The Geekworm X1003 is a well-designed PCIe to NVMe enlargement board for the Raspberry Pi 5. It helps 2230 and 2242 SSDs with M.2 M-Key, doesn’t intervene with the airflow when utilizing the lively cooler, and matches snugly inside the official Pi 5 ABS case though it’s good to take out the fan layer from the highest of the case.
We beforehand wrote in regards to the low-cost Waveshare PCIe to M.2 adapter, however person Rex Tang highlighted a design flaw with its 2230 screw mount affecting 2242 SSDs which have chips on either side of the module. Then, person PANiCnz really useful the X1003 with a compact design that doesn’t have the identical concern. We additionally coated different PCIe to NVMe enlargement boards resembling Pimoroni NVMe Base and PineBerry Pi’s HatDrive, so be happy to examine these out if .

Geekworm X1003 PCIe to NVMe adapter specs:
- Suitable with Raspberry Pi 5 lively cooler and Raspberry Pi 5 official case
- FFC cable is barely 22mm in size.
- Helps set up of official lively coolers
- Contains an M.2 disk exercise LED. The LED stays on to point energy is OK or on standby, and flashes throughout studying/writing actions.
- Helps 2230/2242 NVMe M.2 SSDs solely.
- Helps further GPIO energy provide along with FPC energy provide.

The corporate gives an set up information on its wiki web page. They be sure that their design follows the Raspberry Pi’s PCIe connector and cable tips guaranteeing long-term help by way of updates to the Raspberry Pi OS.
Geekworm advises to not use sure NVMe SSDs with a Phison controller as a result of they don’t work nicely with their product. This contains the WD Blue SN550/SN580 sequence, WD Inexperienced SN350 sequence, WD Black SN850 sequence, and another SSDs with the identical controller. These fashions have recognized points with the X10xx sequence NVMe defend. The corporate is hoping the Raspberry Pi Basis will repair this drawback quickly.

The corporate factors out that this product is barely suitable with M.2 NVMe SSDs and doesn’t work with different sorts of M.2 SSDs. Older NVMe drives could carry out poorly in comparison with newer ones. Additionally, new NVMe SSDs should be partitioned and formatted earlier than use with the Raspberry Pi.

The bundle for the X1003 V1.3 NVMe SSD Defend will comprise the defend itself, a 22mm lengthy PCIe FFC cable, an M2x13mm screw to connect the X1003 defend to the official Energetic cooler, and two M2x4mm screws for securing the NVMe M2 SSD in place.
The system is offered for buy on the firm’s official retailer for $15.99 and on Amazon for $15.

Debashis Das is a technical content material author and embedded engineer with over 5 years of expertise within the business. With experience in Embedded C, PCB Design, and website positioning optimization, he successfully blends troublesome technical matters with clear communication
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