Anyone got storage solutions?

[Hooyah]

We have a 256GB iMac M4 and the only real issue is that fixed SSD storage space. As much as we kick ourselves every week for not going for a higher end model... selling / trade in would be way too much of a loss. So we're stuck with it. One use in particular I haven't been able to enjoy is Parallels VMs as storing it locally for speed takes up way too much space for other family members, then they also can't have a VM or it infringes on another users space... you all know the problem!

Is there a particular method for connecting a fast SSD (up to the task or running applications, even a VM) to the iMac as the next best thing to having 1, 2 or even 4TB onboard? Since it's a desktop it can be a huge, bulky solution even requiring power.

Will macOS let me run apps from an external drive?
What's a good solution you guys recommend? I know plug in USB HDDs won't cut it, tried that myself and it's just painfully slow unfortunately.

 

[Weaselboy]

I have a Samsung T7 USB3 SSD that works great.

OWC Envoy Ultra – 6,000MB/s Thunderbolt 5 Portable SSD

Brings revolutionary speeds of over 6,000MB/s while also getting the highest speeds possible for Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4 machines.

www.owc.com

If you want something faster, lots of people like the OWC Envoy Ultra that is Thunderbolt 5.

 

[Hooyah]

I have a Samsung T7 USB3 SSD that works great.

OWC Envoy Ultra – 6,000MB/s Thunderbolt 5 Portable SSD

Brings revolutionary speeds of over 6,000MB/s while also getting the highest speeds possible for Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4 machines.

www.owc.com

If you want something faster, lots of people like the OWC Envoy Ultra that is Thunderbolt 5.

Thank you! I was thinking Thunderbolt 4 to get the maximum speed possible , but the pricing is eye watering!

 

[rx7dude]

Another vote for the T7. Great little SSD. On the road, I used it for my Lightroom and FCPX libraries.
Depends what you're doing with your VMs but the T7 should be fine.

 

[cjsuk]

T7 is fine. I have quite a few of them. Haven't needed anything faster yet.

 

[Bigwaff]

If you do go for TB4 external SSD, be wary that some do not fall back to TB3, but instead fall back to USB3. I have this external TB3 SSD

OWC 2.0TB Envoy Pro FX: Rugged and Ultra-Fast External SSD

Built like a tank. The OWC 2.0TB Envoy Pro FX is waterproof, drop-proof, and lightning-fast (2800MB/s), making it the perfect SSD for creatives on the go.

eshop.macsales.com

for the same purpose as you.. to store numerous Parallels and UTM virtual machines. Is performant and works great for this use case. Bonus is TB compatibility across the Mac Intel/M-series spectrum.

 

[ignatius345]

One annoying reminder: factor in backup for whatever external drive(s) you use. You never want anything to exist on only one drive.

On my iMac M4, I keep a 2 TB SSD permanently attached for media (Photos, Music, TV libraries, plus a few other things), and then also have a big 4 TB HDD that backs up the iMac's internal and the external media drive. I have the whole mess tucked away inside the desk to I don't have to look at it

 

[G5isAlive]

What are you doing with the storage? If it's storing video or anything like that for playback, the slowest USB 3.2 (like the T7 which I own several of) will be fine. Ditto if it's small work related files. If you are doing 4k video editing or perhaps manipulating 500 61 MP raw photo files at a time, you might want to go TB4 for the speed. And I say this owning TB4 and TB5 drives (eye watering prices). Rarely do I do anything to actually notice the difference.

 

[awshucks]

If you are willing to have a DIY solution, you can buy an internal NVME SSD and buy an enclosure and save some money compared to buying a dedicated external SSD. Be sure to check the speed of the enclosure, though, as that could be a bottleneck. Even if it says USB 10Gbps, it may only have a real speed of 1,000MB/s.

After all, that is what many SSDs really are, you are just DIYing the solution to save money.

 

[G5isAlive]

If you are willing to have a DIY solution, you can buy an internal NVME SSD and buy an enclosure and save some money compared to buying a dedicated external SSD. Be sure to check the speed of the enclosure, though, as that could be a bottleneck. Even if it says USB 10Gbps, it may only have a real speed of 1,000MB/s.

After all, that is what many SSDs really are, you are just DIYing the solution to save money.

I know the DYI appeals to some, but are you really saving money? I can get a turnkey solution, SanDisk 4TB Extreme Portable SSD -USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2, that is IP65 Water and Dust Resistance, has a cable, and a warranty for $279 (and thats not on sale even).

