UGREEN 70503 M.2 NVMe to PCIe 3.0 x4 Adapter Card, M-Key, 2230 to 2280

Overview

The UGREEN 70503 is a PCI Express (PCIe) adapter card that holds one M.2 solid state drive (SSD), so a desktop computer can use an NVMe drive even when the motherboard has no M.2 slot or the slots are full. It suits adding fast storage to older desktops and workstations, giving a video or database workload its own drive, or reusing an M.2 SSD from a laptop.

Is it right for you?

• Suits a desktop with a free PCIe x4, x8 or x16 slot.
• Takes M-key PCIe NVMe and PCIe AHCI drives only. M.2 SATA (B-key) drives will not work.
• To boot from the drive, the motherboard BIOS must support NVMe boot; older boards may only use it as a data drive.
• In a PCIe 2.0 slot the speed is limited by the slot.

Key features

• Supports PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe (M-key) and PCIe AHCI M.2 SSDs.
• Fits 2230, 2242, 2260 and 2280 drive lengths.
• Works in PCIe 3.0 slots and is backward compatible with PCIe 2.0 and 1.0.
• Over-current, over-voltage, short-circuit and EMI protection on a multi-layer board.
• Full-height and low-profile brackets for different case sizes.

What else you need

A desktop with a free PCIe x4, x8 or x16 slot and an M.2 NVMe SSD. Windows 10, 8.x and 7 are listed; Windows 7 may need an NVMe driver from the SSD maker.

Installation

The job involves opening the PC, fitting the SSD to the card, choosing the right bracket and seating the card in a PCIe slot. Anyone comfortable fitting expansion cards can do it; otherwise ask a PC technician.

Before you buy

• Only M-key PCIe SSDs are supported; M.2 SATA drives do not work.
• Booting from the drive depends on the motherboard BIOS supporting NVMe boot.