MyDigitalSSD Bullet Proof 5 (BP5) SATA m.2 Enclosure Review

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In the last two years I have been here at TweakTown, I have had the opportunity to review quite a few unique portable solutions from MyDigitalSSD. These solutions have become quite popular and with that we now have the latest portable solution, this time featuring the m.2 form factor.

The MyDigitalSSD Bullet Proof 5 comes in both diskless, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities. Marketing numbers will depend on what SATA m.2 you decide to choose, but the enclosure itself is capable of delivering 475 MB/s read and 415 MB/s write. With this being an m.2 solution, the BP5 is capable of using 42mm, 60mm and 80mm SSDs. Compatibility extends to Windows and OS X, but you will want to use Windows 8 or OS X 10.8 to enjoy UASP support.

MSRP of the MyDigitalSSD in the 256GB is set at $179.99 with a one-year warranty.

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Scope of delivery for the BP5 includes several colored cases for you to choose from, along with the enclosure itself, which carries an integrated USB 3.0 cable.

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The controller used in our sample was the ASMedia 1153e.

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The drive used in our BP5 enclosure is the MyDigitalSSD SuperBootDrive 256GB.

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Installation was straightforward; here we have the drive ready to go.

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The backside of the enclosure houses two screws which hold the enclosure together.

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Above, we have the finished look of the drive using the blue case.

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With incompressible data, the BP5 was able to push through 30985 random read IOPS while random write came in at 1856 IOPS.

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Sequential numbers for the BP5 allowed 426 MB/s read, while write speed suffered at 63.25 MB/s.

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Price/Performance put the BP5 in second place in our charts at 81.7%.

The MyDigitalSSD Bullet Proof 5 is a rather unique storage solution in that it's the first to utilize the SATA m.2 form factor in a compact solution. Build quality of the enclosure was decent, but there is certainly room for improvement if they were to use a metal enclosure, like previous mSATA solutions.

Performance was great with sequential reads and random read operations, but the unit really suffered with incompressible data when writing to the drive. We assume this is because of the Phison controller on the m.2 SSD.

Overall, for those that want a complete ready to go solution, the Bullet Proof 5 is great if you can find one of the populated solutions available on Amazon, otherwise you may find yourself spending a bit more trying to put the unit together.

PRICING: You can find the MyDigitalSSD BP5 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 SATA M.2 NGFF SSD UASP Enclosure Combo with 256GB Solid State Drive - MDM2-BP5-256-COMBO for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The MyDigitalSSD BP5 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 SATA M.2 NGFF SSD UASP Enclosure Combo with 256GB Solid State Drive - MDM2-BP5-256-COMBO retails for $179.99 at Amazon.

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