Convert NVME drive with B+M key to USB3?

Hello all,

I'm trying to convert a 256gb Patriot Scorch drive to USB3 for an ultrafast backup flash drive, with better reliability than the many 128-256gb thumb drives I've tried in the past.

Also, I got the NVME drive for around 19$, locally. Great deal.

Here's my issue. I can find THOUSANDS of USB3 > NVME enclosures... but none of them want to accept the B+M keying that this drive has. Apparently most NVMe drives only have a single key, and a longer connector. Just about every damn external enclosure is geared towads the "M" key only...

Apparently most of the B+M drives are NGFF "SSD", and not NVME.

Which is strange, as I have verified on numerous websites that this particular drive IS NVME, and specifies PCIe Gen 3 x 2, M2 SSD, right on the drive.

I have tried the drive in a non NVMe compatible enclosure, and of course, it wasn't recognized.



Any idea where I can find an NVMe > USB adapter, that accepts both the B + M keying?

Is this even a big deal? Most amazon listings show that they're not compatible.

And please, I need to find solutions from Amazon.ca


Thank you!

For the adapters that Have B+M implicitly listed on their packaging, I have only seen B+M to SATA or B+M to PCIe carrier card. What you want is an m.2 Socket2 (implicitly listed B+M) adapter to USB3, but I have never seen that. That being said, all you need is a USB3 To m.2 PCIe M key PCIe which will run your card (Which is PCIe3x2 and not SATA.)

So any PCIe/NVMe compatible USB3 key will run the card... even if the keying on the drive it's self is explicitly stated as incompatible by all of the keys I've seen to date?

For example, something like THIS

Most of the Amazon ads that have an X in the B+M bubbles specify SATA, which was the great majority of the B+M sticks out there. As long as your card is 1. Electrically compatible (it is, it is x2 PCIe which a x4 slot will run just slower) and 2. Protocol compatible, which as a x2 PCIe drive (and NOT m.2 Legacy SATA or m.2 PCIe AHCI) it is. The keying is more important on the socket side where the presence of the correct key is what rejects an incorrect/incompatible device. Your stick was one of the early PCIe ones where they tried to be compatible with more hosts (if the hosts had the ability), and that never really took off.

Thank you kindly. I truly appreciate the help!

Patriot Scorch NVME drives run fine in actual NVME PCI to USB 3.1 enclosures. That extra notch (because they are only 2x lanes) aren't an issue. In fact the dual lane scortch drives pair better with the enclosures as on faster quad lane drives you lose the extra speed on the enclosure so they waste money.
According to Michael at Phoronix though the USB controller used in those enclosures isn't reliable for long periods of time when he ran it 7+ hours, but I plugged a Patriot Scortch into mine and even booted from it and didn't have any issues so far. Just make sure to run the latest Linux kernel for the most up to date drivers.
Note that these Jmicron enclosures today can only basically run ssds not sata or other types of pcie devices.