U.2/NVMe Cables - SFF8643-to-SFF8639 100cm [$11] $12 ; SFF8654_8i-to-2xSFF8639 75cm $17 - Amazon

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UhClem

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[Edit: price of (1) increased $1]

Was looking for some U.2 cables, and found a couple of deals.
(1) CableCreation sff-8643 to sff-8639 100 cm - $11 $12[Link]
(2) DiLiving sff-8654_8i(74p) to 2x sff-8639 75 cm - $17 [Link] (should be a 10% coupon)

I bought 2 of (1) [I have no need for (2)] and they are working fine [@ Gen3 x4]
 
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newabc

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I had 2 DiLiving brand m.2 to U.2 cables from full filled by Amazon "DiLinker". They work well.
Haven't tried "CableCreation" brand yet.
 

EasyRhino

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cable creation has done some other stuff, I've got one of their SAS cables which is fine.
 

Mithril

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If startech makes one, that's who I would trust. I wouldn't trust the cheap stuff on ebay, amazon, newegg or any 'marketplace' site and definitely wouldn't buy direct from china.

Why not? Single M.2 to Single U.2 is basically passive for Gen3. Personally I'd vote for M.2 to SFF-8643 and SFF-8643 to M.2 with SATA power in. IMHO ebays fairly good for this sort of thing, way less markup than amazon and no co-mingled inventory.
 

T_Minus

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Why not? Single M.2 to Single U.2 is basically passive for Gen3. Personally I'd vote for M.2 to SFF-8643 and SFF-8643 to M.2 with SATA power in. IMHO ebays fairly good for this sort of thing, way less markup than amazon and no co-mingled inventory.
Because a bad connection, bad wire, or other cost cutting can affect not only the current instance but data stored and destroy any future hope to use that data. Those of us who've troubleshooted bad wires\connections don't mind spending a bit more $ on a known, quality brand. We should also mention non-data wires such as power cables can cause fire if you use a cheap brand with poor QC, build and\or material.

I'll spend the little more on an amphenol branded cable or a cable from someone like Intel or Supermicro which are also very often amphenol too.

My 02
 
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Mithril

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Because a bad connection, bad wire, or other cost cutting can affect not only the current instance but data stored and destroy any future hope to use that data. Those of us who've troubleshooted bad wires\connections don't mind spending a bit more $ on a known, quality brand. We should also mention non-data wires such as power cables can cause fire if you use a cheap brand with poor QC, build and\or material.

I'll spend the little more on an amphenol branded cable or a cable from someone like Intel or Supermicro which are also very often amphenol too.

My 02
I thought PCIe had some level of ECC? Or at least error detection.

As far as bad data cables causing issues, I've frankly had multiple SATA (and one SAS) cables of "name brand" be an issue in the past. And dodgy sata power connectors are also fairly common with "name brands" as well, anything of the single-process injection molding style is suspect regardless of the name on the label (guess where basically everyone has their products made). I'd argue any new product should be tested as much as you are able/willing as even multi million/billion market cap companies have duds in the production line.


On Ebay you're also going to find e-cyclers and such selling off used/refurbished/overstock items. As far as "places to buy online" Ebay makes me worry less these days (at least for certain things) than Amazon or aliexpress, Amazon's customer service is quite good but comingled inventory is sketchy for certain things. aliexpress is just down to shipping times (and cost) in modern day and they are more likely to take the seller's side in my experience.

For SFF-8643 to U.2 I'd go molex, passthough or rewire the sata plug regardless of who made it as they *all* look injection molded to me.

tl;dr: I guess my point was it's a weird take (to me) to say " I wouldn't trust the cheap stuff on ebay, amazon, newegg or any 'marketplace' site and definitely wouldn't buy direct from china." for this kind of product. I feel like concerns about quality and safety are better addressed directly; FWIW I've purchased "direct" from certain companies and the product was simply a dropshipped item with a markup.
 
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Jaket

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Because a bad connection, bad wire, or other cost cutting can affect not only the current instance but data stored and destroy any future hope to use that data. Those of us who've troubleshooted bad wires\connections don't mind spending a bit more $ on a known, quality brand. We should also mention non-data wires such as power cables can cause fire if you use a cheap brand with poor QC, build and\or material.

