DiLinKer PCIe 4.0 U.2 NVMe SSD (SFF-8639) to M.2 Host Adapter, with SATA Power Cable, 75cm

A U.2 (SFF-8639) drive on a motherboard that only has an M.2 slot free. This is the PCIe 4.0 version: the same card-and-cable arrangement, rated for Gen4 signalling and with 75 cm of cable instead of 50.

What the 4.0 rating buys you

• Gen4-rated, for Gen4 drives. A Gen4 U.2 drive can sustain close to 7 GB/s. Through a Gen4 slot and a Gen4-rated assembly it will; through a marginal Gen3-era adapter it may not train at Gen4 at all and will quietly fall back. This assembly is built for the higher signalling rate.
• Direction: U.2 drive, M.2 host. The card sits in the M.2 slot, the 68-pin end goes to a 2.5″ U.2 SSD. It does not turn an M.2 SSD into a U.2 module — if that is what you need, it is the opposite adapter.
• 12 V from the PSU, always. An M.2 slot gives you 3.3 V. A 2.5″ U.2 drive needs 12 V as well, so the SATA power lead in the box is part of the install, not an accessory.
• 75 cm so the drive can live in a bay. The extra 25 cm over the 50 cm version is what lets the drive sit in a proper 2.5″ cage while the card stays on the board — front-mounted cages in a full tower, or a drive sled on the far side of a long GPU.
• It is not a PCIe slot card. This installs in an M.2 socket, not in a PCIe slot. If your slots are free and the M.2 is the scarce resource, a PCIe x4 to U.2 cable is the cheaper answer: it uses a slot, leaves the M.2 free and needs no adapter card at all.

Specifications

Compatibility

Works with

• M.2 M-key slots carrying PCIe lanes, Gen3 or Gen4
• 2.5″ U.2 NVMe SSDs, including Gen4 models
• Tower and rack builds with a free SATA power connector

Does not work with

• SATA-only M.2 slots (B-key)
• Turning an M.2 SSD into a U.2 drive — wrong direction
• SAS or SATA 2.5″ drives
• U.3 drives without checking the pin assignment first

Typical deployments

• Gen4 U.2 drive in a Gen4 desktop board. The slot has the lanes, the drive has the speed; the adapter is the only thing missing.
• Full-tower builds with front cages. 75 cm reaches a front 2.5″ cage from a board-mounted M.2 slot without strain.
• Test benches. Move a U.2 drive between machines through the M.2 slot, which is usually the only free host interface on a modern board.

Frequently asked questions

Does it need a SATA power connection?

Yes. Without 12 V the drive will not come up. The lead is included.

Do I get Gen4 speeds?

Only if the slot, the drive and the CPU/chipset path are all Gen4. Any Gen3 link in the chain pulls the whole connection down to Gen3.

How is this different from the 50cm version?

Two things: 25 cm more cable, and a Gen4 signal rating. If your drive is Gen3 and the bay is close, the 50 cm version is cheaper.

Can I boot from it?

Depends on the board firmware, not on the adapter. Most current boards boot from NVMe on an M.2 slot; check yours if the machine is older.

Will a U.3 drive work?

Do not assume it. U.3 and U.2 share the 68-pin shell but not the pin assignment. Tell us the drive model and we will confirm before you order.

Is the card itself passive?

Yes — no re-driver, no switch, nothing to configure. It carries the lanes straight through, which is also why it adds no measurable latency.

In the box

• 1 × PCIe 4.0 U.2 (SFF-8639) to M.2 host adapter card
• 1 × 75 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, 50cm, lower price
• SlimSAS x4 to U.2 cable, 75cm
• All U.2 NVMe cables and adapters