SATA had been the primary interface used for storage technology for a long time. SATA drives needed two cables to work. One is used to transfer data to the motherboard and the other to get power to the PSU (power supply unit). Cable clutter is one of the issues that can affect performance in PC cases when using multiple SATA storage drives. Slim notebooks and laptops, including ultrabooks, don’t even have room for SATA cables, which is why they utilise the M.2 form factor. A SATA M.2 form factor SSD solved this problem since it didn't have the two cable connections previously used in other SATA-based storage drives.

M.2 SSD Will Make Your PC Even Faster - Lifewire How the M.2 SSD Will Make Your PC Even Faster - Lifewire

Also, pairing it with a multiplying port controller allows the SSD adapter to support non-RAID operation. It means that you will be able to use each drive independently. If this SSD is just for data or programs (e.g. games), you can look for an adapter from M.2 to PCI Express slots, because every NVMe SSD is just a regular PCIe device. This would give you much better performance than SATA ever could.Using M.2 to SATA adapter is fine since it helps to build your PC, enhances speed, and gives you the enormous storage space you need. Note that you cannot connect your M2 drives to your motherboard. Yes, SATA and NVMe are completely different protocols. It just happens that the same M.2 (aka NGFF) form factor is used for both kinds of SSDs.

M.2 SSD to SATA? - Super User Adaptor from NVMe M.2 SSD to SATA? - Super User

PCIe generations– There are generations of the PCIe bus that have different levels of performance. The bandwidth doubles with each generation and there are SSDs utilising different generations of PCIe. The latest available is PCIe 4.0, with PCIe 5.0 still on the development horizon. You should now have a fully connectable M.2 SSD for your motherboard. M.2 to SATA Adapter Sizing Warning However, motherboards without M.2 slots typically won't be able to boot from NVMe SSDs (their firmware will be missing the correct drivers).

It allows you to use both drives independently. Therefore, the M.2 RAID adapter will support and provide the TRIM you need to enhance the M.2 SSD stability. The StarTech M.2 SSD to 2.4in SATA adapter allows you to boost the speed and memory of your computer by adding the speed of an M.2 SSD. This adapter accepts multiple drive heights: 2230, 2242, 2260, and 2280. Additionally, it can boost your data transfer speed up to 6 GB/second. Also, it enhances the file speed transfer to 6GBps. Note that a functional M.2 SSD will help you save on electricity bills since it consumes less power than regular platter drives. Besides, it is less bulky and reduces the number of cables required for connections.

M.2 SATA SSD to SATA - Drive Adapters and Drive Adapter - M.2 SATA SSD to SATA - Drive Adapters and Drive

With a 2.5” drive, you will plug in the M.2 to the adapter to enhance your storage capacity. But you may experience a few issues where the M.2 drive will be shown as a boot option.The extra power cable is needed because the M.2 connector on your motherboard only has 3.3v , while the pci-e slot also has 12v ... so the cable is used to insert 12v into the pci-e x4 slot.