And if you plug a Thunderbolt enclosure into a port that doesn’t support Thunderbolt, it may not work at all. In our tests, the real-world performance delta between 10 Gbps and 40 Gbps drives wasn’t wide enough to justify most people spending more money for the added speed, but if you’re a professional video editor, you might notice the difference.Īlso, consider what ports your computer has: If you buy a fast drive but your computer only has a 5 Gbps port, your drive isn’t going to perform any faster than the port’s capabilities. There are also a few drives that support 20 Gbps USB, which is known as either USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 or USB 4 20 Gbps. Some, much more expensive models – often in the $130+ range – operate at up to 40 Gbps because they support USB 4, Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 (all cross-compatible and operating at 40 Gbps). Most M.2 SSD enclosures operate at 10 Gbps (aka USB 3.1 or USB 3.2 Gen 2). Most 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drive / SSD enclosures operate under standard 5 Gbps USB (USB 3 / 3.1 or 3.2 Gen 1). How fast? Enclosures can only handle as much speed as their USB ports and the USB ports on your computer allow.

Also, if you plan to use an M.2 SATA SSD, as opposed to an NVMe one, make sure that the enclosure supports that standard instead (or in addition), because most M.2 enclosures are NVMe only.

M.2 SSDs require M.2 enclosures, but be careful if your SSD is shorter than the standard 2280 (80mm size) most but not all enclosures have mounting screws for the shorter sizes. For a 3.5-inch hard drive, you’ll need a 3.5-inch SATA enclosure. If you have a 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD, get a 2.5-inch SATA enclosure.

Which form factor? You have to get an SSD enclosure that matches the physical size of your drive.

Find out more about how we test.Īsk yourself the following questions when choosing an SSD or hard drive enclosure: Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.

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