The UGREEN CM321 USB-C 3.1 to SATA Adapter Cable is now in stock at Mascom International for KSh 1,600, brand new and sealed, at our Old Mutual Building shop on Kimathi Street in Nairobi CBD. This cable connects any bare 2.5-inch SATA hard disk or solid-state drive straight to a USB-C port. The CM321 runs at 5Gbps over USB 3.1 Gen 1 and carries a SATA III interface rated for 6Gbps on the disk side. Its 50cm lead pulls all the power a 2.5-inch disk needs from the host computer, so no wall adapter is required.
Nairobi computer technicians, campus students and small-office administrators reach for this cable when a machine dies and the files inside still matter. Pull the 2.5-inch disk out of a failed HP or Lenovo laptop, clip on the CM321, and the contents mount on a working computer within seconds. Photographers offload wedding shoots from retired solid-state drives. Accountants pull QuickBooks files off a laptop with a burnt motherboard. Students at Kenyatta University and JKUAT recover final-year projects from machines that no longer boot. The UGREEN CM321 skips the usual step of buying a full caddy or opening up the receiving computer.
Unlike the unbranded SATA leads sold cheap along River Road, the UGREEN CM321 runs an ASM1153E controller with UASP, TRIM and S.M.A.R.T. health reporting behind it. Users consistently report read speeds roughly 70 percent quicker than plain USB 3.0 cables on the same disk, and write speeds about 40 percent quicker. At Mascom International, we're witnessing steady repeat demand from repair shops that got tired of cables dropping a transfer halfway through. Handle the UGREEN CM321 at our Kimathi Street counter Monday through Saturday, or order it for pay-on-arrival delivery anywhere across Kenya's 47 counties.
Common Questions About the UGREEN CM321 USB-C 3.1 to SATA Adapter Cable
Is the UGREEN CM321 quick enough for large video and photo transfers?
Yes. The CM321 moves data at up to 5Gbps, which works out to roughly 500MB per second in practice on a solid-state drive. A 25GB wedding video folder copies across in about a minute. Mechanical hard disks cap out lower, usually 100 to 140MB per second, because the platters themselves are the limit rather than the cable. UASP acceleration adds roughly 70 percent to read speed against a plain USB 3.0 lead. Real speed also depends on the USB-C port on your own computer.
Which disks does this SATA cable actually work with?
Any 2.5-inch SATA hard disk or solid-state drive with a standard 7+15 pin connector, in either 7mm or 9.5mm thickness. That covers almost every disk pulled from an HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer or Apple laptop made in the last fifteen years, plus PlayStation 4 internal disks. SATA II and SATA III generations both work. It does not fit 3.5-inch desktop disks, and it does not fit M.2 or NVMe sticks, which use a completely different connector shape.
Do I need a separate power adapter for the CM321?
No. A 2.5-inch disk draws well under the 5V power a USB-C port supplies, so the single cable carries both data and power. This matters on the road, where you have one socket and three things to charge. Note the limit clearly: 3.5-inch desktop disks need their own 12V supply and will not spin up on this cable at all. If a mechanical disk clicks and fails to mount, the disk itself is usually the fault, not the power draw.
How does this cable compare to a full hard disk caddy?
The cable costs less, packs flatter and takes seconds to attach. A caddy encloses the disk in a plastic or aluminium shell, protects it from knocks, and suits a disk you intend to carry daily as external storage. The CM321 suits a disk you need to read once, clone, or wipe before disposal. Technicians who handle five or six machines a week keep the cable on the bench because there is nothing to unscrew between jobs.
Can I recover files from a laptop that no longer switches on?
In most cases, yes. A dead screen, failed motherboard, cracked charging port or corrupted Windows install leaves the disk itself completely intact. Remove the disk, attach the CM321, and plug it into a working computer. Windows, macOS and Linux mount it as an ordinary external drive and you copy files across normally. Mascom International's Nairobi CBD counter staff can show you the connector orientation. If the disk is physically damaged, no cable can help and specialist recovery is needed.
Does the UGREEN CM321 work on Mac, Windows and Linux?
Yes, and no driver install is needed on any of them. The CM321 is plug and play on Windows 11, Windows 10, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS. Mac users connecting a disk formatted NTFS will read files fine but need third-party software to write to it. Hot-swapping is supported, so you can detach one disk and attach another without restarting. The LED indicator on the connector head confirms power and blinks during active data transfer.
What does UASP mean and does it change anything in daily use?
UASP stands for USB Attached SCSI Protocol. In plain terms, it lets the computer queue several read or write commands at once instead of processing them one after another. On a solid-state drive the difference is obvious: about 70 percent faster reads and 40 percent faster writes than the older protocol. Copying thousands of small files, like a photo archive or a code repository, is where you notice it most. Your computer must also support UASP, which every Windows 10 or newer machine does.
Why buy the UGREEN CM321 from Mascom International rather than a generic cable?
Generic SATA leads often use recycled controllers that overheat, drop the connection partway through a copy, or silently corrupt files. The CM321 uses the ASM1153E controller with built-in electrostatic protection rated to 4kV, which matters in dry, dusty conditions. Mascom International stocks genuine UGREEN packaging and backs the cable with a 6-month warranty handled at our Kimathi Street service desk. You also pay only when the cable reaches you anywhere in Kenya.
