As is our usual Modus Operandi let us start with the packaging. As expected MSI has a done a very good job at crafting a shipping container targeted directly at the hearts and minds of the DataMAG’s intended buyer. That is to say this all white with black font is extremely conservative in nature, as professionals (be they photo or video) are extremely conservative in what they trust to use. Thus a shipping container that will make even Crucial/Micron drool in even was not only a good idea but an unwritten de jure design standard. Considering MSI is not exactly overbrimming with experience in this relatively new niche, this certainly points towards Good Things™ when it comes to the DataMAG itself.
Unlike most external, USB based, storage solutions the MSI DataMAG 20G’ (as we are going to call it for brevity’s sake) actually comes with a couple useful – and nifty – accessories. First up is the somewhat expected adapter. While it is indeed true some companies do not include a Type-C to Type-A adapter… those companies are what we like to call wrong as that is being cheap not ‘frugal’. Thus, the inclusion of this 50 cent adapter is nice to see as it shows MSI’s well known “attention to detail” in action.
With that said, the inclusion of that adapter is not what we consider nifty or neat. It should have come with it… and it did.
Instead, what was nifty to see included was the two USB 20Gbps Type C to Type C cables MSI included. The ‘short’ one is about 7.25-in/18.5-cm long, and the ‘long’ one is about 14 inches / 35.5cm in length. On the surface these are frustratingly short cables. Yes. Shorter is always better when dealing with high speed interconnect cables… but ooof. 7.25 hamburger units is a short cable. However, for this class of devices there is a really good method to the (seeming) madness.
To be concise, the MSI DataMAG 20g’ is not going to spend most of its working/active life attached to a desktop or laptop computer system. It is going to be attached (more on this in a moment) to a phone, a tablet, or in some realllly rare cases a “phablet”. Thus the short cable is perfect for going from the typical phone’s USB port to half way up the back of the phone, and the long(er) cable is doing the same but with 10+ inch class of tablets. As such this ability to use the MSI DataMAG 20g’ without having extra cable swinging in the breeze (and getting hooked on everything) is not a Good Thing… it is a Great Thing™. Color us impressed as once again this attention to detail belies the lack of experience MSI has in this new market niche.
One of the biggest claim to fame the MSI DataMAG 20g’ has is its built in magnetic ring. Which is great if you want the DataMAG 20g’ hanging off your metal desktop case… but will somewhere between Jack and sh… err… squat all good if you have your phone in multi-layer protective case. Which all professionals will.
Thus the other two accessories. Both of which consist of a (Chinesium… bordering on Tofu Dreg) “metal” ring with 3M double sided tape on one side, and either a white or black colored plastic fascia on the other. Yes. MSI did not just include a single adapter but they have included two so as to help improve the chances of said adapter not sticking out like a sore thumb on your phone’s case when the DataMAG 20g’ is not attached. Color us impressed.
Before moving on, we do have to mention one feature that MSI probably did not intend to include… but have. That is these adapters make for handy dandy magnetic ring removers. Thick metal chassis or not we are not fond lovers of having magnets near our precious data… as data corruption from magnetic resonance is a legit concern. So if you are like us and plan on turning the magnetic DataMAG 20g’ into a Sneaker Net / “pocket drive” all one need do is peel off the rubber covering the magnetic ring on the back of the DataMag, then peel off the protective layer on the black or white adapter and stick that bad boy on the exposed neodymium magnets. Push down gently, wait a minute to make sure it is good and stuck… and pry out the entire magnet ring + their glue with a flathead screwdriver. Yes. It will come out as one unit and then can be cleaned for reinsertion latter (or repurposed for another project).
Yes. This does indeed mean that the glue on the adapter is better than what MSI spec’ed out for the magnetic ring attached to said DataMAG 20g’. As such, you can consider this a nice bonus… or a warning. If the latter, we recommend doing the above trick with whatever color you plan on not using and replacing the glue on the magnets with actually good (and strong) glue. Like say one of the various MMA (Methyl Methacrylate Adhesive) glues widely available. For example 3M DP805 is cheap and easy to source. Same with Loctite H3000 (or Loctite “Super” in a pinch). If you want an even easier to source option(s) the various epoxy adhesives like ‘old reliable’ JB Weld or even Permatex Steel Weld Epoxy are two rather decent choices. Furthermore all four of those examples are pretty much the epitome of the old saying of “A little dab will do ya”. No matter if you decide to remove this weak link in the design or not it is at the least “food for thought”… and is the first hint of MSI’s lack of experience in external USB storage design that we have seen so far in our examination.
