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We all know by now that flash storage is facing unprecedented demand due to the AI boom; while not as unattainable as memory, it's still severely overpriced compared to last year. If you have an old M.2 SSD lying around that you'd like to appreciate more during these trying times, you can use an enclosure to turn it into a super-fast external drive. As such, we've found a deal on Asus' ROG Strix Aiolos, which has dropped down to just $59 on Amazon right now.
The ROG Strix Aiolos is a premium, high-end M.2 SSD enclosure with transfer speeds up to 20 Gbps, enabled by a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface that terminates in a USB-C port. Asus is using a Realtek RTL9220 controller, which allows it to take either a PCIe-based NVMe SSD or a SATA-based SSD and connect it to the aforementioned USB interface. It supports M.2-2242/2260/2280 sizes, but not M.2-2230.
You get a tool-less assembly with the Aiolos since it features a push-to-open mechanism for quick removals and installations. The enclosure is made from metal and has a hook on one end with a fabric loop for attaching it to backpacks and such. The body is also wrapped around in rubber to make it grippier on flat surfaces like when it's sitting on a desk. Frankly, the entire thing looks like a miniaturized ROG Astral graphics card.
Being an Asus ROG Strix product, there's an RGB strip running along the top that's controllable through software. Speaking of which, the Aiolos ships with a key for a basic version of the ROG SSD Dashboard so you can monitor your drive in real time. It can track SSD health, remaining capacity, show SMART info, and check temps. You can definitely get cheaper M.2 enclosures, but for just $59 right now, you're not getting one as fancy, or perhaps as fast, as the Aiolos.
If you're looking for more savings, check out our Best PC Hardware deals for a range of products, or dive deeper into our specialized SSD and Storage Deals, Hard Drive Deals, Gaming Monitor Deals, Graphics Card Deals, gaming chair, or CPU Deals pages.
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