Question *STABLE* NVMe - USB Adapter?

[cyberjedi]

I'm looking to buy a *RELIABLE* NVME-USB external adapter, that doesn't disconnect randomly, can keep up the close to 1GB/s speed.
So far all adapter's reviews contain frighteningly high % of reports of malfunction, random disconnects, sub-par speeds, falling to even under USB 2.0 speeds, etc.
There are 3 main chipsets in the market: JMicron JMS583, Asmedia ASM2362, and Realtek RTL9210 (no product has surfaced with the latter yet, so no REAL reviews, experiences yet UPDATE: it is on the market already).
Also ASUS has a new product, ROG Strix Arion, but there isn't enough feedback about it yet, and I mean real life feedback not just being able to run a few benchmarks, but real stress test to see if the device (adapter) can keep it up, without disconnecting or slowing down hard.
I would really appreciate any feedback from those who have GOOD experiences during stress-tests, like tons of random 4k writes with a stable speed, cloning 100's of GB-s at a stable high speed close to 1GB/s.
I know SSD's very well, so please stick to the point and don't start to educate me on how their speed falls after some writes, etc. I'm aware and this is NOT the point.
You can help if you can point me to a STABLE and RELIABLE NVMe-USB-C adapter that WORKS as expected.
Thank you in advance!

 

[huyhung411991]

Good day. Today i came across a new firmware for RTL9210B - v1.30.21.070622 so i have made a new package with all in wonder, custom configs, expalined ones and also the last firmware for RTL9210A. What's new, i have no ideea.You will find also updated MPtool. You can download it from next link.
https://www.sendbig.com/view-files/?Id=78770afe-a795-36e7-d2eb-4ad3d8dc9d6e

Hi,
Can you make a mirror for this? I can't seem to be able to download from this site.
Thank you.

 

[fantom3l]

As requested RTL9210A firmware 1.29.8A and B and 1.30.21 for B reuploaded and i also added for JMS583 firmware 213 with some modifications done so that name of drive, parameters and stuff are seen by windows programs proper. Inside the package are 2 examples on how the enclosure is seen at eject from windows. Who wants to modify the firmware for it's custom name can do a hex compare , see the name change and do it (see included txt file).

Also as an extra and if you guys are willing to share, i have added also Asmedia and Jmicron firmware dumpers along with some of my tests on my enclosures.

I am looking for ASM2362 firmwares that are generic ones (ending in 00 00) to play with and the only ones i found are very old and on chinese payed websites where i do not have access. So maybe someone is willing to dump some firmwares since it's not distructive and requires only an exe run and drive select.

RTL9210A and B Reuploaded:
https://disk.yandex.com/d/eIRYQ7-cvJfWng

JMS583 modified firmware 213 to read real drive values.
https://disk.yandex.com/d/lnNYu7PBYpu0bQ

JMS Firmware dumper 0.1a with examples
https://disk.yandex.com/d/ZnfADSHWVIDmAA

Asmedia Firmware dumper with examples
https://disk.yandex.com/d/zZLFx-BhRnpOTg


If you see that you can't download the files, open a free yandex account with three cliks, import the files to your account and then download them from there.

 

[PRSXFENG]

I am looking for ASM2362 firmwares that are generic ones (ending in 00 00) to play with and the only ones i found are very old and on chinese payed websites where i do not have access. So maybe someone is willing to dump some firmwares since it's not distructive and requires only an exe run and drive select.

are you looking for AS_PCIE_210527_81_00_00?
A quick search found a chinese forum that has it paywalled, which I assume you have also found (mydigit)
I do have an account there, but I cant do much as im unable to verify my account as it wants a chinese phone number that I do not have
and even if i didnt want to do that, im unable to pay for said content even if I wanted to (I have tried), as it wants a Chinese credit/debit card

 

[fantom3l]

As i do not want to advertise other websites, the chinese one has a lot of firmwares, now are hidden as i see but along them were :

And for sure for ASM2362 and not 2364 were these:

If the one you put there is also for 2362 and not 2364 then it's newer.

http://club.liangchanba.com/thread-1282-1-1.html

 

[fsdbgnzn]

is it possibel to make a Backup from Realtek RTL9210 Firmware version: 1.30.28 and Build Date: 2022.08.10 ?

 

[fantom3l]

And since the weekend is coming , maybe you want to make an upgrade to your ASM2362 chipsets at AS_PCIE_210527_81_00_00 firmware

And yes, i did manage to pay for the firmware using a 3rd party so that you can all download it for free.
Inside you will find a generic config and one for Asus Rog Strix Arion . I did try one config to see if drive passthru works in device manager but in that case the string gets some generic 2360 asm .

