Resolved MP 6,1: External NVMe / Inject power into USB-C

[arw]

Hello! I'd like to use an external NVMe SSD as Photoshop scratch volume with my 2013 MP.
Is there an inexpensive way to make use of the Thunderbolt 2 ports (20 Gbit/s) instead of the significantly slower USB 3.0 ports (5 Gbit/s)?
I already own Apple's bi-directional USB-C to Thunderbolt 2 adapter and cables.

For reference, in an eGPU enclosure connected via Thunderbolt 2 > USB-C adapter, I get 1300 MB/s.
But I'd like to use a small USB-C NVMe enclosure. The problem is, the Thunderbolt 2 > USB-C route is data only without power.
Is there a way to externally power that (passive) USB-C enclosure?
- Either by a simple adapter that passes through the USB-C data pins but has an external USB power input to power the final device?
- Or is it enough to solder two wires to GND and VBUS of the enclosure and power it externally?

Thanks for any input!

(It's this 10 Gbit/s enclosure btw, which would double the transfer speeds compared to USB 3.0:
https://www.amazon.com/ORICO-NVMe-Enclosure-Gbps-Support/dp/B08G14NBCS)

 

[chabig]

In the USB-C world, things don't always work just because the plugs fit. You must understand that USB-C is the name of the physical port and connector. It is not a data transfer protocol. Even if you can plug two devices together, both must still use the same protocol (i.e., must speak the same language).

Apple's USB-C to Thunderbolt 2 adapter is for connecting two Thunderbolt devices that use different physical ports. It won't work for your scenario because the Orico enclosure you suggested is not a Thunderbolt device.

About the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter - Apple Support

Connect a Mac that has a Thunderbolt 3 port to a device that uses a Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 cable.

support.apple.com

You might try this other Orico adapter, which does support Thunderbolt 3. Connected in serial to your Apple adapter, I think it might work up to 20Gbps, but can't promise.

ORICO M.2 Enclosure for NVMe SSD, USB4.0 40Gbps Type-C to M Key B+M Key 2280 Aluminum External SSD Case Compatible with Thunderbolt 3/4 USB3.2/3.1/3.0/ Type-C-M2V01

ORICO M.2 Enclosure for NVMe SSD, USB4.0 40Gbps Type-C to M Key B+M Key 2280 Aluminum External SSD Case Compatible with Thunderbolt 3/4 USB3.2/3.1/3.0/ Type-C-M2V01

www.amazon.com

 

[arw]

Oops, thanks for pointing out my oversight. While I am aware of the technical differences in the USB-C connector world (most of the times at least 😅), I totally overlocked that in my setup, I need an actual Thunderbolt controller at the end.
I originally did take a look at the Thunderbolt enclosure you suggested. And while it fulfills the Thunderbolt requirement, I discarded it due to the lack of an external power supply - and its price.
Well, I will keep my eyes on the used market for Thunderbolt 3 enclosures or docks with external power supply.
As I have the eGPU enclosure to spare, I will take a look at its power consumption and use that in the meantime.
Thanks for sorting out my matter so quickly!

 

[TzunamiOSX]

The adapter does not support power to device. You will need a Thunderbolt Dock or a Thunderbolt device with his own power supply like the sabrent dual enclosure.

https://sabrent.com/products/ec-t3dn

 

[chabig]

I need an actual Thunderbolt controller at the end.

Exactly right. I wish I had been that clear!

I saw the price of the other adapter too. $100 vs $20 is a big difference. You said you want to speed up your Photoshop scratch volume. You'd get more bang for the buck by upgrading your entire computer. Even a used or refurbished M1 Mac is probably going to be much faster than what you've got.

 

[TzunamiOSX]

Exactly right. I wish I had been that clear!

I saw the price of the other adapter too. $100 vs $20 is a big difference. You said you want to speed up your Photoshop scratch volume. You'd get more bang for the buck by upgrading your entire computer. Even a used or refurbished M1 Mac is probably going to be much faster than what you've got.

