I actually just got this earlier this week. The temperatures are amazing, but I am not a huge fan of the poor access to the microsd card. However, I have been booting from my sata ssd in the case.
I am a fan of the "acrylic plate with the standoff screw nuts," usually because of the cooling factor, stackability, and accessibility. Also, a bunch of Pis fastened together adds weight, which is a HUGE problem I have with all the SBCs, USB devices, or modern peripherals (like cheap switches or even mini-monitors) that are so light, the *weight or stiffness of the cord it's attached to* will drag it somewhere (like the floor where all my pet hair colonies aggregate) just with standard Earth gravity (disclaimer: have not tried it with any other gravity). The one that you can get for the Pine RockPro64 is DAMN sexy. And, thankfully, heavier.
I have considered using weak magnets to attach some of these to a metal plate. Not strong enough to interfere with the computer or the fans, but strong enough to hold a light SBC. My roommate uses these hook-and-loop "Velcro-ish" 3M Command strips, which she attaches small and lightweight peripherals to the *underside* of her shelving units. I might also give that a try, since I won't have to get a metal plate, it's less expensive than magnets, and I get "more space" in my shelving.
Hi Jeff! If an M.2 has two notches, it's sata. If an M.2 has only one notch, it's NVMe. There are very, very few exceptions to this rule. One exception would be NVMe x2 drives found in laptops that may also have two notches. But, you as a consumer aren't meant to see/upgrade these yourself. If you're buying an M.2 online or in a store, you can safely follow this rule.
You saved my life! I was just about to order a nVME for mine. After learning this, it's surprising how scarse are SATA m2 SSDs in the market. The bigger that I found in stock was a Western Digital of 2TB so it was my only choice.
The SATA-USB3-chip this case has is actually one of the few ones that actually support UASP with Rasp. A lot of of them "support" UASP but when used with Pi, they give terrible performance. I actually held off buying this case until I was able to confirm that this case has the same chip as the Inanteck case you used in your testing.
I still can't get it working even with usb-storage.quirks. I even tried booting from SD (thinking maybe it wasn't working since cmdline.txt was on a partition on the quirky controller)
I've been using the Argon One M.2 as my side PC, mostly while teaching my son to use his new RPi 400. Just thought it was fair to have equal computing power to him so I could see what his computer is capable of before making any promises. I'm amazed at how far the Pi has come in terms of desktop usability. I can even work on some of my smaller programming projects without significant issue. In the past, overheating was always an issue I ran into when using the Pi extensively... this has not happened in the past month. This case is a really nice (and good looking) solution. I'm using a WD Blue 1TB SATA M.2 drive... mostly because I saw it used in another Argon One M.2 review video, so I knew it was compatible before spending my money on it. The SSD makes all the difference in getting work done. I'm also less worried about data loss. A nice trick: If you use a male USB-A to male USB-A cable, you can use it as an external drive on another PC and quickly copy files from/to your Pi. As a solution to the lack of space on the top port, I have connected a powered USB-C hub to my case. Overall, this case was well worth the price for my use case. --- Great video as usual, keep up the good work. :-)
This is to distance himself and his brand from Red Shirt Jeff, whose popular videos include "How to bypass a 20amp Circuit with Foil" and "Flamethrower Your Way to Fitness."
0:48 Stacking passively cooled computers sounds like a *bad* idea to me. There is less surface area exposed for use as a heat sink 7:01 especially once you notice how much of the heat is disappeared through the roof. They may even have deliberately slanted the top to discourage such stacking
Short version: the Argon One keeps the Pi 4 cool with aplomb. But the M.2 functionality is sketchy. Gave this case a try with a Pi 4 w/ 8GB DRAM. Added an M.2 SATA drive inside. Did the stressberry-run test with the overclock set at 2.0 GHz and video at 750 MHz. Ran the test for an hour. Temperature flattened out at between 61 and 63 deg. Celsius after about 2000 seconds (about half an hour) and stayed there. CPU clock stayed at 2.0 GHz the entire time. The case definitely felt warm to the touch, but never hot enough to burn my hand. This case keeps the Pi cool, even at a 33% overclock. Here are the graphs. pixhost.to/gallery/vH67G At 1.5 GHz, the temperature flattened out at 50 Celsius after 15 minutes and stayed right there for the remaining 45 minutes. No throttling, of course. HOWEVER.... The M.2 functionality of this case is, unfortunately, NOT reliable, and others out there have reported the same problem. I tested it with two Crucial MX500 SATA SSD's. The computer could see the device node, /dev/sda, in both cases, but partitioning and/or copying data from the MicroSD card failed with both MX500's. I verified both of these MX500's afterwards by running them in another system (they work great). Then I tried using an external 2.5" SSD (same capacity, 1 TB) through the USB 3 cable. That worked beautifully. So, I'd suggest getting the Argon One case without the M.2 add-on and save some money. This M.2 version is a great idea; I just wish it were more reliable.