Wish you all happy upgrading. What's new .... no clue but at least it's a generic one.
In case you forgot unlock settings password is "asmedia" without "" and unpack password is fantomel



ASM2362 firmware AS_PCIE_210527_81_00_00 Download

 

[MAVEXD]

What is the latest firmware for RTL9210B ?

 

[imASH]

Hey folks,
Could you please help me to figure out an issue here. I purchased Sabrent enclosure for WD_Black SN750 1Tb drive.
I formatted the drive in two partitions:
One partition as Mac OS Extended for macbook backup.
Second partition as ExFAT in order to use the drive with both Mac and Windows systems.
The speed test shows pretty meh numbers, specially for ExFat format. What did I do wrong?

 

[Ananas]

What did I do wrong?

You didn't bother to provide a lot of details, e.g. which Sabrent enclosure or chipset, which macOS version, how the enclosure was connected to your Mac (i.e. directly or through an USB or Thunderbolt hub), so you'll perhaps have to find out for yourself.

You may want to check out Howard Oakley's great blog site about all things macOS and Apple Silicon. He has also multiple articles about SSD speed, e.g. https://eclecticlight.co/2022/04/22/what-performance-to-expect-from-ssds/ and recently some more. Plus you can ask him; he is a very nice guy and typically responds quickly.

 

[imASH]

You didn't bother to provide a lot of details, e.g. which Sabrent enclosure or chipset, which macOS version, how the enclosure was connected to your Mac (i.e. directly or through an USB or Thunderbolt hub), so you'll perhaps have to find out for yourself.

Sabrent EC-SNVE which is supposed to be based on Realtek RTL9210B
I have macOs 12.5 but i tried on windows with similar results connected via usb typeC 3.2

 

[Ananas]

Sabrent EC-SNVE which is supposed to be based on Realtek RTL9210B
I have macOs 12.5 but i tried on windows with similar results connected via usb typeC 3.2

If you are getting 990MB/s writing and 1020MB/s reading through USB 3.2 Gen 2, what exactly is your problem then? I thought you perhaps had a Thunderbolt enclosure, for which this would be low values indeed, but for USB3 "SuperSpeed+" at 10GBit/s this is as good as it gets. And if ExFAT is slower, don't use it then. It is a file system designed for SDXC cards and its implementation on the Mac might not fully be optimized for speed as Apple don't expect anybody to use it for professional purposes where optimum speed would make a difference.

 

[fantom3l]

Small news regarding ASM2362. It seems the guys in the forum where i downloaded the last firmware got pissed off that i did and that i shared it here for free. In their discussions it seems that there is another firmware that is newer for ASM2362 , AS_PCIE_220906_81_45_00 . Maybe you guys are willing to put some dumps here of the devices you have since now we have firmware dumpers for jms and asm.

 

[Ananas]

Maybe you guys are willing to put some dumps here of the devices you have since now we have firmware dumpers for jms and asm.

The firmware dumpers require Microsoft Windows, am I right? What I have is Macs and a Raspberry Pi.

 

[imASH]

If you are getting 990MB/s writing and 1020MB/s reading through USB 3.2 Gen 2, what exactly is your problem then? I thought you perhaps had a Thunderbolt enclosure, for which this would be low values indeed, but for USB3 "SuperSpeed+" at 10GBit/s this is as good as it gets. And if ExFAT is slower, don't use it then. It is a file system designed for SDXC cards and its implementation on the Mac might not fully be optimized for speed as Apple don't expect anybody to use it for professional purposes where optimum speed would make a difference.

Thank you for your response.
Is there a format that works with both macOs and Windows without limiting the speed like exfat?

 

[zsdbf]

Small news regarding ASM2362. It seems the guys in the forum where i downloaded the last firmware got pissed off that i did and that i shared it here for free. In their discussions it seems that there is another firmware that is newer for ASM2362 , AS_PCIE_220906_81_45_00 . Maybe you guys are willing to put some dumps here of the devices you have since now we have firmware dumpers for jms and asm.

Hi, I'm the guy who post the ASM2362 firmware in the forum. We are happy that you share the firmware for more people. We love free sharing. As you know, there are many restrictions in that forum. One has to earn bonus points in order to download, but the site can't keep running without user's support.

And yes, we have AS_PCIE_220906_81_45_00, which is a customized firmware by ASMedia and manufacturer Millennion. We can't share it for now because it's a shared intellectual property between ASMedia and Millennion. Maybe someone could buy their product and dump the firmware.

