Are you looking for something unique to house the best SSDs? News outlet FanlessTech has spotted an intriguing M.2 enclosure that turns your M.2 2280 SSD into a racing machine you can push around on your desk.
Jeyi, a domestic manufacturer in China, has launched the ThunderRate, an M.2 enclosure with a CNC-machined body that borrows inspiration from an F1 race car. It comes in a vibrant racing red color like most supercars, so you know it's fast! The ThunderRate has four moving transparent wheels, so it doesn't have to remain static on whatever surface you decide to put it on.
The ThunderRate is like a Hot Wheels for computer enthusiasts who want to use an M.2 SSD as an external drive. Made of aluminum alloy, the ThunderRate cools the M.2 2280 SSD passively. The body is sizeable enough to offer adequate cooling for the M.2 SSD. A single screw holds the SSD and rear plate in place. Unlike other M.2 enclosures, the ThunderRate doesn't require auxiliary power.
The enclosure leverages the RTL9210B-CG controller from Realtek, which supports both NVMe and SATA protocols. The RTL9210B-CG is a USB 3.1 Gen 2 to PCIe 3.0 x2 bridge communicating with the host system through a standard Type-C port. The PCIe interface is a bit limited compared to other enclosures, so the ThunderRate is best for PCIe 3.0 or older SSDs since it's unable to unlock the performance for faster drives, such as those PCIe 4.0 SSDs and above.
In USB-to-PCIe mode, the RTL9210B-CG delivers PCIe 3.0 x2 speeds with a bandwidth of up to 16 Gbps. Meanwhile, the RTL9210B-CG supports SATA III in the alternate USB-to-SATA mode. Nonetheless, the controller is backward-compatible with legacy interfaces, including PCIe 2.0, PCIe 1.0, SATA II, or SATA I devices.
The Jeyi ThunderRate doesn't come cheap, though. The M.2 enclosure retails for $55 on Chinese e-commerce platforms, including Tmall and JD.com.
