Icy Docks has launched a brand new add-in card for M.2 drives dubbed the ToughArmor MB840M2P-B. The add-in card is aimed at machines that don’t feature an M.2 slot and at PC owners wary of going down the path of replacing their motherboards, which can be pricey. Otherwise, it’s a nifty add-on for anyone who is looking for a quick way to add an extra NVMe SSD to their set up.
While the ToughArmor MB840M2P-B is undoubtedly not the first product of its kind to hit the market, it manages to bring a new feature to the table in the form of hot-swapping support. In practice, this means it’s possible to install or even remove an SSD even if the PC is still running. The feature takes the hassle out of having to power down and install an SSD via the usual method.
There are, however, some limitations to the ToughArmor MB840M2P-B hot-swapping capabilities. Chiefly, it won’t work should you use the add-in card SSD as your primary drive. But, if you have a second SSD that you only need occasional access to then, the ToughArmor MB840M2P-B is ideal.
As for practicalities, inserting an SSD into the removable drive then sliding into the add-in card is relatively straightforward as these things go.
The add-in card consists of an aluminum body that doubles as a heatsink to keep the SSD nice and cool. Icy Docks has also thrown in a thermal pad to conduct heat away from the SSD to the enclosure to aid cooling.
As for specifics, the ToughArmor MB840M2P-B works with PCIe 3.0 x4 slots as well as x8 and x16 variants. Icy Dock says compatibility extends to a wide range of existing SSD’s on the market, notably from WD and Samsung, as well as over 30 other manufacturers.
As of writing, we don’t yet have a price point, and it’s yet to go on sale on retailer websites, but anywhere up to $70 based on other Icy Dock products seems likely.