CWWK/Oaknode P3‑2230 (2230 NVMe) – A Niche Slot Gets a Premium SSD, but at a Premium Price

What’s new?

The CWWK P3‑2230 (also sold as the Oaknode OAK‑2230) finally puts a usable SSD into the tiny M.2 2230 A/E‑key slot that most modern ultrabooks, mini‑PCs and some compact laptops keep for Wi‑Fi/Bluetooth modules. It ships in three capacities—256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB—and uses a Maxio MAP1202 controller that speaks NVMe over a single PCIe 3 × 1 lane, delivering a claimed sequential read speed of 890 MB/s and write speeds around 650 MB/s. The drive is capped with a “graphene‑copper” heat‑dissipation pad, a nice touch for a form factor that often runs hot in cramped chassis.

How it compares to what you already have

Feature	CWWK P3‑2230	Typical PCIe 4 × 4 SSD (e.g., Samsung 990 Pro)	SATA‑III 2.5" SSD (e.g., Crucial MX500)
Interface	PCIe 3 × 1 (NVMe)	PCIe 4 × 4 (NVMe)	SATA‑III (AHCI)
Max Read	890 MB/s	7,900 MB/s	560 MB/s
Max Write	~650 MB/s	6,900 MB/s	510 MB/s
Capacity Options	256 GB / 512 GB / 1 TB	1 TB / 2 TB	500 GB / 1 TB
Price (USD)	$80 / $130 / $210+	$130 / $250	$55 / $95
Power Draw (typical)	2.5 W	5‑7 W	2‑3 W

On paper the P3‑2230 sits comfortably between a SATA‑III SSD and a full‑blown PCIe 4 drive. In practice, the single‑lane PCIe 3 bandwidth (≈1 GB/s) is only a modest step up from SATA‑III’s 560 MB/s ceiling. For most workloads—OS boot, office apps, media playback—the difference will be barely noticeable.

Platform constraints

• Intel Celeron/N4100‑class CPUs (common in budget laptops and stick PCs) often expose PCIe 2 × 1 in the A/E slot, capping throughput at ~500 MB/s. In that scenario the P3‑2230 can’t even reach its rated 890 MB/s.
• Older Wi‑Fi modules using the same slot mean you must physically replace the wireless card. That involves:
  1. Removing the antenna cables.
  2. Insulating the connectors to avoid shorts.
  3. Adding a USB‑C or USB‑A Wi‑Fi dongle for wireless connectivity.
• CNVi‑based Wi‑Fi (found in many 2018‑2022 Intel laptops) uses a proprietary interface that may not accept a standard NVMe drive. Compatibility must be verified per model.
• Bootability: Pre‑2012 platforms often lack NVMe support in BIOS/UEFI, so the drive may be usable only as secondary storage.

Who should consider it?

User type	Verdict
Enthusiasts with a spare A/E slot	Maybe – If you already plan to replace the Wi‑Fi card and need a tiny SSD for a secondary OS or cache, the P3‑2230 works, but cheaper SATA‑III options provide similar real‑world performance.
Mini‑PC owners (e.g., Intel NUC, ASUS PN series)	Conditional – Some models expose the A/E slot as PCIe 3 × 1. If you need a compact drive and can live without built‑in Wi‑Fi, the SSD is a viable, albeit pricey, choice.
Budget laptop users	Not recommended – The price per gigabyte is double that of a regular 2.5" SATA SSD, and the performance gain is marginal on PCIe 2 × 1 platforms.
Linux power users needing a tiny boot drive	Cautious – Linux kernels support NVMe on these slots, but you’ll have to manage Wi‑Fi via USB and verify that your distro’s installer recognises the drive as bootable.
OEMs or system integrators	Potential – The form factor fits tightly into space‑constrained designs where a 2230 SSD is the only option, but the cost may push them toward cheaper eMMC or UFS solutions.

Bottom line

The CWWK/Oaknode P3‑2230 proves that the neglected A/E‑key M.2 slot can host a functional NVMe SSD, which is a nice technical win. However, the price‑to‑performance ratio is poor: you pay a premium for a drive that can’t fully exploit modern PCIe 4 × 4 speeds and often runs on hardware that throttles it back to SATA‑III levels. If you already need to sacrifice your Wi‑Fi card and can afford a USB dongle, the drive can serve as a compact secondary storage device. For most users, a standard 2.5" SATA SSD or a low‑cost PCIe 3 × 4 drive (when the slot exists) will deliver better value.

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Sources: product listings on Amazon US, AliExpress, CWWK official page, Maxio MAP1202 datasheet, Notebookcheck internal testing archives.