Forward-looking: MSI has introduced a storage accessory that allows you to hot-swap M.2 SSDs without having to open up your PC. The M.2 Xpander-Aero Slider Gen5 is a dual-slot PCIe-to-M.2 expansion card that looks more like a graphics card than a storage accessory. The latest version shown at Computex is a slot-mounted card that supports up to a pair of PCIe Gen5 M.2 22110 drives. The hot-swappable drives slide in through the card’s rear I/O panel.
MSI’s product description notes the large Aero cooling fan, which can detect whether or not SSDs are plugged in and adjust fan speed accordingly. PCIe Gen5 SSDs can get quite hot under load; having a dedicated fan blowing directly on them should help minimize the risk of thermal throttling.
There is also a manual on / off fan switch for greater control, which could come in handy when running slower Gen3 or Gen4 SSDs that don’t generate a ton of heat.
Reaching around to the back of your machine every time you need to pull a drive could be a pain, but again it beats having to open your machine up and pop off a heatsink cover. External enclosures are another option, but they come with their own set of limitations.
No word yet on availability for the M.2 Xpander-Aero Slider Gen5. Aside from a brief mention in their Computex summary, I was not able to find any reference to it on MSI’s website as of this writing. According to a report from KitGuru, the expansion card will come bundled with future high-end MEG motherboards.
MSI could be on to something with the sliding concept. Should it gain traction, perhaps we could see future motherboards that integrate an M.2 sliding expansion slot right into the rear I/O panel. But first, MSI will need to unbundle the add-in card from motherboard kits so more users can get their hands on it.
Would you have any use for a PCIe SSD card like this?
Image credit: Future