I'll spend the little more on an amphenol branded cable or a cable from someone like Intel or Supermicro which are also very often amphenol too.

My 02
I have to agree with this.
Take a look at the attached pictures, this wasn't even a cheap cable or maybe it was. It came from MALABS years ago maybe a bad batch or something weird happen.
Quite scary and this is also why data centers require extra insurance for people sending equipment in. This put itself out nicely. However, think of what could have happen if there was cardboard or some other thing in the rack next to this.
 

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eduncan911

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Because a bad connection, bad wire, or other cost cutting can affect not only the current instance but data stored and destroy any future hope to use that data. Those of us who've troubleshooted bad wires\connections don't mind spending a bit more $ on a known, quality brand. We should also mention non-data wires such as power cables can cause fire if you use a cheap brand with poor QC, build and\or material.

I'll spend the little more on an amphenol branded cable or a cable from someone like Intel or Supermicro which are also very often amphenol too.

My 02
And stay far and away from any "Amazon Basics."

Buying Amazon Basics is 100% supporting the Chinese Copy-Cat economy, as that's what Amazon has been sued - by 1000+ vendors - for copying their patented designs. It's a great business model for Bezos: setup a place where competing brands sale many models. Whomever gets the highest sales, and best "real" reviews, copy the product's best features, and make your own copy.

Search for any string with "Amazon Basics Lawsuit" and spend several hours reading heartbreak stories of small businesses going out of business with a huge decline in sales - when a new Amazon Basics item pops up, for 1/2 their cost... With the "Amazon Recommends" label plastered on it.

60 Minutes did an episode on it. Been all over FTC announcements for years for fines, that is still ongoing (Amazon has appealed every one of them). Heck, even Snowden had a few tweets on it a few years ago when it was big news (6mo news cycle, how little we forget).

The take-away is... Amazon Basics = Chinese copy of someone else's great idea that worked really well.
 
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Mithril

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I have to agree with this.
Take a look at the attached pictures, this wasn't even a cheap cable or maybe it was. It came from MALABS years ago maybe a bad batch or something weird happen.
Quite scary and this is also why data centers require extra insurance for people sending equipment in. This put itself out nicely. However, think of what could have happen if there was cardboard or some other thing in the rack next to this.

See, I almost feel like thats my point entirely. Buying "name brand" for certain things is not a substitute for careful shopping and testing. On the one hand, I've used molex to sata of the sketchy type for years (no longer however!) and never had an issue; on the other plenty of people do have issues even with name brand ones of the injection molded style as it's simply prone to issues. The hard-plastic crimp on style are generally safer.

IMHO things around U.2 and SFF-8643 are still niche enough (and at a cost of goods and sale) that there's less of the "absolutely cheapest or even outright fake" that you get with Intel Nics, Lifepo4 batteries, HDMI cables, etc. It's also niche enough that going "name brand" in some cases costs 4-5 times what buying from a reputable ebay seller would.

Edit: I just checked the M.2 to SFF-8643 adaptor I picked up as a "cheapest from someone with a good seller rep", which was a North American seller. It's a 2 layer PCB, 2 SMD components, connector is through-hole and solder job looks fine, connector is also screwed down (as it should be).
 
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Fritz

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Shit, I'm using an Amazon Basics mouse and it looks suspiciously like a Logitech. :eek:
 

Mithril

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Intel sells M.2 to U.2 adapter and cable? I have not seen this.
The one I've seen is custom, it uses a flat ribbon cable rather than a SFF-8643 ended cable. If you truly only want M.2 to U.2 and would never need to plug that U.2 into a PCIe card (like the 16x to 4 SFF-8643 cards) then it is a good option. Due to using a slim cable it might work better if you have clearance issues as well (say under a GPU)
 

T_Minus

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foureight84

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Samir

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Why not? Single M.2 to Single U.2 is basically passive for Gen3. Personally I'd vote for M.2 to SFF-8643 and SFF-8643 to M.2 with SATA power in. IMHO ebays fairly good for this sort of thing, way less markup than amazon and no co-mingled inventory.
Because while these are passive devices, bad soldering or connectors will eventually cause them to stop working. Hence why I would go startech (or intel as mentioned) since these are companies that have quality control measures on the products that go out the door.
 
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