Mobile M.2 with Full Speed: The ICY DOCK ToughArmor MB720M2K-B
by Anton Shilov on February 12, 2020 12:15 PM EST
High-performance SSDs are often difficult to transfer them from a system to a system, which is sometimes needed. Removable U.2 drives are easier to use, but they are more expensive and not everyone needs their features. ICY DOCK has introduced its new enclosure that accommodates up to four M.2 SSDs and fits into a conventional 5.25-inch bay, allowing users to quickly remove a drive, and safely transport it.
The ICY DOCK ToughArmor MB720M2K-B mobile rack is made of metal, so it is ruggedized, and features a lock to prevent its unauthorized removal. The device has four MiniSAS HD (SFF-8643) connectors on special backplanes and two SATA power connectors with support for locking latches.
To ensure consistent performance of SSDs inside the mobile rack, it has controllable two fans, thermal pads for the M.2 drives, and an integrated aluminum heatsink cover. Furthermore, it has EMI grounding technology and antivibration protection.
The ToughArmor MB720M2K-B is currently listed at ICY DOCK’s website, so expect it to hit the market shortly. Pricing of the device is unclear.
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Source: ICY DOCK (via TechPowerUp)
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hetzbh - Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - link
The only problem with this solution is that it's hard to find a PCIe card to connect this device to.Billy Tallis - Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - link
HighPoint SSD7120 is readily available, but it's $400. Off the top of my head, I don't know of any cheaper passive cards or cards with a redriver rather than a switch.AnarchoPrimitiv - Thursday, February 13, 2020 - link
That's because the Highpoint Storage card is capable of hardware RAID (while, for example, those m.2 AICs that take 4x drives and come with high-end motherboards these days aren't capable of hardware RAID). I own an SSD7103 that I've put 4x Adata Sx8200 Pro 2TB m.2 drives into in RAID 0 and it's insanely fast.There are numerous HBAs on Newegg that are cheaper though that have four of the mini SAS connectors if you don't need hardware RAID and only need the ports
Billy Tallis - Friday, February 14, 2020 - link
The HighPoint NVMe RAID cards are not hardware RAID. They're PCIe switches bundled with software RAID.JoeyJoJo123 - Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - link
Actually looks kind of neat.As a home user, the Define R6 could already fit up to ~12 3.5" drives if you buy extra trays, and it comes with 1 5.25" drive bay, but you could just do with less HDD and go for 4 M.2 form-factor SSDs to act as caching drives.
I think I'd sooner use one of the 5.25" to 2.5" SSD models, since SATA3 based SSDs can still be pretty fast. (Like this other product https://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=231) but this still looks pretty unique since it supports M.2.
e1jones - Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - link
I guess it depends on what form factor you have/need/want. It's a bit of a bummer they couldn't come up with a denser configuration. Pretty sure I've seen 6x 2.5" SSD in one 5.25" bay...neo_1221 - Wednesday, February 12, 2020 - link
Antivibration protection for M.2 drives? Lol okay.eastcoast_pete - Thursday, February 13, 2020 - link
I know this is asking a lot, but are these things certified IP67 or higher? There are several scenarios where being able to withstand water ingress would be of significant value. Not sure if such enclosures exist for NVMe and/or PCIe SSDs.HowDoesAnyOfThisWork - Friday, February 14, 2020 - link
You are asking for an IP67-rated device that slots into an externallty accessible 5.25" bay? Perhaps you should start with asking for an IP67-rated computer (case) featuring an external 5.25" bay. Not sure if there exist any out there in the world, but to me it kinda feels like asking for a rainbow icecream-pooping unicorn.In other words, i would rather expect the presence of an externally accessible bay preventing any case from being IP67-compliant, which would make it rather pointless to demand/want IP67 for a component that slots into said bay. On the other hand, if such computers/computer cases exist, i am curious to know more...
HowDoesAnyOfThisWork - Friday, February 14, 2020 - link
Ah, sorry. I think i misunderstood your comment. Your comment makes sense if you were referring to the adapters/frames containing the SSDs, and not to the enclosure itself. Sometimes i am a bit dense...