SilverStone technologies is announcing the ECM22, a new dual M.2 to PCIe x4 adapter card, which improves upon their previously released ECM20 adapter. Most notably, it has visible gold inlays on the PCB which help absorb heat from the M.2 drive. The package includes a thermal pad which goes in between the gold inlay and the drive. There is no need for a heatsink metal piece on top of the M.2 since that will just trap the heat. Besides, it is heat from the controller which affects performance, so having a dual-layer cooling is unnecessary with an M.2
Lower Temperatures with SilverStone ECM22
According to SilverStone’s internal testing, the temperature of the M.2 drive without the thermal pad in between is 83 degrees Celcius. However, once a thermal pad is in place on the ECM22, the temperature drops down to 69.1 degrees Celcius. This test was conducted with a Samsung SM951. Although SilverStone also tested with the Samsung SM961, 960 EVO M.2 and 960 Pro M.2.
Additional Features
The back of the ECM22 has LED indicators showing drive activity and power. On the front edge, there is a lone SATA port for connecting to an available motherboard SATA slot. The ECM22 measures 121mm (W) x 11mm (H) x 157.3mm (D) and can fit two M.2 drives simultaneously.
Pricing and Availability
The ECM22 adapter is now available worldwide for $29.99 USD.