Mine works great. The usb adapter was faulty but amazon replaced the whole package with a new one. I boot from the SATA SSD with no issue. Great video!
I got this case and it is really cool ! I got Original Argon case without SSD as xmas gift last year. What is interesting, they sell that part with SSD separately. So instead of throwing away my entire case I purchased expansion board and swap the bottom :!
Where did you find the bottom. I’m in the same boat and don’t want to have useless case. Never mind. Clicked Amazon link and selected options and there it was. Thanks!
Only downside that prevented me from doing exactly that was that you don't get the IR receiver, and you're stuck with the original's micro-HDMI ports... I figured there's no point going halfway, and I can always use an extra case. So now I have a full original and a full M.2 version, oh well.
My favorite case by far is the DeskPi Pro. Sure it's $60, but it comes with a sata ssd mount, better power and fan controls, ice tower cooler, better form factor, more accessible ports... Totally worth.
My personal selling point about the Argon case is the fact that it reroutes all the ports to the back. I am stumbed that no other cases do that - it's the biggest thing to think about when using the Pi as a media center; having a clean setup with all the wires going to the back.
I was SO CLOSE to ordering this one several weeks ago when I first saw it, but i decided to go with the Argon One Neo instead. Pretty impressed by the little guy, and am impressed with Argon One itself. They're an 'outside the box' company as far as design goes and i kinda like it! Good solid case
Thanks Jeff, really very interesting. I love my FLIRC cases with their metal passive cooling and so I will stick with them, but it great to learn about alternatives. Cheers.
I'm all about this case. Got it at the start of the year and couldn't be happier with it. It's pricey but I think it's the jam. The fan is practically silent and most of the time doesn't even kick on because of the passive cooling. It also feels super solid in the hand and don't have to fool with micro HDMI.
Couldn't agree more. The only issue I've had is incompatibility with a DAC audio HAT. But, Argon One also sells an audio version of the case with built-in DAC and RCA connectors. They also sell an M.2 upgrade bottom half separately for ~$25 ;-)
@@TheOleHermit yeah, agreed that it doesn’t provide much in the way of hats. I suppose you get a 40 pin ribbon cable and do an extension but it wouldn’t look too pretty which is what I love about this case. I spent most of 2020 with a pi4 in a cheapo case+argon fan hat sitting on top of an SSD. The argon m2 is far more elegant. Plus the new drive+SATA controller is far faster than what I had before.
@@jmsiener LOL! I also have 2 Argon fan hats, sitting on the shelf. But, ended up purchasing 3 Argon One cases (2 * M.2 + 1 w/DAC-RCA) for the same reasons as you've stated. If I need a HAT, I've become a big fan (pun intended) of this case: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D3S4KBK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The top cover is exactly the same size as a HAT, is vented, and can be raised with standoffs. Plastic is also very easy to mod. Thanks for sharing ;-)
On the "M key" vs "B & M key" thing.......wow. I had no idea "key" was a thing. I thought M.2 was M.2. This explains so much, like why certain M.2 adapters didn't work in the past.
The rear USB connector is quite useful, remove it and you can connect a regular USB 3 lead and use it as USB drive on other computers (handy for writing images to the SSD from another PI or a PC without having to dismantle the Argon one case).
I just came across with this video and your channel. Your work on Rpi4 is extremely interesting. I just subscribed to your channel. Expanding Rpi4 to a mini-scale computer with almost all functionalities is an amazing thing: I love this idea because with 90 dollars (a very affordable ticket) you can star your journey and go up in accordance with your budget, interest and eager to learn: you can stop when what you can afford is done without breaking the bank by building a huge desktop. Keep it up. Very interesting subject: NVMe SSD Boot. Please keep it up Sir.