 

[mihaiii]

i got a mac mini m2 which i use for lightroom editing + basic video editing
Can u suggest a reliable (most important), good priced (that is not an overkill for my workflow), nvme enclosure for
The order of importance would be

1) reliable : no freeze, not getting too hot, good software support (can go to sleep mode etc)
2) good performance / price
3) speed (I'm not so sure that for lightroom / basic video editing) a 2800MBps is way better than 1500MBps
4 (optional) but nice to have : Windows compatibility (in case I switch back to Windows / or in case i choose to format as exFAT)

what are my options for 50 USD / 100 USD / 150 USD?

prefferable to be found in Europe

Thanks

 

[fantom3l]

The firmware dumpers require Microsoft Windows, am I right? What I have is Macs and a Raspberry Pi.

A mac with windows virtual might work

 

[mihaiii]

i got a mac mini m2 which i use for lightroom editing + basic video editing
Can u suggest a reliable (most important), good priced (that is not an overkill for my workflow), nvme enclosure for
The order of importance would be

1) reliable : no freeze, not getting too hot, good software support (can go to sleep mode etc)
2) good performance / price
3) speed (I'm not so sure that for lightroom / basic video editing) a 2800MBps is way better than 1500MBps
4 (optional) but nice to have : Windows compatibility (in case I switch back to Windows / or in case i choose to format as exFAT)

what are my options for 50 USD / 100 USD / 150 USD?

prefferable to be found in Europe

Thanks

I got the Acasis TB4 for 109$ . Very close to the Sabrent TB3 price, but faster and better for future proofing

 

[zaltys]

Does anyone know if any of the current USB <-> NVMe bridge chips have firmware that programs the Autonomous Power State Transition (APST) feature of the SSDs?

The Linux or Windows NVMe driver uses APST to program the SSDs to transition to lower power states within seconds of idle.

It's pretty obvious the RTL9210 bridge firmware isn't doing this. Enclosure stays hot until the power off timer (configured in minutes) activates. That increments the Power On Count of the SSD each time, which APST would not.

 

[tornado99]

@mihaiii , I am in the same position as you - just diving into the enclosure market.

In the end I got:

Acasis TBU401 (Intel® JHL7440 Thunderbolt™3 with REALTEK® RTL9210B) - a great enclosure for any thunderbolt port. Fully aluminium, nice weight, and the machining on this is amazing quality. Even has 4 small ball-bearings to pop the lid on. Very hard to find this quality outside enclosures with a "gaming style" which I don't like. My only concern is that the RTL9210B usb fallback is probably not possible to firmware update, but I won't be connecting it to a usb port that often anyway.

Sabrent EC-SNVE (RTL9210B) - Very easy to update to the latest firmware (1.30.21.070622) from this forum with Mac fixes, and lots of people have tested this. Fairly thick aluminium top, and ABS base. Bit lighter than TBU401 but sufficent weight once an SSD is in there. If you are using a non-thunderbolt port pointless getting anything faster than this. My only problem is that the in-built thermal pad is too thin, and it was *really* hard to remove the adhesive sticking it to the top lid. Anyone got any tips for that?

Arctic TP-3 Thermal Pad 1.5mm - Amazing stuff. Moulds itself round your NVME unlike all the cheap pads. I bought 100mmx100mm and cut out replacement thermal pads for both the above enclosures. Now my SSDS run cool!

 

[admanny]

Anyone have link for RTL9210 1.30.28?

 

[tornado99]

I also have an Eluteng enclosure with RTL9210B. I want to firmware update it but I don't have a .cfg file. Is there a way of extracting the .cfg from the device, and what should I do if not?

@fantom3l , there is an 'OEM Configs' and a 'configure' folder in the zip you kindly provided. Do you recommend any of the .cfg to use with my Eluteng?

 

[PRSXFENG]

I also have an Eluteng enclosure with RTL9210B. I want to firmware update it but I don't have a .cfg file. Is there a way of extracting the .cfg from the device, and what should I do if not?

@fantom3l , there is an 'OEM Configs' and a 'configure' folder in the zip you kindly provided. Do you recommend any of the .cfg to use with my Eluteng?

Personally I take an empty template, and just copy paste stuff that seems important from the export device info menu (such as device name, ids, timeout, led settings)

 

[kschendel]

The firmware dumpers require Microsoft Windows, am I right? What I have is Macs and a Raspberry Pi.

A mac with windows virtual might work

I ran into something like this with a gigabyte mobo that needed windows to do some sort of stupid non-BIOS firmware update. It turns out that if you have, or can get an hour or two access to, a windows installation, you can make a windows live usb using tools such as win2usb. That way, you can run the occasional winders app without having to actually install the darn thing.

 

[Ananas]

Personally I take an empty template, and just copy paste stuff that seems important from the export device info menu (such as device name, ids, timeout, led settings)

Thank you, and please feel free to share some more hints and experiences, this topic seems to be only very sparsely documented and a lot of people here (including myself) could benefit. (Actually not knowing what all these settings meant kept me from tinkering with it altogether.)