News PCIe Card Adds M.2 SSDs You Can Swap Without Opening Your PC

[Admin]

Icy Dock launches the ToughArmor MB842MP-B, a dual bay removable M.2 NVMe SSD PCIe card for $249.99.

PCIe Card Adds M.2 SSDs You Can Swap Without Opening Your PC : Read more

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

I wish it wasn't that expensive, but I can attest to Icy Dock's quality.

It's generally very solid of a offering.

 

[Oldcompsci]

Now if only we could get motherboards with enough PCI-E x4 and x8 ports to take advantage of this. Here's a hint MB makers, reduce the number of USB and SATA ports and give us more PCI-E

 

[RichardtST]

OMG. This is nice. So easy to make backup clones, instantly swap in and out drives and use them at full speed. No more USB throttling. Sweet. I'm going to have to try to remember this... I will make up an excuse to get one and a half dozen drives soon! Guess I need to check my mobo to see if it can hot-swap m.2...

 

[Deleted member 2838871]

Now if only we could get motherboards with enough PCI-E x4 and x8 ports to take advantage of this. Here's a hint MB makers, reduce the number of USB and SATA ports and give us more PCI-E

I agree... though I must admit that

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BRYQH443?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093H3G3KF?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1

are amazing and allowed me to a) keep my 4x 970 SSDs from the previous build and b) use the slot that the GPU blocks.

Couldn't mount it with the bracket though so I removed the bracket and mounted it with velcro underneath the GPU. Turned out great...

8x m.2 SSDs...

 

[atomicWAR]

Cheaper would be nice but as a whole, yes please.

Now if only we could get motherboards with enough PCI-E x4 and x8 ports to take advantage of this. Here's a hint MB makers, reduce the number of USB and SATA ports and give us more PCI-E

We need more PCIe lanes. For consumer use at least have potential access to 32 lanes (CPU or at the very least via PLX) should be standard and another 8 lanes (chipset) for 40 lanes much like the old HEDT systems of yesteryear. And its not like budget boards couldn't cut lanes/slots to keep entry level prices low while higher end boards include some or all of them. I'd happily paid another 100-200 dollars more for access to those lanes on top of the 499 I spent on my x670e Taichi (say 599-699 for a similar spec'd board plus the extra lanes/PCIe slots).

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Such a simple concept yet nobody thought of it. Now the race is on for the clones to come out cheaper.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Now if only we could get motherboards with enough PCI-E x4 and x8 ports to take advantage of this. Here's a hint MB makers, reduce the number of USB and SATA ports and give us more PCI-E

More like, stop giving us M.2 ports.

We don't need it or want it.

M.2 was designed for laptops.

Stop giving us LapTop junk.

The PCIe port works just fine, if we want M.2, we'll convert it ourselves.

 

[plateLunch]

However, one of ToughArmor MB842MP-B's selling points is the tools-free design, where users can install or replace SSDs without opening the computer case.

I think that may be their only selling point. I'm using a no-name card that only cost me $12 and allows me to mount an M.2 drive in my old 4th gen Core i7 motherboad. Grabs 4 PCIe 3.0 bus lanes and I was able to get the same read throughput as the Tom's review of the WD SN 550.

For $93, I think I can open my case to change the SSD.

 

[newtechldtech]

sorry but for this price at least a PLX chip should be included to avoid the need of bifurcation. x8 to two x4 PLX switch chip is very cheap ...

 

[Deleted member 14196]

I was wondering when they would come out with something like this

 

[newtechldtech]

I was wondering when they would come out with something like this

Actually I am still waiting for a notebook with something like this not a desktop.

 

[Dr3ams]

Now if only we could get motherboards with enough PCI-E x4 and x8 ports to take advantage of this. Here's a hint MB makers, reduce the number of USB and SATA ports and give us more PCI-E

Some workstation mainboards have what you are looking for. An example is the Asus Pro WS WRX80E-Sage SE:

- 7 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slots
- 3 x M.2 PCIe 4.0
- 8 Channel Memory
- 8 SATA plugs
- 1 USB-C 3.2
- 8 USB-A 3.2

It's expensive, but costs less than some enthusiast gaming boards. Then there is the CPU cost...workstation CPUs aren't cheap.

