Question 1

IS this plug n play? want to boot from msata 840 512gb... mother board msata defaults to sata2 and i intend to plug this to an available sata3 port so i can get full bandwidth

Accepted Answer

Hey,  yeah I got this for a 840 evo msata to put in a laptop,  no drivers needed plug and play, boot found it instantly and it shows up as a normal drive,  I'm getting 100% sata 3 bandwidth through it.

So in short yes. Lol

Question 2

I just purchased a (very expensive) Samasung 850 EVO mSATA 1 GB SSD which apparently needs a 5v power supply.  The mSATA slot (in my Dell XPS 8700) has only a 3.3v power supply.  Will this StarTech product work with the 850 EVO mSATA so that it will plug into one of the empty SATA slots instead?  (I note that this product is said to be compatible with the 840 EVO which I believe only needs 3.3V - I don't have much hope that it will).  Any suggestions on something else that will work?

Accepted Answer

I used the  StarTech SAT32MSAT257 mSATA SSD to 2.5in SATA Adapter Converter internally in a Mac Pro with a 1 TB Samsung 840 that I partitioned to run different OS's so they'd boot faster. The StarTech module was placed in a 2.5 inch to 3.5 converter so it would work with the Mac Pro's 4 internal drive trays which are on a SATA II (3 Gbit/sec) bus. With the 2.5 inch form you can pop it into a standard laptop HD bay. Newer laptops use the mSATA slot directly (and maybe the smaller microSATA (µSATA). But they are all SATA buses.

As far as a understand if an SSD or standard HD is built to conform to SATA I, II, or III specs it will work based on those specs. A SATA III device will be backward compatible with past SATA standards (but operate slower) and older standard devices will work with the newer revisions (but operate at the speed of the SATA spec they were designed for). That's why I don't understand why voltage is an issue. If it's a SATA III SSD it will work connected to any SATA standard, though will run slower in a SATA I or II slot.

Check  or just Google mSATA and use the WikiPedia link - scroll to the paragraphs on Power Connectors and below that the Mini SATA spec (mSATA). mSATA is just a different form factor but is still within the SATA spec and the cabling has pins for 3.3v, 5v & 12v which match the connectors on the SSD to provide the voltages necessary for normal operation (be they 3.3v or 5v).

The Samsung 850 EVO 1 TB at Newegg is an mSATA device and its spec is SATA III (6Gbits/sec)–voltage isn't mentioned. If you have an open SATA slot, you may need adapters as I did, but an mSATA SSD works with a built in mSATA slot or with an adapter (like the StarTech) to bring mSATA to the 2.5 inch (laptop size connector) or like I did go up to 3.5 inch for the Mac's full size slots internal SATA connector size.

The 850 is mSATA - will work in any SATA slot after you match connector size (as I did). Hope this helps.

Question 3

Will  Kingston SMS200S3/60G mimi-sata ( moel#: SMS200S3/60G  item#:N82E16820239685) fit this unit?

Accepted Answer

This is not the drive we put in this adapter, we used a samsung evo mSATA III SSD.  As long as the Kingston is mSATA, I wouldn't think you should have any issues.
Hope this helps.

Question 4

What is the maximum data transfer rate of this converter?

Accepted Answer

The maximum data transfer rate of this converter is 6 Gbps.

Question 5

Is this converter compatible with all mSATA solid state drives or only with certain models?

Accepted Answer

The converter is compatible with mSATA solid state drives such as the SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-MTE250BW.

Question 6

How many drives can the converter connect at once?

Accepted Answer

The converter can connect one drive at a time.

Question 7

How does the open frame design contribute to the converter's performance?

Accepted Answer

The open frame design allows for maximum heat dissipation, which can improve the performance of the converter by maintaining optimal operating temperatures.

Question 8

Can I use this converter to upgrade the storage of my 2.5in SATA device?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this converter can be used to upgrade the storage of your 2.5in SATA device.

Question 9

i want to use this adapter to clone a mSATA spinning drive to a SSD.  i have the hardware and software  to do this, except for mSATA adapter.  will this work??

Accepted Answer

I used this to adapt an mSata ssd to standard sata data and power however I think your talking about a 1.8" micro sata hard drive that has an entirely different connection method. I think what you may need is this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA24G28M3742

Brand	StarTech.com
Model	SAT32MSAT257
Color	Red

Conversion Tray	mSATA Drive to 2.5" Drive
Compatible Products	2.5"
Specifications	Drive Installation: Fixed Drive Type: mSATA (Mini SATA) Interface : SATA Number of Drives: 1 Drive Connectors: 1 - mSATA (52 pin; Mini SATA) Receptacle Host Connectors: 1 - SATA Data & Power Combo (7+15 pin) Receptacle Maximum Data: Transfer Rate 6 Gbps Type and Rate: SATA III (6 Gbps)

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Item#: N82E16817998230