Thankfully, the rest of the exterior design of the DataMAG 20g’ is excellent and well throughout. With a length and width of 2.59-in / 6.6cm few will find it overly onerous to carry in a pocket. While this pretty typical for USB SSD devices, the thickness of only 13mm is also extremely nice… and helps push people more towards it and away from the typical M.2 plus a USB enclosure option many usual opt for. Mix in nicely curved / rounded… smooooooth edges (with no lint attracting silicone sleeves that both Sabrent and LaCie love to use) with a decently sized lanyard (security) hole and the DataMAG 20g’ is an entirely different league in the comfort over long term carry department compared to the comparable(ish) Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 (which feels more like carrying a small, dirt magnet brick in your pocket).
Moving on. For some shucking an external USB storage device is half the fun of owning one. If you fall into this camp… you will not like the DataMAG 20g’. At all. It is simply too easy to shuck… or it is once you know the trick to it. What we mean is many will look at that shiny metallic ‘MSI’ topper and think that this is a press fit based device and start by grabbing ye olde spudger and trying to pry it apart. These people would be wrong. While you can do that, all you will end up doing is peeling of the thick “MSI” branded topper. Leaving the DataMAG 20Gbps’ internal drive still securely enclosed inside said metal case… laughing and you and mocking you for thinking MSI was going to go offer anything other than an excellently built device.
So instead of doing that. Flip it over. Peel off the label. No not the central one as there is nothing underneath that label (though you can remove this one too if you are going for a ‘black out’ look). No we mean to large ‘rubber ring’ style one. Look in each corner… and unscrew the Philips bolt. Then lift apart the two halves of the chassis. Bam. You are done. So, yes. This is an extremely easy to dissemble device… and yet is more secure than 99 percent of the competition. Color us impressed!
This is both a good and a bad thing.
We say 99 and not 100 percent because some will want to shuck their DataMAG 20g’ as soon as they buy it. They will want to do so because MSI forgot to specify heat pads when they had their ODM build the DataMAG 20g’. Worse still, that beefy enclosure does not even touch the internal 25×60 PCB. So instead of it being a heat sink, or even just a heat spreader, all that glorious aluminum is just there for blunt force protection. Which is not a bad thing as this armor can stop 22’s (and probably lead 32ACP) rounds. It just means that the internals are going to run hotter than they should.
How hot does it get? In testing it never thermally limited. The onboard sensor did however record temps in the 70s… and it does take longer than ‘it should’ for said temperatures to lower. Thankfully, that was in 20Gbps mode, and in 5Gbps mode it was more like low 40s, and 10G in the mid 50s. So this is not a deal-breaker by any stretch but it is still a self-inflicted, albeit unintentional foul, that may be a dealbreaker for some. Especially when companies like Sabrent don’t use heat pads but actual Thermal Interface Material to ‘glue’ the board to the chassis. For others, a couple seconds and couple pieces of heat pads are not that big a deal. Either way this is a forced error that should never have happened.
In many ways we don’t blame MSI, as they lack experience in this niche market. No we blame the ODM. Few advertise who they actually use at a given time (as contracts can and do change) but all have to UL list the actual manufacture somewhere. While there is indeed a multiple groups of numbers on this PCB – including a UL product code (E319614) that traces back to CHENG-MAO ELECTRONICS – most of them are just for the PCB itself. For example, Chen Mao is a major PCB manufacture that makes PCBs for a veritable OEM and ODMs. Instead the important number, the number that tells us who the actual ODM (and thus greedy Corp responsible for this SNAFU) is PS066117. Which in PHISON corpo-speak is bog standard model 17 (versus bog standard model 18 used in the Sabrent Rocket Nano V2). Meaning that it was PHISON who took MSI’s Request For Quote, grabbed their off the shelf 22×60 USB model 17 board… and slapped inside the exterior chassis MSI design team sent them.
All without adding even ten cents worth of heat pads to it.
Which they should have done, as Phison know better. They designed the PS2251-18 controller and while this dual channel ‘all in one’ controller may not exactly be a rip snortin’ beast by internal M.2 standard… it is a multi-core, multi-role controller that has to handle not only all the NVMe SSD controller duties but also the NVMe to USB bridge duties. As such, they know it gets warm when pushed. Even when properly attached to all that aluminum it still is going to run warmer than the two SK Hynix NAND ICs.
Thankfully… and once again so as to make sure no one gets the wrong impression…. ‘warm’ does not mean ‘thermal limiting’. Not once in testing did this occur. It just runs hotter than it should, and is not taking full advantage of that wonderfully designed metal chassis. As such, MSI does indeed have the bones and blueprint for making an extremely good external storage solution on their hands. It just requires a bit of TLC if you want to transform it from a very good to down right excellent external storage solution.
