MP 6,1 Storage upgrade options for MP2013?

[fiatlux]

My MP2013 currently runs on a 512 GB SSB, has an external TB2 enclosure with a 2TB M.2 SSD for data, and a 6TB TB2 HDD for Time Machine.

My 2TB "data" disks (photos and videos) will soon be running out space - I am looking at the following options:

• getting a 4GB M.2 SSD ($$$), and putting it either in the TB2 enclosure or in the MP itself (and combining OS, apps and data)
• getting a TB3 RAID enclosure (OWC 4M2 or Icy Box Dual M2) and a 2nd 2TB M.2 SSD, creating a 4TB RAID set and connecting it with a TB3-TB2 adapter

Both options are about the same in terms of cost, but the second seems to be more troublesome (in particular regarding the OWC enclosure). Any opinion?

 

[MisterAndrew]

I like having a larger internal disk myself. I split it into separate drives/partitions and use external storage for backups.

 

[jscipione]

You could get an Amfeltech AngelShark carrier board that would allow you to connect 2 more M.2 SSDs internally for ~$450 shipped. You’ll have to request a quote to get the exact price. It’s not cheap but it is pretty neat.

Mac Pro (Late 2013) - Amfeltec AngelShark Carrier Board - Storage Upgrade

Test Mac Pro Specifications MacPro6,1 BootROM: MP61.0120.B00 macOS High Sierra 10.13.1 (17B1003) E5-1660v2 3.7GHz (15MB L3) Hexacore 16GB of Apple/SKHynix PC3-14900 ECC Apple/Samsung SM0256G PCIe SSD (SSUBX based) 2x AMD FirePro D300 with 2GB VRAM Testing Tools for SSD Benchmarks AJA System...

forums.macrumors.com

If you really just need more space an external hard drive would be a lot cheaper than SSDs but if you need the speed you don’t have a lot of options. There are USB3 adapters that can take an M.2 adapter but you won’t get the full speed out of them, maybe get one that takes a regular SATA SSD instead since that will be cheaper and will perform the same as an M.2 one limited by USB3.