UGREEN 25665 20 Gbps NVMe and SATA M.2 SSD Enclosure

Overview

The UGREEN 25665 is an external case that turns a spare M.2 solid state drive (SSD) into a portable USB-C drive. It takes both types of M.2 drive, NVMe (the faster PCIe type) and SATA, in 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280 lengths, and links to the computer at up to 20 Gbps over USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. It suits anyone with a drive left over from an upgrade who wants fast portable storage for backups and large files.

Is it right for you?

• Suits a desktop or laptop with a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port if you want the full 20 Gbps link; on other USB-C ports it runs at a lower rate.
• On Mac computers the link is up to 10 Gbps.
• Takes NVMe or SATA M.2 drives, so you do not need to know which type you have before buying, as long as it is M.2.
• Not for mSATA, 2.5-inch SATA drives, PCIe add-in cards or Apple blade SSDs.
• A single-drive enclosure: it does not offer RAID, a second bay or offline cloning.

Key features

• Dual-protocol bridge that selects NVMe or SATA automatically for the drive you fit.
• Four drive lengths, 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280, each with its own fixing position.
• USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 link up to 20 Gbps when the port, cable, bridge and system all support it.
• Aluminium shell with thermal pieces that move heat away from the SSD.
• Drives up to 8 TB, subject to the SSD, host, partition table and file system.
• An RGB light strip shows the operating state.
• UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol), TRIM and automatic sleep, where the host system, file system and SSD support them.

What else you need

An M.2 NVMe or M.2 SATA SSD and a computer or device with a USB-C port that supports USB mass storage. For 20 Gbps the host port must support USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. It works with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iPadOS and iOS hosts that support external USB storage, and with consoles such as the PS5 within their own external storage rules.

Installation

Open the enclosure, seat the SSD in the fixing position for its length, apply the thermal pieces and close it. A new drive needs to be initialised and formatted before use. Identify the correct device before formatting, because formatting permanently changes the disk.

Before you buy

• The SSD is not included.
• Not every USB-C or Thunderbolt port runs at 20 Gbps; the host must state USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 support. The connector shape alone does not tell you.
• The case gets noticeably warm during large transfers because it is part of the cooling path, and sustained speed can drop if the SSD, bridge or host throttles.
• Phones, tablets and unpowered hubs may not supply enough power for every high-performance SSD.
• External boot support depends on the computer’s firmware, operating system and encryption, and is not guaranteed.
• There is no hot-swap promise: eject the drive, wait for activity to finish and disconnect before opening the case.
• It is not an internal PS5 M.2 expansion heatsink.