I have upgraded form MacPro 5,1 to a M1 Mac Mini and the speed up was not really noticeable at my work scenarios. I have upgraded again to Mac Studio M1 Ultra get a much better feeling.

Question: Why not using the internal SSD as scratch? With enough RAM the internal SSD is doing nothing. So nearly the full power can be used for PS.

 

[arw]

Thanks to both of you for your input.
Let me just say that I am mainly talking about hobby stuff which I can optimize better (reduce layers, decrease scaling values) and which doesn't justify a bigger internal SSD or more RAM. Let alone a Mac Studio.
The other SSD I have laying around from another project. As well as the eGPU enclosure.

You'd get more bang for the buck by upgrading your entire computer. Even a used or refurbished M1 Mac is probably going to be much faster than what you've got.

Compute speed is not the issue. Even with 32 GB of RAM, some large scaling operations occasionally fill my main SSD which I would have liked to divert to the larger and empty spare SSD.
And a Mac mini is still a couple of hundreds spent with an uncertain benefit or improvement for my use case.

You will need a Thunderbolt Dock or a Thunderbolt device with his own power supply like the sabrent dual enclosure.

While its retail price is more than I am willing to spend, it is good to know such a product does indeed exist.

Question: Why not using the internal SSD as scratch? With enough RAM the internal SSD is doing nothing. So nearly the full power can be used for PS.

Apparently for my extravagant workflow 32 GB is not enough as I had the internal SSD fill completely from time to time (120 GB free).
And I do not want to put the spare SSD in my Mac Pro as boot volume (with a Sintech adapter) because that's probably just calling for trouble (Kingston NV2 PCIe 4.0).

 

[TzunamiOSX]

Thanks to both of you for your input.
Let me just say that I am mainly talking about hobby stuff which I can optimize better (reduce layers, decrease scaling values) and which doesn't justify a bigger internal SSD or more RAM. Let alone a Mac Studio.
The other SSD I have laying around from another project. As well as the eGPU enclosure.


Compute speed is not the issue. Even with 32 GB of RAM, some large scaling operations occasionally fill my main SSD which I would have liked to divert to the larger and empty spare SSD.
And a Mac mini is still a couple of hundreds spent with an uncertain benefit or improvement for my use case.


While its retail price is more than I am willing to spend, it is good to know such a product does indeed exist.

Apparently for my extravagant workflow 32 GB is not enough as I had the internal SSD fill completely from time to time (120 GB free).
And I do not want to put the spare SSD in my Mac Pro as boot volume (with a Sintech adapter) because that's probably just calling for trouble (Kingston NV2 PCIe 4.0).

My Macs are also "hobby only". I bought a dock on the used market for 55 €. So you can get 10 Gbit/s (around 700 MB/s) with USB or 20 GBit/s (1500 MB/s) with a TB-Case.

 

[Karlsruhe]

I bought a dock on the used market for 55 €.

Could you tell us the product name of the dock?

 

[TzunamiOSX]

Could you tell us the product name of the dock?

Belkin Thunderbolt 3 Dock Pro.

@Karlsruhe
Belkin und Elgato TB3 Docks sind oft für ca. 60 € bei Kleinanzeigen.de zu haben.

 

[TzunamiOSX]

And I do not want to put the spare SSD in my Mac Pro as boot volume (with a Sintech adapter) because that's probably just calling for trouble (Kingston NV2 PCIe 4.0).

I have a Kingston Fury Renegade 2 TB PCIe 4.0 with the short Sintech adapter inside my MacPro 6,1 and it is working very well.

 

[arw]

I have a Kingston Fury Renegade 2 TB PCIe 4.0 with the short Sintech adapter inside my MacPro 6,1 and it is working very well.

Thanks for the feedback but I have never read success stories with the NV2. It was pretty cheap anyway and not intended as boot volume for my main working machine.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/nvme-m2-speed-changing-between-800-1700-mb-s-mac-pro-5-1-windows-11-please-help.2424430/post-33078062