MyDigitalSSD is asking the age-old question: does a dongle by any other name smell just as sweet? (Or something like that.) We're used to dongles bridging the gap between headphones, USB connectors and the like. Now a much larger one is going to let you use your NVMe SSD as external storage.

The new M2X USB 3.1 Gen 2 M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD Enclosure Adapter lets you connect an NVMe SSD to your system via USB so you can get maximum performance from your external storage when a Thunderbolt port is unavailable. Actual performance will vary based on the SSD and USB generation used, but the enclosure's basic premise remains the same no matter what NVMe SSD you decide to put in it or what system you connect it to.

MyDigitalSSD said the M2X is fully bus-powered and features a heatsink that "combats high heat issues commonly found in small form factor SSDs and ensures peak performance even under heavy use." It's also operating system independent and compatible with M 2242, 2260, and 2280 form factor SSDs. According to the company, that means the M2X supports up to 2TB of storage.

The company also said the M2X's JMS583 USB 3.1 Gen 2 to PCIe Gen3 x2 bridge controller offers data transfer speeds up to 10Gbps. You won't see that kind of performance, though, if you take advantage of the enclosure's support for USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connections. Then you'll be limited by those previous-generation capabilities--but at least you won't have to worry about your data being inaccessible via anything other than USB 3.1 with the M2X.

The M2X USB 3.1 Gen 2 M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD Enclosure Adapter is available now from Amazon for $40. It comes with a one-year warranty, a foot-long USB 3.1 Type-C cable, and a foot-long USB 3.1 Type-A cable. You will, of course, have to supply your own NVMe SSD if you want to store anything.