Satechi releases NVME SSD version of their Mac Studio and Mini hub

[nigel415674]

https://satechi.net/products/stand-hub-for-mac-mini-studio-with-nvme-ssd-enclosure?sscid=11k8_h6p53&

 

[ColdCase]

Wouldn't the NVME drive heat up the studio? My NVME enclosures get toasty warm.

 

[drrich2]

It does look nice, though a look at the fine print is worthwhile. The original Mac Mini offered PC and other users a budget entry point to the Mac ecosystem, all the more cost effective because many people already had a mouse, monitor and keyboard or at least some of those things. It was cheaper than buying an iMac if you did.

In the modern era, it's cheaper than buying a Mac Studio (if you stay near base configuration options; go to the Pro chip and jack up the memory enough and the cost comparison shifts).

So it's no surprise that with this roughly $100 multi-port hub + SSD enclosure, you don't get the speeds a fast NVME SSD can achieve in an external Thunderbolt enclosure. From the page you linked - "Optimized to read both NVMe and M.2 SATA solid-state drives with speeds up to 10Gbps," we see not to expect that.

This isn't a criticism of Satechi. That's not a roughly $400 Caldigit Thunderbolt dock (which lacks the option to contain an SSD; you'd have to buy an external SSD enclosure and connect that to the dock).

I'm just saying people new to the product type to whom this thing may initially look like a miracle product, there is a tradeoff. Quite a reasonable one, all things considered. I point this out because the term 'NVME' tends to call to mind very fast external SSDs. When I read up on this product's predecessor, it took me awhile to realize the speed limitation.

 

[Pressure]

Beware that it is only 10Gbps (USB3.2) transfer rate.

 

[pransu]

Satechi hub is cool concept for Mini and MS. One main thing I don't like especially when it is used on MS is it is using one of the TB4 ports of the host computer just to get 10Gbps speed.

 

[seggy]

It does look nice, though a look at the fine print is worthwhile. The original Mac Mini offered PC and other users a budget entry point to the Mac ecosystem, all the more cost effective because many people already had a mouse, monitor and keyboard or at least some of those things. It was cheaper than buying an iMac if you did.

In the modern era, it's cheaper than buying a Mac Studio (if you stay near base configuration options; go to the Pro chip and jack up the memory enough and the cost comparison shifts).

So it's no surprise that with this roughly $100 multi-port hub + SSD enclosure, you don't get the speeds a fast NVME SSD can achieve in an external Thunderbolt enclosure. From the page you linked - "Optimized to read both NVMe and M.2 SATA solid-state drives with speeds up to 10Gbps," we see not to expect that.

This isn't a criticism of Satechi. That's not a roughly $400 Caldigit Thunderbolt dock (which lacks the option to contain an SSD; you'd have to buy an external SSD enclosure and connect that to the dock).

I'm just saying people new to the product type to whom this thing may initially look like a miracle product, there is a tradeoff. Quite a reasonable one, all things considered. I point this out because the term 'NVME' tends to call to mind very fast external SSDs. When I read up on this product's predecessor, it took me awhile to realize the speed limitation.

Yeah, the rest of us will have to continue to deal with The Studio Sprawl or The Ultimately Kinda Useless Despite Looking Otherwise Pro.

 

[xraydoc]

Satechi hub is cool concept for Mini and MS. One main thing I don't like especially when it is used on MS is it is using one of the TB4 ports of the host computer just to get 10Gbps speed.

Someone will eventually come out with a $300 model that is TB4-based.

 

[PaulD-UK]

TB4 won’t help with a faster SSD. All it will do is allow more downstream TB4 ports.
Under the TB 4 spec only 1 lane of PCIe data is allocated to internal NVMe SSDs, which is more or less 10Gbps.

 

[drrich2]

TB4 won’t help with a faster SSD. All it will do is allow more downstream TB4 ports.
Under the TB 4 spec only 1 lane of PCIe data is allocated to internal NVMe SSDs, which is more or less 10Gbps.

Thanks for posting this. I've watched it, and also an explanation from Other World Computing, and confess I can't quite wrap my head around it all well enough to bring it together into a crystallized comprehensive understanding. If I understand correctly, with TB 4, you can have a hub branch to a number (3 or 4?) of Thunderbolt Devices, whereas the TB 3 you have have to hook to one TB 3 device, daisy-chain style, and a TB 3 external SSD drive can be faster than a TB 4 one would be?

Which raises the big question of how TB 5 will compare to these. If TB 4 isn't so much an evolution of TB 3 as it is a different form of Thunderbolt, with strengths and weaknesses compared to TB 3 but not necessarily 'better or worse,' will TB 5 offer us the best of both worlds and then some?

 

[PaulD-UK]

"will TB 5 offer us the best of both worlds and then some?"
From the info so far it seems like it will be an excellent upgrade...
Coming in 2024 or 2025+ ????

Thunderbolt 5: Latest Updates, Specs And Release Date - DocksHub.com

Unveiled in September 2023, Thunderbolt 5 represents the latest leap in high-speed wired connectivity, doubling the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4.

dockshub.com

 

[MacPoulet]

So how does this compare to the OWC Thunderbolt hub with NVME and Sata? They both look very similar.

 

[nobullone1964]

The OWC hub only allows one lane for PCI-E. We're talking x1 speed. 770MB? Take a look at the Trebleet thunderbolt hub. It gives the proper 2800MB plus or minus. Satechi pushing only USB-C is an insult for an upgrade. I've been using Trebleet over a year. The NVME is smoking. Being a PCI-E 4.0 Samsung 980 PRO helps get the most out of the drive. I am waiting to upgrade my Mac Studio but that is only when Thunderbolt 5 is added.