Ugreen 40Gbps M.2 Enclosure review
30 seconds review
The recent explosion of USB 4.0 devices suggests that it’s time for the interface to shine.
These include some external SSDs that can take advantage of USB 4.0’s potential 40Gbps bandwidth to provide higher file transfer speeds than USB 3.2.
The Ugreen 40Gbps M.2 enclosure is a flexible solution for those who want a USB 4.0-connected SSD but aren’t prepared to pay the premium price for devices like the Nextorage NX-PS1PRO series I recently reviewed.
Designed and built by Ugreen, the case features high-quality construction, being primarily made from aluminum, with access to the interior requiring only the removal of a single screw.
It’s designed to work with any NVMe M.2 drive, including 2230, 2232, 2260, and the common 2280 sized drives, and it can handle up to 8TB of capacity if you have any of those.
Once installed and reassembled, the drive should work like any USB-connected device, even if you don’t have a USB 4.0 port. However, to get the most out of it, it is recommended to use a USB 4.0 port.
Available transfer speeds will be determined by the drive installed in the enclosure, but Ugreen cited potential performance of up to 3,800Mb/s read speeds and nearly 3,000MB/s write speeds using the full bandwidth of USB 4.0.
That’s twice the best speed of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 and four times the performance of the standard USB 3.2 Gen 2 that most people are familiar with.
The only caveat with this device is that Ugreen makes very similar 10Gbps and 20Gbps versions, and it’s easy to confuse them. Lower spec designs are much cheaper, so it’s worth checking to see if it’s a 40Gbps model rather than just assuming it’s cheap. A powerful alternative Best Portable SSDthe device functions exactly as the manufacturer claims.
Ugreen 40Gbps M.2 Enclosure: Pricing and Availability
- how much does it cost? £99/$130
- When will it be released? Now available
- Where can you get it? Through online retailers or directly from Yoglin.
Pricing for this product can vary significantly depending on where you purchase it from.
Buy direct from Ugreen for £99 in the UK and $129.99 in the US.
However, from amazon.comUS customers can buy it at a more affordable price of $71.99. European Amazon Pricing is in line with Ugreen’s direct prices, but is available through Chinese retailers such as AliExpress If you are willing to wait for delivery.
There are cheaper USB 4.0 SSD cases from smaller brands, but for its build quality and attention to detail, this device is worth Ugreen’s claims.
Ugreen 40Gbps M.2 Enclosure: Specs
| model | 15976 |
|---|---|
| Capacity | Any NVMe drive size |
| Capacity test | 1TB using Kioxia Plus G3 |
| Tested sequential performance (read/write) | 3719/3386MB/sec |
| connect | USB-C 4.0, compatible with Thunderbolt 4/3, USB3.2/3.1, USB3.0 |
| controller | ASM2464PD |
| encryption | Relies on NVMe drives |
| aspect | 120 x 48 x 19 mm (WxHxD) |
| weight | 200g |
| power supply | USB bus power |
Ugreen 40Gbps M.2 Enclosure: Design
- Aluminum housing
- Any NVMe size
- Active cooling
After experiencing many external drive enclosures, I found the Ugreen USB 4.0 design to be unique in several positive ways.
The case comes with both USB-A and USB-C cables, but the USB-C option offers the best performance.
To install the drive, you need to open the case, and to do this you must first remove the silicon protective bumper and then remove a screw to slide the cover off. It’s all very simple and once you’re in, installation is super easy.
Ugreen provides a small screwdriver to open the case and remove the screws that hold the drive in place, and thoughtfully provides an extra screw in the screwdriver’s packaging.
Threaded mounting holes are available for 2230, 2242, 2260, and standard 2280 sized NVMe drives, and once the drive is installed, a thermal pad can be used to direct heat from the drive to the metal cover of the enclosure.
This is a cooling measure, but a small fan underneath the drive also creates airflow to reduce the chance of the drive overheating after extended use. The fan diameter is only around 20mm, but active cooling is always preferable to a completely passive design.
The limitation of this case is that it will not accept drives with heat sinks, as there is not enough room for the heat sink, thermal pad, and lid.
Once the drive is installed and the cover replaced, the entire assembly can be returned to its original position inside the rubber bumper, making it ready to drive.
The design is simple enough for most customers to install a drive (unless it’s completely the wrong type), can withstand some wear and tear, and protects the internal SSD.
The cables are only about 20 centimeters long, but given the transmission speeds, extending them can often be troublesome, a detail Ugreen is most familiar with.
The documentation cites a maximum capacity of 4TB, but that’s probably because 8TB drives are relatively rare. While I can’t confirm this, I would be surprised if it didn’t work with 8TB drives, as it seems to work with a variety of brands and drive sizes.
For the purposes of this exercise, this cabinet ticks almost all the boxes, providing a highly flexible solution that can be invaluable for those in need of fast external storage.