I got 3 of the normal version of that case. It is such a good case for my pis. Definitely thinking of picking up the M.2 version. I also designed my own stackable mount for these cases that I could make on my 3D printer.
I would like to see stackable units, much like older component stereo systems. Each unit could connect to the one above/below through those little USB bridges. Just keep adding bricks! We have three of these cases in my house. They are very nice.
Thanks for the video -- you sorted out a difficult problem for me... The problem is Amazon is not clear at all -- I searched for B+M on a few specs -- nothing listed... This may fall on Argon for not using a more flexible chip set. I have a little M.2 enclosure and it seems to work on everything... I get that the PI and argon is more tilted towards makers but you should not have to be an expert to figure out what works where.... Keep up the good work -- it is people like you that help those on the learning journey
I have this case. Shipping took forever from Hong Kong. I would fully concur with your review. Excellent job.👍 I used the WD M.2 2280 1 terabyte drive. Works well for me.
As i will be looking for SSD for Raspberry Pi4B project soon this video was very interesting .It gave me an insight to what i should look for .Thank you very much for sharing.
I find that even with small surfaces any flat surfaces are just a magnet for clutter, and while you can’t stack them it might hinder cooling when stacked
I really want to love this case, but I wish they'd gone with a regular SATA port and 2.5"" drive compatibility. There are only a handful of non-garbage m.2 SATA SSDs, especially when you go up into the 1-2TB range. Regular SATA would have also allowed for spinning rust drives for higher capacities in roles where raw speed isn't an issue.
I've had this case for a while now. It's totally worth $45! Love that it moves all the ports to the back, and also adds SSD support. And he kinda glossed over 2 FULL SIZE HDMI ports!. No, I don't work for them, just a huge fan.
I was disappointed with the full size hdmi. I bought CanaKit micro HDMI cables, and now have no use for them. I had to scrounge around looking for an unused hdmi cable I had laying around. Thankfully I found one.
Same here. I have the standard Argon One, the M.2, and upgraded another Argon One w/audio jacks with an M.2 bottom for a 1TB SSD media player for the living room.
Well done a nice clear articulate voice an easy to understand. I bought one of these and as of yet haven't used it. I'm waiting on a M2 drive to arrive. I'm hoping I can use it for retro gaming. I'll explore other uses for it latter on.
Great video! I just want to compliment your recording setup, the dampening boards does wonders. :-) I went into the older raspberry pi fan case video for comparison!
i think this case is a pretty good deal. 2x HDMI in Full Size + support for Sata SSD in m.2 and good temps for the Pi is something that I found really usefull. Thanks for this Video Jeff!
Hey Jeff, great video I was actually looking at purchasing this case when stumbled to this video. You've helped me decide to go ahead and purchase the case
I own an Argon M2 case and I find it really nice. Please be aware that many users had some power issues with the official Raspberry Pi power adapter. Apparently, your Raspberry Pi4 requires a bit more Amps to boot up successfully.
I randomly found that Argon is currently selling its own power supply, and it is 3.5 Amp rated. Just to confirm the official power supply (3.0 Amps rated) is not sufficient to power the Raspberry Pi 4 when fitted to an Argon case.
I believe that the USB adapter is made big to shield the USB interface from EM. I had issues in the past with cheap USB-to-USB adapters for Pi which weren't properly shielded.
I have already 2 of these cases. Few comments from me: 1- power supply: this box due to internal connection for the incoming power, looses few milivolts on the way and this case is extremely sensitive to power supply 2- connecting secondary USB with SSD in it very often crashes read/write from it (probably due to voltage) 3- the fact that this case does not allow to stack 2 of them on top is done (probably) on purpose: the case gets very hot (passive cooling) so stacking 2 heating cases would kill the passive cooling idea 4- with M2 bottom no access to microSD - this is sometimes an issue when your SSD does not boot - screwdriver needed (but probably not too often) 5- in general: very "sexy" and well designed case - I would add permanent switch (not push button) for power 6- I put green WD disks in it (one is 1TB, second is 250GB) and the performance is stunning! 7- the fan and controlling it is SO COOL - my RPI in this case never ever goes above 55C with even the craziest i/o or CPU consuming tasks (previously, in the "normal" case without the fan idle mode was around 62C) - due to extensive passive cooling in One M2 case even fan is turning on very rarely
I'm sticking with the original design as the M2 has WiFi issues, the M1 it's not as tall, so it fits where I need it and it has easy access to the SD card which is nice because I sometimes use different operating systems. When I use it for KODI, it works well with my TV's remote control.
