Why I Built My External SSD Instead of Buying a Premade One

I needed a portable SSD for my Adobe Lightroom library, usable on both my desktop and laptop. Instead of buying a pre-built solution, I built my own – much cheaper, and easily upgradeable.

Pre-built USB SSDs: Convenient, But Limited

Pre-built USB SSDs like the Samsung T7 Shield or Crucial X10 Pro are readily available.

However, they lack upgradeability. A USB 3.2 10Gb/s, 1TB drive remains at that speed and capacity. This works for many, but I wanted more. My older 500GB portable SSDs were insufficient, and I needed future-proofing.

M.2 Enclosures: The Upgradeable Solution

Modern M.2 SSDs offer incredible speeds (14GB/s with PCIe 5.0), far exceeding USB limitations. M.2 enclosures bridge this gap.

I had spare 1TB NVMe drives, so buying a USB enclosure for around $15 (on sale) was far cheaper than a new $100 external SSD. This approach offers flexibility: I can swap enclosures for faster standards (USB4, Thunderbolt 4/5) or upgrade the M.2 drive itself (to 2TB, 4TB, or more) as needed.

This cost-effective approach offers significant long-term savings compared to repeatedly purchasing pre-built external SSDs.

Building my own external SSD saved money and provided future upgrade options. It was a surprisingly simple process (usually just one or two screws).

I highly recommend building your own portable SSD, whether using spare or new NVMe drives. The added flexibility is well worth the minimal effort.

##### UGREEN M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure: A Great Option

The UGREEN M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure is an excellent choice. It offers 10Gbps transfer speeds via USB 3.2 Gen 2 and supports both M and M&B key M.2 PCIe SSDs. Its USB-C interface ensures compatibility with most desktops and laptops.

$22 at Amazon

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