A compact aluminium case for the Raspberry Pi 5 with an integrated M.2 NVMe PCIe expansion board — slim storage upgrade, no compromises on form factor.
The Argon NEO 5 M.2 NVMe PCIe Case (SKU: ARG-NEO-5-M2) is a precision-machined aluminium enclosure designed exclusively for the Raspberry Pi 5. It integrates an onboard M.2 NVMe Carrier Board connected via the Raspberry Pi 5's native PCIe FPC port, giving you fast NVMe SSD storage without the bulk of an external drive enclosure or a stacked HAT. The result is a complete, self-contained system that retains a slim, desktop-friendly profile.
The case is built around active thermal management: a 30mm PWM blower-type fan draws air across aluminium cooling fins and exhausts it through a dedicated vent, keeping both the Raspberry Pi 5 and the M.2 drive cool under sustained load. Silicon thermal pads are included for the CPU and PMIC chip, and a dedicated THRML M.2 heatsink manages drive temperatures. The aluminium top cover doubles as a passive heat spreader and gives the finished build a clean, professional appearance.
This product is aimed at makers, developers, and hobbyists who want the performance of NVMe storage in a tidy package — whether for a desktop workstation, a home server, a media centre, or an embedded project that benefits from the Raspberry Pi 5's PCIe bandwidth.
📝 Note: The list below is sourced from the product manual (ARG-NEO-5-M2). If your package is missing any item, contact Argon 40 support at cs@argon40.com before beginning assembly.
📝 Note: An M.2 NVMe SSD, Raspberry Pi 5, microSD card, and USB-C power supply are not included and must be purchased separately.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| SKU | ARG-NEO-5-M2 |
| Compatible Device | Raspberry Pi 5 (exclusive) |
| Case Material | Aluminium (top cover and main case body) |
| Cooling Fan | 30mm PWM blower-type fan |
| Fan Exhaust | Dedicated exhaust vent with internal cooling fins |
| M.2 Interface | PCIe — Key M and Key B+M NVMe drives only |
| M.2 SATA Support | ❌ Not supported |
| PCIe Connection | PCIe FPC flat flex cable to Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe port |
| Thermal Management | THRML M.2 heatsink; silicon thermal pads for CPU and PMIC |
| Power Button | Yes — integrated |
| Power LED | Yes — integrated |
| GPIO Access | Yes — accessible through case |
| POE HAT Connection | Yes — accessible |
| MIPI Ports Access | Yes — accessible |
| UART Connector Access | Yes — accessible |
| RTC Battery Connector Access | Yes — accessible |
| PCIe Port Access | Yes — via internal FPC carrier board |
| Bottom Cover Fasteners | 4× screws |
| Top Cover Fasteners | 2× screws |
| Recommended Power Supply | Argon PWR GaN USB-C PD 27W or Official Raspberry Pi 27W USB-C Power Supply |
| Case Dimensions | [TODO: overall assembled case dimensions (L × W × H) not provided in available sources] |
| Case Weight | [TODO: case weight not provided in available sources] |
The Argon NEO 5 M.2 NVMe PCIe Case is designed exclusively for the Raspberry Pi 5. It is not compatible with Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi 3, or any earlier model. The PCIe FPC connector, fan port, and internal mounting points are all specific to the Raspberry Pi 5 board layout.
The Raspberry Pi 5 is the first Raspberry Pi to feature a dedicated PCIe FPC connector, enabling direct high-speed storage expansion. Its Broadcom BCM2712 processor delivers a significant performance step up over previous generations, making NVMe-class storage a meaningful upgrade rather than a bottleneck.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Processor | Broadcom BCM2712, 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 |
| GPU | VideoCore VII — OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.2 |
| RAM Options | 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB LPDDR4X-4267 |
| Built-in Storage | microSD (UHS-I) |
| Storage Expansion | PCIe 2.0 ×1 FPC connector (used by this case) |
| Wi-Fi | Dual-band 802.11ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz) |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 / BLE |
| Ethernet | Gigabit Ethernet |
| USB 3.0 | 2× USB 3.0 (5Gbps) |
| USB 2.0 | 2× USB 2.0 |
| Display Outputs | 2× micro-HDMI — up to 4Kp60 simultaneous |
| Display Interfaces | MIPI DSI (display), MIPI CSI (camera) |
| GPIO Header | 40-pin standard Raspberry Pi GPIO header |
| Real-Time Clock | Yes — onboard RTC with battery connector |
| Power Button | Yes — onboard |
| Power Input | USB-C Power Delivery |
| Minimum PSU | 5V 3A (15W) |
| Recommended PSU | 5V 5A (27W) |
| OS Support | Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit recommended), Ubuntu, and others |
| Board Dimensions | 85mm × 56mm |
Source: raspberrypi.com
config.txt. The Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe connector is rated at Gen 2 by default; Gen 3 operation is supported but unofficial. This is standard practice and is handled automatically by the Argon setup script.📝 Note: Read through all steps before you begin. Have a small Phillips-head screwdriver ready. The assembly takes approximately 15–20 minutes.