I recently got one of these, and a big selling point for me was the ability to easily perform a safe power-off. Supposedly the power button implements a safe shutdown but that has __not__ been my experience. The Argon simply cuts the power to the Pi after a few seconds. If you don't see the PI's LED flash 10 times, it wasn't a safe shutdown! HOWEVER all is not lost. If you shut down the Pi via software (from the desktop or command line) then after it has powered itself down, the Argon notices (presumably it monitors the current it is supplying) and cuts the power. So there is a safe shutdown but not by giving the power button a 3 second press as per the user guide. Then to switch it back on you just click the power button. Overall I'm happy with this although I think the thermal design could be better. If you're going to have a fan you should arrange for it to draw air through the case, but it just seems to act as a stirrer.
Thanks. I'm building a rpi-powered Toughbook and the pcbs from this case are perfect to connect up all the things i need inside the chassis. Funnily enough, i wont even be using the case itself for that...
Dude you literally just saved me a fortune I didn't know there was a difference between M2 SSDs I just checked my mobo on a pc I am building and it have a NVMe PCIe M2 I was just going to buy any old M2
Hi. Sorry for the bad writing, but I'm Brazilian and I'm going to use the Google translator! Great video! Congratulations on your work! I use ArgonOne with a 512 GB SSD M2 SATA drive and the PINN application for multi-boots. I installed Batocera, Kodi, Ubuntu and RASPI OS. I decided to configure the Argon One fan, using the command described in the manual. I have to say that I am a layman on Linux, but I managed to make it work on RASPI OS and UBUNTU. I tried to configure in BATOCERA, using Putty, but I couldn't. The program starts to install but gives an error and does not complete the routine. So the solution I found was simply to change the jump and leave the switch always on, but for that I lost the functions of the on-off switch. If I just turn the power on and off, the fan turns on. However, if I touch the button, that function changes and the fan turns off. I can't touch the key. This at Batocera. Would you have a solution for using the fan on this system?
@JeffGeerling, do you know automatically by looking at the SSD, if the SSD is an NVMe SSD with b+m-key or an SATA SSD with b+m-key? If the mainboard has a b-key slot/connection, is it theoretically possible to install and use an NVMe SSD with b+m-key? Or should I call it AHCI, because the b-key is for SATA SSD, the m-key is for NVMe SSD via PCIexpress and the b-m-key is also often used for SATA SSDs and NVMe with AHCI?
I’ve just purchased the expansion board and then purchased 1tb crucial m.2 ssd not realising I need the sata ssd version. Doh, wish I’d seen this video before hand. Luckily it’s prime day tomorrow so hopefully get a discounted one
Yes, this is probably one of the most expensive raspberry pi cases, but if you start adding up everything that you would need to match what it offers, you quickly discover that the price is reasonable. I bought one of these just before the m.2 model came out. A several months later they came out with a kit that converts older models to use m.2 SSDs. Unfortunately, it doesn't convert the micro hdmi to standard hdmi, but it has everything else that the m.2 case has. And yeah, it's getting increasingly difficult to find a SATA 3 SSD card. Everyone wants NVME since they are several times faster than SATA 3.
My Argon One arrived last Friday, it was an easy assembly compared to the DeskPi Pro. I am very happy with it, I am currently running Raspberry Pi OS, USB boot with no microSD card. It is annoying not being able to access the microSD slot, but If I am going to use a case like the Argon One, I shouldn't have to switch out the OS anyway, there are plenty of cases to use for OS switching. My Argon One is set to have the fan come on at 55deg, problem is, the temperature is usually between 45 and 50, so I can't say how loud it is at this time.
I love the Argon one M.2 case, I got it to take advantage of a spare M.2 SSD (Plextor PX-G128M6e) - unfortunately, this drive whilst not NVME, is not SATA either - it is a PCIe drive (with B+M keying). Fortunately SATA SSD M.2 drives are quite cheap these days.
