At Computex 2024, we already covered the QNAP QSW-M3224-24T 24-port 10Gbase-T Switch, but there was something else cool in the booth. The QNAP QDA-UMP4A is a straightforward device that lets you use a M.2 drive in a 2.5″ U.2 drive bay.
QDA-UMP4A M.2 to U.2 Adapter Shown at Computex 2024
Our team at Computex 2024 in Taipei saw this little nugget. It is a PCIe Gen 4 x4 M.2 SSD to 2.5″ U.2 adapter.
We can see the M.2 drive installed in the little adapter here. The drive secures itself to the far end of the frame by using a screw. We wish this was a tool-less solution but it is a single screw.
The adapter comes with a mounting cage that has holes both for side and under drive screw or tool-less peg positions.
Final Words
Overall, this may not be the most exciting piece of hardware we saw at Computex 2024, but it also might be one of the more useful. In the 4TB space, data center SSDs often cost a lot more than their consumer counterparts. Especially in the 1-2TB space, most data center SSDs no longer go down to those lower capacities (800GB to 1.92TB). As a result, some folks just want cheap low-cost and low-capacity drives. This seems to be an option that can convert the format while also operating at PCIe Gen4 speeds. We asked QNAP, and there should not be anything locking the adapter to QNAP devices only, so it should just work in other applications. Every so often QNAP makes these little devices that are useful for not just its NAS systems but other systems as well.
Hopefully, we can review one of these soon, but it is shaping up to be a busy summer for the STH crew. We have a lot coming after the team gets back from their vacations and trips to Taiwan.