 

[PEnns]

I like the concept of not opening the PC.

But there are countless similar devices that cost a fraction of the cost but you have to open your case, which could be 1-2 times per year!

PS: "The only requirement is that your motherboard must support PCIe bifurcation for the ToughArmor MB842MP-B to work correctly"

I don't know of any motherboard makers that even mentions that word in their spec sheets!

 

[kal326]

Such a simple concept yet nobody thought of it. Now the race is on for the clones to come out cheaper.

Dell has done this for a bit with the BOSS cards. The BOSS-S2 is basically the same thing, granted in a propriety chassis. However it does have the dual hot swap rear replacements. Prior S1 had fixed internal drives.

 

[Eximo]

More like, stop giving us M.2 ports.

We don't need it or want it.

M.2 was designed for laptops.

Stop giving us LapTop junk.

The PCIe port works just fine, if we want M.2, we'll convert it ourselves.

Not like PCIe NVMe storage drives went away. If you don't like M.2, you can opt for one of those. Though in reality there is little difference the same flash chips and the same controllers just in a different form factor.

That single standard has let them price compete themselves all the way to current pricing. 3.5 cents per GB.

My first 256GB SATA SSD was $200, that is 78 cents per GB.

 

[thestryker]

I was able to run 5x M.2 drives in my server box thanks to the Asus W680 board having a sane layout. 1 off the CPU, the 2 slots on the board and 2 PCIe to M.2 adapters and since 4 are PCIe 3.0 x2 bandwidth Optane drives I get full bandwidth. If AMD/Intel would double chipset bandwidth again that would allow for more full speed storage options. While not perfect I think it'd be a good compromise.

sorry but for this price at least a PLX chip should be included to avoid the need of bifurcation. x8 to two x4 PLX switch chip is very cheap ...

To be fair PLX chips are stupidly expensive these days due to acquisitions, but given the price they're asking I agree with you completely.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Not like PCIe NVMe storage drives went away. If you don't like M.2, you can opt for one of those. Though in reality there is little difference the same flash chips and the same controllers just in a different form factor.

That single standard has let them price compete themselves all the way to current pricing. 3.5 cents per GB.

My first 256GB SATA SSD was $200, that is 78 cents per GB.

My issue isn't with the PCIe connection or the NVMe protocol.

I'm fine with that.

It's the fact that MoBo makers want to shove the M.2 Connector onto DeskTop MoBo's when the classic SATA/SAS/U.2/U.3 connector is FAR & AWAY superior for DeskTop usage.

M.2 Connector is perfectly fine for "LapTop" uses when you're not expected to ever realistically take out the Storage Drive execpt for servicing.

The M.2 Connector was designed for a FAR lower Mating Cycle (Insert & Removal, no Pervy Jokes Plz) life-span rating than the SATA/SAS/U.2/U.3 connectors.

M.2_ = ___ 50 Cycles
SATA = 10,000 Cycles

Literally, orders of magnitude more resiliant to day to day handling within the DeskTop/Server Environment usage.

We need the 1.8" HDD form factor to come back and replace M.2 for DeskTop usage w/ U.2 or U.3 connectors.

Durability is key and the 1.8" HDD form factor with 5 mm thickness is perfect, it offers more PCB Real Estate, built in Heat Sink with the Aluminium Shell, a ruggidized boy that everybody can handle.

And in a Standard Sized Bicycle Poker Card Box, you can easily fit 5x 1.8" 5mm thick SSD's with room for a protective outter sleeve and connector protection.

So having a more rugged form factor is better for many people and having it be "Small Enough", yet rugged enough would be better for most people.

And we could easily be promoting BackPlanes that allow Easy Hot-Swap for people using 1.8" SSD Drives.

 

[Daedolus]

So, why does it cost so much? There's no way hot-swap support is the reason.

 

[newtechldtech]

So, why does it cost so much? There's no way hot-swap support is the reason.

Actually Hot swap comes from the motherboard not the card ...

 

[Daedolus]

Actually Hot swap comes from the motherboard not the card ...

True, I guess I meant more the "tools free design" they quoted.