Till now I always thought there was a strict seperation beteen M.2 drives with AHCI(B/M) and those with NVMe(M). That's quite a strange mix you have there, I don't think they make those anymore.
I just saw I ordered (B/M) NVMe, even knowingly I wanted only an NVMe with M key... uhhh, if you're not paying attention to everything, well if it doesn't work I might even have two incompatible parts now >.> let's hope for the best....
I just got one up and running with a 2GB Pi4, running TwisterOS off an EMTEC X200 External Drive. I only picked up the top half, so no drive bay, SD card access and all the other perks minus the M.2 Bay. I was worried about the drive overheating , like you said, no cooling down there. So I opted for an Argon One V2 without the M.2 and the external SSD. If I cook it I won't bother with the drive bay. On my unit I managed to keep two small heatsinks mounted on the two small chips near the USB and Ethernet connectors. I understand one is for the Pi's USB controller. If you are worried about thermals on the Pi's controller maybe that would help. I don't a FLIR camera, so no idea if it's a help or not. Either way, I managed to get mine to fit without issue. I measured mine for clearance, so if you try it out as well, I'd suggest that you do as well. Not likely there all made with the same vertical footprint. So far the unit is stable overclocked to 2GHz/600MHz CPU/GPU, OV6. Running from the external SSD brings this little puppy to life! Thanks for showing me how to get everything up and running. It helped a lot!
Gotta say, if where those stand offs for the M.2 are below could maybe be replaced with heat sink fins, and then a fan built into the roof of the console. I feel it would make it more reliable and console like and would be down to give that kind of thing away as a gift. Like mini console.
How do you Foolproof (poka yoke) the covering of the heat dissipation area or of the ventilation slots by the user? Answer: slanted sides. Jeffs frustration that he cannot stack the pi cases proves it works :).
I got the 20 USD version which doesn't have the M.2 enclosure/adapter, and it has a really easy access in the bottom to remove the Micro SD. I'm tempted to buy the additional bottom to fit an M.2, as they sell it separately as well, specially because I'm using my PI as my daughters school computer.
Heh. It was last used... 14 years ago I think? I think we still have like 3 VHS tapes, probably all static now since they were recorded on cheap tape 20+ years ago. I did test it last year, and it does work, at least with an old copy of Serendipity my wife had in a box somewhere.
@@JeffGeerling I think its cool that you have one that works. I once worked in archive and we were dependent on VHS players for digitization. Awesome video, Jeff.
I haven't done this yet, but lines from the header pins can run an SSD with drivers well past the 6gbs of usb3(or 10gbs 3.2,) m2.extension from expansion connector??.💖,jpk PS. Watch you do not steal the pins from Ethernet or other serial streams. They are reassignable on the rk3588...but it has 2 m2 already...steal them from them. The broadcom requires more setup and is less dma capable but theoretically beneficial.
I am sure my RPI 4 is configured correctly to boot from a USB. A Kingston 240GB A400 SATA 3 2.5" Internal SSD SA400S37/240G connected to the RPI4 with a SATA to USB Cable - USB 3.0 to 2.5” SATA III Hard Drive Adapter boots just fine. Wanting a smaller form factor I got a Silicon Power 512GB A55 M.2 SSD SATA III Internal Solid State Drive 2280 mounted in a SSK Aluminum USB 3.2 Gen 1 to M.2 SATA NGFF SSD Enclosure Adapter. The RPI4 does not recognize the M.2 SSD. Can you point me to one of your videos that cover this topic?
Hey there Jeff, unfortunately, I bought my Argon40 ArgonONE case too soon. My model has the micro-HDMI ports instead of the regular HDMI ports. FYI you can buy the M.2 section separately as well.
Some people have complained that pi wont recognize ssd unless you unplug and replugin usb3 jumper, If so contact Argon One and theyll send you new One. I also mentioned to them that they need to redesign 40 pins connector cover so people can add a HAT of some kind. There was room to add a 12-5 volt buck converter so I can run off my Li-Po 12v battery.
