DiLinKer U.2 NVMe SSD (SFF-8639) to M.2 Host Adapter, with SATA Power Cable, 50cm

Your board has no U.2 port, but it does have a spare M.2 slot. This adapter turns that slot into a U.2 (SFF-8639) connection: a small card into the M.2 socket, a 50 cm cable out to the drive, and a SATA power lead from the PSU to feed it.

How the direction works

• U.2 drive, M.2 host — not the other way round. The card goes into the motherboard’s M.2 slot and the cable ends in a 68-pin SFF-8639 plug for a 2.5″ U.2 SSD. It does not convert an M.2 SSD into something you can drop into a U.2 bay; that is a different adapter and a different listing.
• The M.2 slot has to be PCIe, not SATA. An M-key slot with PCIe lanes works. A B-key slot that only carries SATA does not, and no amount of adapter will change that, because NVMe needs PCIe lanes to exist at all. Check the board manual for the slot’s lane assignment before ordering.
• The 12 V comes from your PSU. An M.2 slot supplies 3.3 V only. A 2.5″ U.2 drive wants 3.3 V, 5 V and 12 V, so the SATA power lead in the box is not optional — without it the drive will not spin up.
• 50 cm of slack for mounting. Long enough to sit the drive in a 2.5″ bay or on a bracket while the card stays in the slot. It is not long enough to route across a full tower — we stock a 75 cm PCIe 4.0 version for that.

Specifications

Compatibility

Works with

• Motherboards whose M.2 slot carries PCIe lanes (M-key)
• 2.5″ U.2 NVMe SSDs, any capacity or vendor
• Desktops, workstations and bench rigs with a free SATA power connector

Does not work with

• M.2 slots wired for SATA only (B-key) — NVMe needs PCIe
• Converting an M.2 SSD for use in a U.2 bay — that is the opposite direction
• SAS or SATA 2.5″ drives; the 68-pin end is wired for PCIe
• Notebooks and any chassis with no way to mount a 2.5″ drive

Typical deployments

• Workstation with a spare M.2 slot. The cheapest way to add one U.2 drive when the board has no U.2 header and the PCIe slots are full.
• Bench and validation rigs. Swap U.2 drives between machines without opening a backplane or pulling a carrier.
• Small form factor builds. An M.2 slot is often the only free host interface left; this turns it into something a 2.5″ enterprise drive can use.

Frequently asked questions

Does it need external power?

Yes. The SATA power lead is required — a U.2 drive needs 12 V, and the M.2 slot does not supply it.

Will it work in an M.2 slot that only does SATA?

No. The slot must provide PCIe lanes. If the manual lists the slot as SATA-only, pick a different slot.

Can I boot from the drive?

Only if the board firmware can boot from NVMe on that slot. Many boards can; older ones list the drive in the OS but not in the boot menu.

Is it Gen3 or Gen4?

The adapter itself is passive, so the link runs at whatever the slot and the drive negotiate. For a Gen4 build we stock a 75 cm PCIe 4.0 version.

Will a U.3 drive work on it?

Do not assume it will. U.3 drives use a different pin assignment on the same 68-pin shell. Send us the drive model before ordering and we will confirm.

Can I use the M.2 slot for something else at the same time?

No — the card occupies the slot. If you need both, look at a PCIe x4 to U.2 cable instead, which leaves every M.2 slot free.

In the box

• 1 × U.2 (SFF-8639) to M.2 host adapter card
• 1 × 50 cm cable
• 1 × SATA power lead

Every cable is continuity- and pinout-tested before it ships and carries a 24-month warranty. If a link does not train, send us the controller model and the backplane part number before returning anything — in most cases the cable is the wrong variant for the port, not faulty, and we would rather tell you that up front.

Related

• Same adapter, PCIe 4.0 and 75cm
• PCIe x4 slot to U.2 cable — no M.2 slot used
• All U.2 NVMe cables and adapters