2 adapters, such as ones powered by ASMedia’s ASM1351 and VIA’s VL716, are starting to show up. The majority of the USB 3.1 Gen.1 adapters (single-drive models) on the market are powered by either ASMedia’s ASM1153E or JMicron’s JMS578.

ASMedia and JMicron are the two major players in third-generation USB-to-SATA bridge market.

Likewise, if portability is a priority, then better choose an enclosure with metal alloy over plastic for extra physical protection. Should you need effortless access to a batch of SATA drives, docks are inherently more convenient for the task.

Bare-bone adapter cables have also become commonplace in recent years.

The two common types on the market are docks and enclosures.But there are specialized USB enclosures that fit mSATA SSDs perfectly if one wants a smaller drive for travel. One can actually convert a mSATA SSD into a 2.5' drive since its native interface is essentially the same as any other SATA 3. It’s imperative to confirm with the manufacturer to make sure your drive’s interface protocol and physical size are compatible with the enclosure. Only specialized USB enclosures work with M.2 SSDs, which come in either SATA or PCI Express variant, and also in various drive lengths ranging from from 30mm (2230) to 110mm (22110). SSDs normally are 7mm in thickness while large-capacity hard drives (3TB or larger) top at 15mm. For 2.5” enclosures, pay attention to the drive height they support. It’s also wise to make sure the bridge’s firmware is future-proof with storage capacity support up to 8TB.Īny bus-powered drive converters as well as their self-powered counterparts will work with notebook SATA drives. Only docks, enclosures and adapter cables running on their own independent power source will work with desktop SATA drives. 1 Choose the Right Kind of Drive Adapter.

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