Ugreen 40Gbps M.2 Enclosure: Performance
- Requires USB 4.0
- Cache settings enhancement
- Mileage may vary
| bench | test | Ugreen 40Gbps M.2 Chassis | Nextorage NX-PS1PRO 2TB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Disk Marker 8.05 | Default read | 3719/3719 MB/sec | 3753MB/sec |
| Row 1 – Cell 0 | Default write | 3386/2237MB/sec | 3220MB/sec |
| Row 2 – Cell 0 | real world reading | 2868/2868MB/sec | 2923MB/sec |
| Row 3 – Cell 0 | real world writing | 3000/1778MB/sec | 2391MB/sec |
| AJA system test 1GB | read | 2925/2963 MB/sec | 3126MB/sec |
| Row 5 – Cell 0 | Write | 3040/2003MB/sec | 2708MB/sec |
| solid state drive | read | 3213/3215 MB/sec | 2242MB/sec |
| Row 7 – Cell 0 | Write | 2811/2048MB/sec | 1908MB/sec |
| Behavior | read | 3490/3480MB/sec | 3540MB/sec |
| Row 9 – Cell 0 | Write | 3180/2140MB/sec | 3010MB/sec |
| PCMark Data Drive Benchmark | Fraction | 3724/2298 | 2136 |
The obvious device to compare this case to is Nextorage NX-PS1PROdedicated USB 4.0 external SSD. However, this isn’t really an apples-to-apples comparison, as you can put any drive into the case. I chose to use the Kioxia Exceria Plus G3 1TB, which I purchased specifically for this test.
The Plus G3 is rated for sequential read speeds of 5000MB/s, which is higher than the performance expected from 40Gbps USB. The test environment was a GMKtec M7 Pro Mini PC, a machine with a dedicated USB 4.0 port.
By comparison, the results are a curious mix indeed, with Ugreen taking honors in some tests and Nextorage taking honors in others.
One big difference to mention is that in order for a Nextorage drive to operate fully, Device Manager must set it to a special performance profile. This changes how the drive is cached and will not work properly if this setting is not enabled. The disadvantages of using a Windows operating system to cache the drive in this way are that it takes longer to disconnect after use, and the drive may become corrupted if power is lost during the writing process.
In contrast, the Ugreen shell does not require any special setup to work and perform properly. In this breakdown, I’ve included two figures for the cabinet, with cache enabled on the left and cache disabled on the right.
I chose to quote these two results because not everyone has access to Device Manager on business hardware or the knowledge to make changes.
However, once Performance Mode is activated, write performance jumps from 2237Mb/s to 3387MB/s, which is faster than the Nextorage drive on CrystalDiskMark. These improvements extended to every test, so the Ugreen case won almost across the board.
This shows that no matter what NVMe drives Nextorage uses in its products, the Kioxia Exceria Plus G3 is superior. But it’s worth noting that mileage may vary depending on which drive you install, and using cheaper 3rd-gen drives may affect the overall speed of the experience.
Interestingly, the total cost of the case and Kioxia Exceria Plus G3 in the UK is around £150. By comparison, the 1TB model of the Nextorage NX-PS1PRO is nearly £200. The difference becomes even more noticeable at 2TB, where the Ugreen enclosure and NVMe cost around £200 combined, while the Nextorage option is another £75 more.
The Nextorage NX-PS1PRO comes as a no-assembly drive, but there’s no way to upgrade the drive if you want a larger drive in the future.
Sometimes, USB SSD manufacturers only provide basic software tools that you must download from the company website. But Ugreen didn’t include any. However, the device has no storage space, and the installed drives can be from a variety of brands, so this isn’t a big issue.
An important detail in this case’s flexibility is the lack of hardware encryption on the pre-assembled Nextorage NX-PS1PRO. On Ugreen enclosures, customers can decide whether the drive has hardware encryption based on the contents inside.
If hardware encryption is not required, cost savings can be achieved through cheaper mechanisms.
Ugreen 40Gbps M.2 Chassis: Conclusion
In the coming months, many cheap USB 4.0 cases will be produced by Chinese factories at prices well below Ugreen’s requirements for its cases.
I doubt many of them will be as well designed or built as this one, so I’d recommend spending a little more and getting something that’s easier to replace the drive and less likely to fail after being thrown into your laptop bag.
For any IT professional cloning NVMe drives between systems, Ugreen has delivered exactly what you want to make the cloning process a snap.
And, looking at the bigger picture, the cost is less than most 2TB NVMe drives coming directly from Ugreen. This accessory may become the standard by which other accessories are evaluated.
Should I buy the Ugreen 40Gbps M.2 chassis?
| value | The price is not cheap, but the quality speaks for itself. | 4/5 |
| design | Metal construction provides easy internal access and provides additional protection. | 4.5/5 |
| Performance | Faster than any USB 3.2 SSD and most Thunderbolt drives. | 4,5/5 |
| Comprehensive | Affordably and flexibly use NVMe drives externally. | 4.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
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