Or. I can DIY, get a Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD 4TB, PCIe Gen 4x4 for $249 (on sale), then an enclosure, SABRENT USB 3.2 Type-C Tool-Free Enclosure for M.2 PCIe NVMe and SATA SSDs (EC-SNVE), for $24.99 and just saved what... $4?? okay technically a saving, but if you have a problem good luck bouncing between the two companies, and its definitely not water or dust resistant, so essentially no real working warranty, again to save $4 (0r 1.4%).

Okay, you cry foul, apples to oranges the DIY WILL be faster, provided you have the right port on your computer, but as I have already commented, the USB-C is more than fast enough (i.e. no perceivable lag difference) for 99% of applications... but with a lot more risk.. I don't know... unless you are a specs peeper, and like numbers for numbers sake, are you really saving that much??

I read this all the time, DIY to save money. But whenever I do the math I keep coming back to the same conclusion. Not enough to make it interesting. BUT, I DO sometimes go the DIY route and buy not el cheapo enclosures but good ones with a heat advantage, it costs me more, but IS noticeably faster that 1% of the time

And, okay, guilty of sometimes specs peeping.

 

[PaulD-UK]

The OP asked:"Is there a particular method for connecting a fast SSD..."
"What's a good solution you guys recommend?"

To which @G5isAlive replied: "Or. I can DIY, get a Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD 4TB, PCIe Gen 4x4 for $249 (on sale), then an enclosure, SABRENT USB 3.2 Type-C Tool-Free Enclosure for M.2 PCIe NVMe and SATA SSDs (EC-SNVE), for $24.99 and just saved what... $4??"

Which is inserting a premium PCIe Gen 4x4 SSD into a low budget USB 3.2 = the equivalent of PCIe 3x1 - enclosure... 😳
"the DIY WILL be faster". No it won't. You are bottlenecking the 990 SSD to about a quarter of the performance it is capable of (with an M4 iMac).

Put the Samsung in a proper Thunderbolt 3 or USB4 enclosure, and a) it will perform at it's designed speed and b) using a TB3 SSD enclosure is MUCH more reliable and trouble free than a USB 3.x storage device, when using MacOS.

If you are only going to use USB 3.x then a much cheaper SSD will work just as (un)reliably) as a premium Samsung.

Yes it's more expensive. But it's the only 'good solution' that is a trouble-free recommendation for external storage to be permanently connected.

USB 3.x is fine for occasionally connecting to a Mac, especially the ones from manufacturers like Samsung who ensure their products are compatible with Macs.
But for connecting permanently it is much better to connect USB3.x devices to a port on a TB3 dock. Where they will perform more reliably.

You can get a TB3/USB4 enclosure for cheaper than a TB3 dock, so that's the least expensive option.

 

[Pressure]

OWC Express 1M2 USB4 (40Gbps) enclosure and your NVMe SSD of choice.

 

[Genelec8341]

Does anybody here have opinions pro or con on the Sandisk Pro-G40 drives?

 

[G5isAlive]

The OP asked:"Is there a particular method for connecting a fast SSD..."
"What's a good solution you guys recommend?"

To which @G5isAlive replied: "Or. I can DIY, get a Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD 4TB, PCIe Gen 4x4 for $249 (on sale), then an enclosure, SABRENT USB 3.2 Type-C Tool-Free Enclosure for M.2 PCIe NVMe and SATA SSDs (EC-SNVE), for $24.99 and just saved what... $4??"

Which is inserting a premium PCIe Gen 4x4 SSD into a low budget USB 3.2 = the equivalent of PCIe 3x1 - enclosure... 😳
"the DIY WILL be faster". No it won't. You are bottlenecking the 990 SSD to about a quarter of the performance it is capable of (with an M4 iMac).

Put the Samsung in a proper Thunderbolt 3 or USB4 enclosure, and a) it will perform at it's designed speed and b) using a TB3 SSD enclosure is MUCH more reliable and trouble free than a USB 3.x storage device, when using MacOS.

If you are only going to use USB 3.x then a much cheaper SSD will work just as (un)reliably) as a premium Samsung.

Yes it's more expensive. But it's the only 'good solution' that is a trouble-free recommendation for external storage to be permanently connected.

USB 3.x is fine for occasionally connecting to a Mac, especially the ones from manufacturers like Samsung who ensure their products are compatible with Macs.
But for connecting permanently it is much better to connect USB3.x devices to a port on a TB3 dock. Where they will perform more reliably.

You can get a TB3/USB4 enclosure for cheaper than a TB3 dock, so that's the least expensive option.

The OP asked:"Is there a particular method for connecting a fast SSD..."
"What's a good solution you guys recommend?"

