Hikvision M.2 Enclosure Review: Great Build, But Speeds Fall Short

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Published·May 8, 2023Modified·May 8, 2023

Recently, with significant price drops in RAM and SSDs, I purchased a Western Digital SN570 SSD and a Hikvision M.2 portable SSD enclosure on JD.com, intending to use them as a portable drive.

Western Digital SN570 SSD Purchase Link: https://u.jd.com/zql4VNP
Hikvision M.2 Enclosure Purchase Link: https://u.jd.com/zulmFG8

This article provides a simple unboxing and speed test of the Hikvision M.2 enclosure to offer a reference for potential buyers.

Hikvision M.2 Enclosure Unboxing

The packaging indicates a speed of 10Gbps.

It comes with two data cables: one Type-C and one USB.

The complete accessories include:

Enclosure body
Heat sink
Warranty card and manual
Screwdriver and lanyard
Two data cables (Type-C and USB)

The enclosure is slightly wider and longer than a USB flash drive. Made of alloy, it feels high-quality and has a good appearance.

The interface is Type-C, which can be converted to USB via the provided cable.

Speed Test

I installed the WD SN570 into the enclosure. The SN570 claims speeds of 3500MB/s, so the SSD itself will not be a bottleneck.

Before starting, I checked my motherboard's USB ports to ensure they wouldn't limit performance. My motherboard model is MSI B450M MORTAR MAX. According to MSI's official specs, it has two 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) ports and six 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps) ports.

First, I tested the connection on a 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps) port. Theoretically, the speed should reach 625 MB/s, but the actual continuous read/write speed only reached a little over 400 MB/s, failing to meet the standard.

Next, I switched to a 3.2 Gen2 (10Gbps) port. Theoretically, the speed should reach 1250 MB/s, but the actual continuous read/write speed only reached a little over 900 MB/s, still failing to meet the standard.

Roughly calculating, the 5Gbps interface read/write rate is about 30% lower than the standard, and the 10Gbps interface is about 28% lower. Considering interface loss, assuming a high loss rate of 10%, the results are still below standard.

Confirmation with Customer Service

I checked the product page's promotional speed test images, and they also did not meet the standard, suggesting this is not an issue with my setup.

I confirmed with customer service regarding the 3.2 Gen 2 interface, and they stated the speed is roughly 500MB/s to 850MB/s, which seems to indirectly admit the speed is not up to standard?

Is this an industry secret? I decided to explore further and consulted another brand, Xianlian. Their 10Gbps enclosure (priced higher than the Hikvision one) also only promised a maximum speed of around 1000MB/s. Is everyone doing this?

So now I'm confused: is this a technical challenge or an industry secret? You'll have to decide for yourselves, haha.

Conclusion

The Hikvision M.2 portable SSD enclosure features excellent build quality and design, using alloy material and including a free heat sink. Priced under 100 yuan, the cost-performance ratio is good. However, in actual speed tests, the product did not meet the standard. Similar issues were found when consulting competitor products. It remains unclear if this is an industry secret.

Hikvision M.2 Enclosure Purchase Link: https://u.jd.com/zulmFG8