Technical Specifications
Interface and Transfer Speed
- USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 host connector transfers data at up to 5Gbps, roughly 500MB per second in practice
- SATA III interface on the disk side is rated at 6Gbps and stays backward compatible with SATA II drives
- UASP protocol support raises read speed by about 70 percent over standard USB 3.0 command handling
- Write speed improves by roughly 40 percent with UASP active on both the cable and the host computer
- Real-world throughput depends on the attached disk: solid-state drives saturate the link, mechanical disks reach 100-140MB per second
- Hot-swap support lets you detach and attach disks without restarting the computer or ejecting through system menus
- LED indicator on the connector head shows steady light for power and blinks during active file transfer
Disk Compatibility and Capacity Support
- Fits 2.5-inch SATA hard disks and solid-state drives using the standard 7+15 pin connector layout
- Accepts both 7mm and 9.5mm disk thicknesses, covering nearly every laptop disk sold in the past fifteen years
- Supports capacities up to 6TB per UGREEN's published specification sheet for the CM321 model
- Works with Samsung, Seagate, Western Digital, Toshiba, Hitachi, Crucial, Kingston and SanDisk 2.5-inch disks
- Reads PlayStation 4 internal disks, useful for migrating game libraries or salvaging save data before console repair
- Does not fit 3.5-inch desktop disks, which need a separate 12V power supply this cable cannot provide
- Does not fit M.2 SATA or NVMe drives, which use a card-edge connector rather than the 7+15 pin plug
Controller Features and Disk Health Reporting
- ASM1153E controller from ASMedia handles the SATA-to-USB bridging with proven firmware used across UGREEN's storage range
- Built-in electrostatic discharge protection circuit rated to 4kV guards the attached disk against static in dry conditions
- S.M.A.R.T. reporting passes through disk health data so tools like CrystalDiskInfo read temperature and error counts
- TRIM command support keeps solid-state drives performing properly during long-term use as external storage
- Auto-sleep function spins down an idle mechanical disk after inactivity, cutting heat and extending disk lifespan
- Overvoltage, overcurrent and short-circuit protections guard both the connected disk and the host computer port
- Plug and play across all supported operating systems with no driver download or configuration step required
Build Quality and Cable Design
- 50cm cable length gives room to lay a disk flat on the desk beside a closed laptop
- Compact connector housings slip into a technician's toolkit or laptop sleeve without the bulk of an enclosure
- Weighs approximately 90 grams complete, light enough to carry daily alongside a screwdriver set and spare screws
- Black housing with strain relief at both connector ends resists the flexing that kills cheap adapter leads
- No moving parts and no cooling fan, so nothing wears out from Nairobi dust or coastal humidity
- Single-piece design means fewer contact points to work loose than a two-part caddy and cable combination
Operating System Support and Setup
- Compatible with Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 7 with native mass-storage recognition
- Works on macOS across Intel and Apple silicon Macs, mounting NTFS disks read-only without extra software
- Linux distributions including Ubuntu, Fedora and Debian mount the disk through standard kernel modules automatically
- ChromeOS recognises the disk for file transfers, useful for schools running Chromebook programmes across Kenyan counties
- Setup takes under thirty seconds: slide the SATA connector onto the disk, plug USB-C into the computer, open File Explorer
- Disk cloning software such as Macrium Reflect, Clonezilla and Samsung Data Migration works normally through this connection
Package Contents
- UGREEN CM321 USB-C 3.1 to SATA adapter cable, 50cm, black
- User manual with connection instructions
- Mascom International receipt and 6-month warranty card
Note: no power adapter, disk or caddy is included, and none is needed for 2.5-inch drives. Mascom International stocks 2.5-inch solid-state drives, SATA caddies and USB-C hubs separately at our Kimathi Street counter.
Warranty
The UGREEN CM321 USB-C 3.1 to SATA Adapter Cable carries a 6-month Mascom International warranty on manufacturing defects under normal use. Claims are processed directly at our Nairobi CBD service desk, with no courier return to a distant centre required. Physical damage to the connector pins and liquid damage fall outside this coverage.
Buying the UGREEN CM321 from Mascom International
Mascom International stocks the UGREEN CM321 USB-C 3.1 to SATA Adapter Cable in black at our Nairobi CBD location: Old Mutual Building, First Floor Room 4, Kimathi Street. Walk in Monday through Saturday between 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM to test the cable against your own disk before committing.
Three ways to order:
- Call/WhatsApp +254 708 852 521
- Email info@mascomintl.com
- Order through www.mascomintl.com
Pay-on-arrival delivery reaches every Kenyan county. Nairobi and its environs receive the cable the same day. Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Kakamega and all other major towns receive it within 1 business day. Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Lamu, Tana River, and Turkana receive delivery within 2-3 business days. You inspect the package and pay only when it arrives.
The UGREEN CM321 comes with the 6-month Mascom warranty stated above.
Buyers across Kenya rely on Mascom International for accurate product specifications, current Kenyan market pricing, and direct after-sales support from our Nairobi CBD store on every storage accessory we stock.
