Review on Syba M-Key M.2 to PCIe x4 SSD Adapter - High Speed Data Transfer Converter SY-PEX50073, Green by Bernard Larjin

My computer's motherboard seems to have some bad design decisions when it comes to the interfaces used by the two available M.2 slots and which PCIe slots are disabled depending on what you have connected. In fact, this is a problem that almost no one will encounter and is only caused by my unconventional hardware setup. I'm calling this "poor design" because further research suggests that this won't be an issue on any other motherboards I've considered with similar specs. My options were buying a new motherboard, a non-M.2 SSD, or looking for an adapter. Not only is the adapter a cheaper option, but it also gives me the ability to add a second M.2 drive over time. I have the option of using 2.5" SSDs, but I prefer to keep the number of cables in my case. as low as possible. There is some performance hit, at least on paper. In my configuration, this card is plugged into a PCIe 2.0x1 slot with a maximum throughput of 500MB/s. If I were to use 2.5" SSDs connected my SATA III would be limited to 600MB/s. I haven't actually tested this, but I haven't noticed any difference in speed compared to standard SATA SSDs. Also, the SSD, that I have on this card is used almost exclusively for video game storage so it's not that big of a deal.The only thing I can mention is that you lose a second or two when booting up the computer since the adapter first loads its BIOS to set up the drive to be recognized as a SATA device.