INTRODUCTION

    Even though the very first SATA SSDs made us all aware of just how slow mechanical drives had been up to that point it wasn't until M.2 PCIe NVME SSDs made their appearance that things really got serious, not just thanks to their impressive read & write performance but also their tiny form factor. Fast forward to today and regardless of whether you're a professional or a casual user equipping your system (or even your gaming console) with one or more M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD/s is really a must. Still professionals who really do need the extra speed provided by M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs are always on the lookout for things that can actually make their jobs easier and the ToughArmor MB842MP-B M.2 NVMe Mobile Rack by ICY DOCK could be just that.

    ICY DOCK is a privately held company with more than 24 years of experience in designing, manufacturing, branding and distributing computer data storage and enclosure peripherals, especially in industrial and rugged computer data storage. ICY DOCK became a global leader in the computer data storage industry, utilizing their designing and manufacturing capability since 1997. Adhering to strict manufacturing guidelines and having creative product designing teams in California, USA, ICY DOCK delivers highest quality products to exceed customer expectation and offers one of a kind product to satisfy customer’s need.

    The ICY DOCK ToughArmor MB842MP-B is basically an PCIe card (anti-EMI) with two removable drive trays made out of aluminum (optimal heat dissipation) for M.2 NVMe SSDs. It's compatible with PCIe 3.0/4.0/5.0 x8/x16 slots (PCIe Bifurcation support by your motherboard is required - up to 64Gbps transfer rate) and supports PCIe NVMe SSDs of all lengths (30-110mm - 2230/2243/2260/2280/22110) while both drive trays are tool-less, feature power/activity LEDs and sport the eagle-hook lock system which ensures the drives are secured in the enclosure. It also features Active-Power Technology (APT) and as for warranty ICY DOCK covers the ToughArmor MB842MP-B with a 5-year limited one. So, time to see just what performance and versatility you can expect from the ToughArmor MB842MP-B by ICY DOCK.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

ICY DOCK uses a plain cardboard box to ship the ToughArmor MB842MP-B the front of which has two pictures (single/dual model), the main product features, warranty information and their logo (based on this warranty is 3 years in the EU - will check and update).

A product description in 10 languages is located at the rear along with the bundle contents, serial number and various certifications.

The card is wrapped inside a static-free bag and placed in a formed piece of foam.

Along with the card and its 2 drive trays inside the box you'll also find thermal pads, mounting screw and the user manual.

THE TOUGHARMOR MB842MP-B

At 120.8mm in height the MB842MP-B is a full height PCIe card (171mm in length).

As expected, you can easily slide out both drive trays from the rear of the card.

Both drive trays are made out of aluminum and are tool-less in design.

Just press the far end of the top and pull it out to reveal the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD area.

Once you place the thermal pad in the interior (either cut it in size or used it all) just place the drive on it and then slide the aluminum clip on the other end to secure it.

Afterwards just mount the piece your removed earlier and that's it, your M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD is ready.

The card also has 2-pin headers for each drive which you can connect with your case for the front panel activity LEDs.

Here you can see the card mounted on the primary PCIe 5.0 slot of my AMD 7900X/ASRock X670E system.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

    I don't know if I’ll be getting many PCIe SSD cards but for now I’ll be using my ASRock X670E test rig to run a wide range of benchmarking suites including AIDA64, 3DMark (Storage Benchmark), Crystal Disk Mark, ATTO Disk Benchmark, HD Tach RW, Passmark Performance Test and HD Tune Pro.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TUNE PRO / HD TACH RW

TEST RESULTS - PASSMARK / 3DMARK

TEST RESULTS - CRYSTAL DISK MARK

CONCLUSION

    The concept behind the ToughArmor MB842MP-B was easy, make it so that people could easily swap M.2 NVMe drives the same way as 2.5/3.5" ones. Just two drive trays however may not seem as much to some people and even though I do partially agree when it’s so easy to swap them this shouldn’t matter much. In terms of performance by using the card on a PCIe 5.0 slot I did see higher numbers compared to the advertised 64Gb/s (almost reached 70Gb/s) so do keep that in mind If you have an PCIe 5.0 motherboard. Needless to say, Bifurcation is needed for this card to work and so unless you have a somewhat new system which will most likely have that feature you should check prior to getting your own card.

    Retailing currently for USD227.75 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 192.76Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the ToughArmor MB842MP-B by ICY DOCK is priced well for what it offers. At the end of the day all the features offered by the ToughArmor MB842MP-B are primarily aimed towards professionals and since it does deliver as advertised it deserves the Golden Award.

PROS

- Easy Swap Aluminum Drive Trays
- Performance
- Activity LEDs
- Active Power Technology
- Anti EMI
- SSD Compatibility (2230/2243/2260/2280/22110)

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Bifurcation Required