To which @G5isAlive replied: "Or. I can DIY, get a Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD 4TB, PCIe Gen 4x4 for $249 (on sale), then an enclosure, SABRENT USB 3.2 Type-C Tool-Free Enclosure for M.2 PCIe NVMe and SATA SSDs (EC-SNVE), for $24.99 and just saved what... $4??"

Which is inserting a premium PCIe Gen 4x4 SSD into a low budget USB 3.2 = the equivalent of PCIe 3x1 - enclosure... 😳
"the DIY WILL be faster". No it won't. You are bottlenecking the 990 SSD to about a quarter of the performance it is capable of (with an M4 iMac).

Put the Samsung in a proper Thunderbolt 3 or USB4 enclosure, and a) it will perform at it's designed speed and b) using a TB3 SSD enclosure is MUCH more reliable and trouble free than a USB 3.x storage device, when using MacOS.

If you are only going to use USB 3.x then a much cheaper SSD will work just as (un)reliably) as a premium Samsung.

Yes it's more expensive. But it's the only 'good solution' that is a trouble-free recommendation for external storage to be permanently connected.

USB 3.x is fine for occasionally connecting to a Mac, especially the ones from manufacturers like Samsung who ensure their products are compatible with Macs.
But for connecting permanently it is much better to connect USB3.x devices to a port on a TB3 dock. Where they will perform more reliably.

You can get a TB3/USB4 enclosure for cheaper than a TB3 dock, so that's the least expensive option.

point 1. though you mentioned me, you misrepresent my original post that was a specific response to a specific comment, that DIY saved you storage money (not a dock). Given you didn't comment with facts of cost, I guess you agree with me

Point 2. You miss the point of what can or cannot be faster by conflating two different discussions. DIY means you can buy a more expensive with a TB4 point and get a faster option. Agreed. That was my point.

Point 3. You state, without offering references, that a DIY option will be more trouble free... I see no facts in evidence to support this. Please provide a reference. Plenty of people use a Samsung t7 or equivalent as continuous back up option or external storage with zero issues. So yeah, I see no reason to accept on face value your opinion that a DIY option is 'much better.' Why?

Point 4. I did make the statement that that part of reliability is a pain free warranty, do you disagree that dealing with one company is better than dealing with two (which inherently one has to do with the DIY option)?

 

[G5isAlive]

Does anybody here have opinions pro or con on the Sandisk Pro-G40 drives?

I own one. I have measured it to be faster (by almost a factor of 2) when connected to my TB4 ports than a more standard Samsung t7 is... but in actual use, eh, don't really notice that. and it is bigger (so not as easy to slip in a pocket if thats your thing) but the outside seems to be some sort of plastic/rubber so not sure its any better at heat dissipation than the cheaper options (I don't know, could be, never had problems with it). It does seem to be quite rugged, though not sure any of them are flimsy. except for some DIY options. I use mine for a large Lightroom Classic photo library in a desktop setting. i.e. I dont travel with it.

 

[960design]

I did not see any NAS options so I will throw it in for good measure. Added a link below of what you should research, I do not recommend UGREEN, just wanted to include at least one link as I dislike recommendations without at least a little source material to go along with it:

UGREEN: NASync

UGREEN NASync Series

www.amazon.com

 

[G5isAlive]

I did not see any NAS options so I will throw it in for good measure. Added a link below of what you should research, I do not recommend UGREEN, just wanted to include at least one link as I dislike recommendations without at least a little source material to go along with it:

UGREEN: NASync

UGREEN NASync Series

www.amazon.com

I really appreciate any answer with some source material... I am curious what dont you like about ugreen? I run synology for mostly back up purposes, but dont like their recent hard drive practices and have been considering changing...

 

[Non-Euclidean]

OWC Express 1M2 USB4 (40Gbps) enclosure and your NVMe SSD of choice.

I don't think the OP will get one unless it falls off a truck. I think one of the OCW Envoys would work though.

 

[960design]

I really appreciate any answer with some source material... I am curious what dont you like about ugreen? I run synology for mostly back up purposes, but dont like their recent hard drive practices and have been considering changing...

After rereading my post it does appear that I dislike UGREEN.
I believe both UGREEN is an excellent product, I just did not want to 'recommend' a brand, only a NAS type solution as an alternative. I also have quite a bit of past experience with SYNOLOGY and SABRENT and believe them both to be excellent brands ( I do not currently run SYNOLOGY NAS ).

I currently run several home servers (Debian and Windows) and have used ownCLOUD, PLEX, AMPACHE and others via docker.