I found the WiFi signal is severely attenuated in these M.2 cases (you can the issues on my channel). I also feel in the NVME trap but was because I searched for SATA M.2 on Amazon then asked it to sort by average customer review ... and that started to include NVME. Oh well - got a WD Blue SATA and that is fine. To me the best configuration was a hybrid - new top, old bottom and stick drive in using USB cable. That way the WiFi still works great, you can use ordinary SSDs (much wider choice) and can still access the SD card. Still not sure why the WiFi sucks so bad on these things.
@@JeffGeerling exactly. When I make my Frankenstein case from new M.2 top (full sized HDMI) old plastic bottom i can get what I think is a much more versatile Argon design. I will look into the other case you mention. I dont quite know why Argon One M.2 had to make such a brilliant Faraday cage.
I have this new version and the original. I was tempted to just buy the upgraded base kit, but it would have meant still having the micro-HDMI ports of the original, and no IR receiver (it has the solder pads so I could fix this myself I guess). Didn't see the point in doing it halfway so I just ponied up for the full kit, now I have both 🤷♂️
I realise this is 2 years old now, but have you or has anyone else come up with a more clever way to keep the SSD cool? I'm using a WDBlue 500GB sata m.2 SSD and I can tell that it's getting toasty in there. There's not _quite_ enough headroom to use the daughterboard PCB as a thermal plane, though if I stack a few silicone pads on I might be able to achieve that. There's very little room inside (we're talking 2-3 mm clearance) to fit an additional fan. I've had a look for 3D printable options but nothing quite does the trick, yet.
I'm using the DeskPi case for my Rpi-4. I looked at the Argon but chose the DeskPi for two reasons. 1) it also takes a notebook SSD plus the M.2 drive, and it has an external SD card slot. Other than that they almost appear as clones as both have IR sensors and Fan + Power switch software. Have you tested the DeskPi? If not I would love to see you test it and compare it to the Argon. The only down side I have with my DeskPi and I believe it is also a down side of the Argon case, is the fact that it seems to attenuate WiFi and Bluetooth signals a bit.
I'm almost more curious about the Argon Neo, especially after your comments about the fan. Argon, please send him Jeff a Neo! If Jeff still likes the Flirc, it stands to reason the Neo might be perfect. Passive, plus access to GPIO, plus a fan if you want active cooling....
You don't need to disconnect the fan, just adjust the settings with the software to not start until hitting 70C. Mine never turns on even with 2.0 ghz overclock.
I hope the day they make a CM4 adapter board with few add-ons for the Argon One. With the only thing I would want is headphone jack and USB-C switched places... but that would require a whole new case... CM4 Argon One desktop 🥳
Nice case but a bit concerned with the ssd temp. Samsung 970 evo plus is supposed to have good thermal control according to specs. Didn't throttle when I backed up my internal nvme drive using the external orico with heatsink.
My Samsung 970 evo is quite happy inside the Argon One M.2 case. The top half of the case is an aluminum heatsink that contacts the CPU via thermal pad. Plus, the active cooling is easily configurable via an app with 3 fan speeds @ three temp thresholds :-) Mine purrs along @ 60 deg C while watching YT videos @ 1080.
i would LOVE to find just bare pcb's that have the chips for the usb-ssd chips and those like U turn usb plugs. I could REALLY use that for my pi cluster. all my nodes have a big ugly usb cable looped off it to the ssd
planning to use for HA installation. anything especially inhave to do to boot from the ssd , except fishing HA to the SSD. also, what do you think of using it for HA. I think it's the best option in my humble opinion.
i kinda want 1 of those but theres a couple things i dont like. the price, the magnet, and the non flat top. i keep my pi in a bag with a usb dvd drive thats not supposed to be near magnets(i have to keep my usb mouse with magnetic dongle away from it). and the angle on the top isnt really an issue. but stackability is always a plus. ask lego
This case killed my WiFi coverage, until now I've read that's there is newer board for the M.2 that removes a big chunk of copper on both sides of the controller board, the original one basically makes a faraday cage for the Pi... Be careful because Argon40 doesn't recall stock...so there is a very high chance you end up with this problem. There is more information on Martin Rowan blog.
My favourite RPi case does not exist AFAIK. I want a case which holds the RPi, the power supply and a SSD. It should expose all connectors (except GPIO) on the front or back, none on the side. The power connector should be a standard IEC 10A connector. Cooling should be passive. There should be room for a "hat" (mezzanine PCA).
