Anyone using the ThinkMods ExpressCard adapter?

I was going to wait to post about this until mine arrived and I had it working (in my Dell; it's aimed at ThinkPads but should work with any ExpressCard laptop). But considering the impending forum closure and that I'm a bit down in the wait list for delivery, being able to post pics and benchmarks seems less important than letting people know this is a thing.

Basically, someone in New York has created an ExpressCard adapter that lets you use an NVME M.2 2242 SSD in any laptop with an ExpressCard, 34mm or 54mm. Link here: https://thinkmods.store/collections/all-mods-1/products/expresscard-to-nvme-adapter There have been some delays but the first batch shipped in December; he's currently resolving a vertical height issue with the 54mm version, discovered when testing a wider range of models, before shipping out the next batch. But I think it's at the point where it's safe to say that it's not vaporware. And at $40 (plus probably close to double that for a Sabrent Rocket 512 GB 2242 drive, maybe less if you're outside the U.S. and can find smaller drives for less), it's surprisingly inexpensive for a small-market device.

One of the early supporters got his recently and posted a review of it:

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As he notes, the speeds you'll get depend on how fast your ExpressCard slot is, which varies by ExpressCard generation. I'm only expecting 220 Mbps on my laptop, but that's still faster than its SATA I 150 Mbps option, and with NVME the throughput ought to be much improved as well. Plus it's an additional internal storage option!

Anyone on board with it, or even better sign up early and already have one?

 

NVMe is faster, but only when you're placing a heavy load on the controller, which typical notebook usage will not do.

 

I had wondered about that, having only SATA on any of my current computers. The irony that my oldest computer in use (11 years older than the newest one) would be the first to have an NVME drive was not lost on me.

I still find it a really interesting project. And while not its intended use, you can also use it for expansion via an internal SD card connected by ExpressCard, if you prefer (by default it uses an SD card with a Clover bootloader to enable NVME booting even from devices that predate NVME).

I would say that I'll post benchmarks once I get it but... that's probably going to be after the forum closes. Still great hearing from another forum member who I remember from back in the day!