The new SSD was Samsung 860 EVO M.2 500GB. A few notes though, small details but maybe useful for someone. Pros: this adapter supports NOT FORMATTED (not allocated) disks, which is a big plus! Per my knowledge, none of the current m.2 to USB adapters support not-formatted SSDs, which means you have to remove your current SSD, install the new one, format it, remove, reinstall original SSD, only then the new SSD can be used with a USB adapter, rather inconvenient procedure. This was one of reasons I purchased this specific adapter. And it worked just fine, the cloning software identified the new SSD adapter as a non-allocated disk and cloned right away. The PCB, soldering, assembly of the adapter, metal rails show a good quality, not some cheap crap that I usually see at this price range. Cons: 1. The adapter is kind of mirrored/reversed, the power and data sockets are at the reverse side compared to a standard 2.5 inch HDD/SSD sockets. In desktops it may not be an issue as power/data cables are separate and you can install the adapter the way you want to for SSD's optimal heat dissipation. In laptops though, most of the time 2.5 inch drives are installed the aluminum cover looking outside (PCB side inside) of the laptop, and only one combo cable is attached which usually cannot be reversed. Example: Dell inspiron 7559 laptop. The only way this adapter gets into the 2.5 inch bay, is with SSD facing inside the laptop which is not good for heat dissipation at all. No way I could install it SSD facing outside as the laptop connector is right-angle and cannot be flipped. Just compare the connectors location of the adapter to any 2.5 HDD connectors, you'll get the point. This should be considered if you're worried about SSD cooling using thermal pads etc. 2. The mount and screw for 2280 SSD protrudes from the adapter edge by about a millimeter, causing the laptop's HDD bracket to be bent slightly to fit the adapter. You don't get a flush edge which is kind of upsetting, but it did not cause issues fitting in the bay. If your laptop SSD bracket is not flexible enough, you may have issues installing this with 2280-long SSDs. Wish the manufacturer placed the SSD connector 1mm further inwards, so that the mount did not go beyond the edge and would sit flush. Overall, an excellent product and well deserved 5 stars if you do cloning, or install in desktop. For permanent install I'd give 4 stars because of heat dissipation issue due to reverse install in some laptops. Something to consider depending on your application.

Have a WD SA500 M.2 SSD, needed to mount it in a 2.5 inch drive slot because I don't have an M.2 PCIe/NVMe slot. It was plug-and-play, no drivers, worked with Win10 and MacOS. This kit has 1 M.2 slot, and metal rails to mount perfectly as a replacement for a slim-line (7mm height) 2.5 inch SATA drive. Can also be mounted in place of a 3.5" SATA if you add a 2.5 to 3.5 metal bracket kit. Just remember - its M.2 SATA, it is not compatible with M.2 PCIe/NVMe. See the photos of the product for the keying on the slot that can be supported. StarTech also has a carrier for 2 or 4 M.2 SATA SS, if you need to have more M.2 SATA SSDs..

Overall it appears to work nicely enough. Sadly, I had a really challenging time unscrewing the screws even with a good screwdriver. I failed to unscrew the latch screw properly, and now it is very much not coming out. I was still able to use the device without that, but it did mean the SSD was loosely connected and bending up (due to not being pulled down by the latch screw). As well, the screws for the metal side bars were impossible for me to get off as well. They appear even harder into it than the latch screw. So overall usable, but made it a pain to use. Maybe you'll have more luck with choosing a better screwdriver or with less tight screws.

el adaptador es muy sencillo, una tarjeta que incluye sus tornillos para agregar la unidad m.2 en mi caso busque un adaptador con conectores Sata, hay que poner atenciòn a este detalle pues hay otros adaptadores que vienen con conector U.2 y el comun de las computadoras no son compatibles con este tipo de coneccion. Habiendo revisado previamente estos detalles , compre la unidad m.2 con conector sata y este adaptador con el que funciono inmediatamente, no se necesitan drivers ni nada complicado. Luego de conectada la unidad a mi motherboard, ya solo fue de clonar mi disco duro y reiniciar desde esta unidad. Todo funciono perfectamente. Quiero agregar una actualizaciòn sobre este producto. Quise agregarle un disipador de calor para mantener mas fresco mi ssd e intente con unos disipadores que yo tenia pero me encontre con el problema que con cualquier disipador, al colocarlo la base de este topa en la tarjeta, esto es debido a que el conector M.2 es muy bajo y casi no queda espacio, solo el M.2 encaja perfecto pero no permite agregarle un disipador pues este topa con algunos de los circuitos de la base de la tarjeta, creo que deberian tomar en consideraciòn esta observaciòn si piensan agregar un adaptador de estos.

This is my second attempt and it didnt work. Seems like a gimmick item. Wouldnt recommend it.

Unit works but geometry of holes is slightly off. The distance between the bottom of the adapter and the center of the side holes is slightly (1.5mm) off. This makes it unsuitable for any application that requires strict connector alignment such as in a drive tray for a server.

These adapters made duplicating my M.2 NGFF drive a breeze. Simply mount the SSD into the StarTech Adapter and follow the instructions for your drive duplicator. In mine the cloning process took about 15 minutes total beginning to finish.

Exactly what I needed to fix my notebook. Extra stars to the seller for putting pictures in the listing that show the sizes and types of ssd this supports. I wasn’t sure my m-key would fit until I saw the detailed photo and description...kudos to the seller for making it easy to choose the correct part for my repair needs. Nicely made and includes all the extras—usb and power cords...even the ssd screw to hold the card in place if you want to use this as a long-term data storage solution. Fast shipping and minimal packaging to have to dispose of. Highly recommend!