⚠️ Warning: Always power off and disconnect your Raspberry Pi 5 from all power sources before beginning assembly. Handle the PCIe FPC cable and all connectors gently — excessive force will cause permanent damage.
⚠️ Warning: Do not bend the pins in the Raspberry Pi 5 FAN port. Bent pins will permanently damage the fan header. Align the connector carefully before pressing it in.
📝 Note: Do not touch the sticky surfaces of the thermal pads with your fingers. Skin oils reduce thermal conductivity.
⚠️ Warning: The copper side of the FPC cable must face the white side of the PCIe connector on the Raspberry Pi 5. Inserting the cable in the wrong orientation will prevent the M.2 drive from working and may damage the connector.
⚠️ Warning: If you intend to use a microSD card (for example, to boot Raspberry Pi OS before configuring NVMe boot), insert it now, before securing the bottom cover. The microSD card slot is inaccessible once the bottom cover is in place.
⚠️ Warning: The Argon NEO 5 M.2 NVMe Carrier Board supports M.2 Key M and M.2 Key B+M NVMe drives only. M.2 SATA drives are not supported and will not function. Check your drive's specifications before purchasing.
📝 Note: [TODO: confirmed supported M.2 drive lengths (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, etc.) not specified in available sources — verify in the physical manual or with Argon 40 support]
📝 Note: This step is only relevant if you are using an RTC battery. If not, proceed to Step 12.
⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to reposition the RTC battery after the top cover screws have been tightened. Doing so requires fully disassembling the top cover.
Your Argon NEO 5 M.2 NVMe PCIe Case is now fully assembled. Proceed to Software & Configuration before powering on for the first time.
📝 Note: Both configuration steps below require an active internet connection. Ensure your Raspberry Pi 5 is connected to the internet before proceeding. Run these commands from a Terminal session in Raspberry Pi OS (or your chosen OS).
sudo date -s "$(wget -qSO- --max-redirect=0 google.com 2>&1 | grep Date: | cut -d' ' -f5-8)Z"
This script configures the Raspberry Pi 5 EEPROM (bootloader) to enable NVMe boot and optimise power behaviour for use with the Argon NEO 5.
curl https://download.argon40.com/argon-eeprom.sh | bash
After the script completes, reboot your Raspberry Pi 5:
sudo reboot
This script sets the following EEPROM configuration values:
| EEPROM Parameter | Value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
BOOT_UART |
1 |
Enables UART boot output |
WAKE_ON_GPIO |
0 |
Disables GPIO wake (handled by Argon power button) |
POWER_OFF_ON_HALT |
1 |
Cuts power on system halt |
BOOT_ORDER |
0xf416 |
Sets boot priority (NVMe → USB → SD card → restart) |
PCIE_PROBE |
1 |
Enables PCIe device detection at boot |
usb_max_current_enable |
1 |
Enables higher USB current output |
This script installs the Argon NEO 5 daemon, which manages the PWM fan, the power button, and PCIe Gen 3 configuration on the Raspberry Pi 5.
curl https://download.argon40.com/argon-neo5-nvme.sh | bash
After the script completes, reboot your Raspberry Pi 5:
sudo reboot
The script performs the following actions:
| Action | Detail |
|---|---|
| Installs fan control daemon | Manages PWM fan speed based on CPU temperature |
| Configures power button | Maps the Argon NEO 5 power button to shutdown / wake behaviour |
| Sets PCIe Gen 3 | Adds dtparam=pciex1_gen=3 to /boot/firmware/config.txt |
Installs argonone-config utility |
Optional GUI/CLI tool for adjusting fan speed thresholds |
📝 Note: The
dtparam=pciex1_gen=3entry inconfig.txtenables PCIe Gen 3 speeds. The Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe interface is rated Gen 2 by default; Gen 3 operation is unofficial but widely used and handled automatically by this script.
If you wish to customise the temperature thresholds at which the fan ramps up, run the Argon configuration utility:
argonone-config
This launches an interactive menu where you can set temperature/fan-speed pairs. The defaults are suitable for most use cases.
To uninstall the Argon NEO 5 scripts and daemon entirely:
argonone-uninstall
Once the EEPROM and control script are both installed and the system has been rebooted, the Raspberry Pi 5 will attempt to boot from the NVMe drive before falling back to USB and then microSD (as set by the BOOT_ORDER value above).
To write a fresh Raspberry Pi OS image directly to your NVMe drive, use Raspberry Pi Imager from a separate computer or from a running microSD session:
⚠️ Warning: Writing an OS image to your NVMe drive will erase all existing data on that drive. Confirm you have selected the correct target device before writing.
📝 Note: If the system does not boot from NVMe after the first reboot, verify that the PCIe FPC cable is fully seated at both ends (Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe connector and M.2 Carrier Board connector) and that the
PCIE_PROBE=1EEPROM value was set correctly by re-running the EEPROM script.
Symptom: The system boots from microSD only; the NVMe drive does not appear in lsblk or fdisk -l.
Likely causes and fixes:
PCIE_PROBE=1, the PCIe bus may not be enumerated at boot.Symptom: The fan does not spin at any load level, or does not respond to temperature changes.
Likely causes and fixes:
argonone-config, the fan may not spin under light loads by design. Run argonone-config and lower the temperature thresholds, or restore defaults by uninstalling and reinstalling the script.Symptom: Pressing the Argon NEO 5 power button does not trigger shutdown or wake the Raspberry Pi 5.
Likely causes and fixes:
sudo systemctl status argononed
If the service is not running, restart it:
sudo systemctl restart argononed
POWER_OFF_ON_HALT not set. If the system halts but does not cut power, re-run the EEPROM script (Software & Configuration Step 1) and reboot.Symptom: After running both scripts and rebooting, the system still boots from microSD.
Likely causes and fixes:
sudo rpi-eeprom-config and verify that BOOT_ORDER=0xf416 and PCIE_PROBE=1 are present. If not, re-run the EEPROM script.Symptom: The Raspberry Pi 5 throttles CPU frequency under sustained load; the system becomes hot to the touch.
Likely causes and fixes:
Symptom: The Raspberry Pi 5 does not retain the correct time across power cycles.
Likely causes and fixes:
rtc_pcf85063a overlay not enabled. On some OS builds, the RTC overlay must be enabled manually. Add the following line to /boot/firmware/config.txt and reboot:dtoverlay=i2c-rtc,pcf85063a,wakeup-source
Q: Does the Argon NEO 5 M.2 NVMe PCIe Case work with Raspberry Pi 4?
No. This case is designed exclusively for the Raspberry Pi 5. The Raspberry Pi 4 does not have a PCIe FPC connector, and the internal mounting points, port cutouts, and fan connector are all specific to the Raspberry Pi 5 board layout. See Compatible Devices.
Q: Will an M.2 SATA SSD work in this case?
No. The M.2 NVMe Carrier Board uses the Raspberry Pi 5's PCIe interface, which is a PCIe bus — not a SATA bus. M.2 SATA drives will not be detected. You must use an M.2 NVMe drive with a Key M or Key B+M connector. Check your drive's specifications before purchasing.
Q: Do I need to boot from microSD first, or can I go straight to NVMe?
You need a running OS environment to execute the EEPROM and control scripts. The most straightforward approach is to boot from a microSD card running Raspberry Pi OS, run both scripts, write Raspberry Pi OS to your NVMe drive using Raspberry Pi Imager, then remove the microSD card and reboot from NVMe. Once the EEPROM is configured, the microSD card is no longer required for day-to-day use.
Q: Is PCIe Gen 3 safe to use with the Raspberry Pi 5?
The Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe connector is officially rated at Gen 2. Gen 3 operation is enabled by the Argon setup script via dtparam=pciex1_gen=3 in config.txt and is widely used by the community with good results. It is, however, unofficial — the Raspberry Pi Foundation does not guarantee Gen 3 stability on all boards. Most users see no issues. If you experience instability or drive detection problems, you can remove or comment out that line in config.txt to revert to Gen 2.
Q: Can I use the Argon NEO 5 case without installing the software scripts?
Partially. The Raspberry Pi 5 will run and the NVMe drive may be accessible, but the fan will not be controlled (it may run at a fixed speed or not at all depending on firmware), the power button will not function, PCIe Gen 3 will not be enabled, and the boot order will not prioritise NVMe. Running both software scripts is strongly recommended for full functionality.
Q: Can I still use a microSD card with the case fully assembled?
No. Once the bottom cover is secured, the microSD card slot on the Raspberry Pi 5 is physically inaccessible. If you need to use a microSD card — even temporarily — insert it before fastening the bottom cover screws (Assembly Guide Step 6). Plan your storage strategy before final assembly.
Q: What M.2 drive sizes (lengths) are supported?
The carrier board includes an adjustable retention screw point to accommodate different drive lengths. Common M.2 lengths such as 2242, 2260, and 2280 are accommodated by adjusting the screw point position (Assembly Guide Step 9).
📝 Note: [TODO: confirmed full list of supported M.2 drive lengths not specified in available sources — verify in the physical manual or contact Argon 40 support at cs@argon40.com]
Q: What power supply should I use?
Use the Argon PWR GaN USB-C PD 27W or the Official Raspberry Pi 27W USB-C Power Supply. Supplies below 27W are not recommended when an NVMe drive is installed, as drive activity adds to the system power draw. Using an underpowered supply may cause instability, throttling, or unexpected shutdowns, especially under concurrent CPU and storage load.
Q: Can I use a PoE HAT with the Argon NEO 5 case?
The PoE HAT connection pins on the Raspberry Pi 5 remain accessible through the case. However, physical compatibility depends on the specific PoE HAT dimensions — not all PoE HATs will fit within the case enclosure. Verify the dimensions of your specific PoE HAT before purchasing.