Thunderbolt 3 M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosures

[ubercool]

Are we talking of this?

100.1€ 27% OFF|Acasis Thunderbolt 3 NVME M.2 SSD Fall Externe Festplatte Aluminium Hdd Docking Station NVNE Gehäuse Für Laptop Desktop|HDD Enclosure| - AliExpress

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I recommend the TB3 only version. Works on TB4 ports too.

I don't know, we would have to ask @moonwalk who posted this in the thread linked below:

“I have a WD SN750 4 TB drive in an Acasis "USB4.0 NXMe M2" enclosure on my M1 mac mini. It tops out at about 1250 MB/s, if I'm lucky. Mostly it gets around 1,000 MB/s, though often it's only pegging in the high 800s MB/s. WD SN750s above 2TB sizes for some reason have slow write speeds. The drive also seems to write faster if some other drive is writing. Go figure. I'm waiting to receive a Caldigit Element hub and I hope this increases write speeds. I'd complain, but at 1000 MB/s it's orders of magnitude faster than my older SSDs (Samsung T5 and WD Blue). I'm also hoping Apple's os updates straighten out these mysteries.”

USB on M1 Macs isn't actually 10Gb/s? (Also definitely not USB4)

I have a WD SN750 4 TB drive in an Acasis "USB4.0 NXMe M2" enclosure on my M1 mac mini. It tops out at about 1250 MB/s, if I'm lucky. Mostly it gets around 1,000 MB/s, though often it's only pegging in the high 800s MB/s. WD SN750s above 2TB sizes for some reason have slow write speeds. The...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[mackiemesser2]

I don't know, we would have to ask @moonwalk who posted this in the thread linked below:

“I have a WD SN750 4 TB drive in an Acasis "USB4.0 NXMe M2" enclosure on my M1 mac mini. It tops out at about 1250 MB/s, if I'm lucky. Mostly it gets around 1,000 MB/s, though often it's only pegging in the high 800s MB/s. WD SN750s above 2TB sizes for some reason have slow write speeds. The drive also seems to write faster if some other drive is writing. Go figure. I'm waiting to receive a Caldigit Element hub and I hope this increases write speeds. I'd complain, but at 1000 MB/s it's orders of magnitude faster than my older SSDs (Samsung T5 and WD Blue). I'm also hoping Apple's os updates straighten out these mysteries.”

USB on M1 Macs isn't actually 10Gb/s? (Also definitely not USB4)

I have a WD SN750 4 TB drive in an Acasis "USB4.0 NXMe M2" enclosure on my M1 mac mini. It tops out at about 1250 MB/s, if I'm lucky. Mostly it gets around 1,000 MB/s, though often it's only pegging in the high 800s MB/s. WD SN750s above 2TB sizes for some reason have slow write speeds. The...

forums.macrumors.com

He's talking of "USB4.0 NXMe M2" instead of the TB3...

 

[ubercool]

ACASIS only has one “USB4.0” model AFAIK. Can you send me a link to the non-T3 one? The TB3 link you shared is already $72.00:

Acasis Thunderbolt 3 40Gbps NVME M.2 SSD Case External Hard Drive Aluminum Hdd High Speed Enclosure For Laptop Desktop - AliExpress 7

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Can it be any cheaper? 🤔

 

[mackiemesser2]

I'm not a seller...

 

[moonwalk]

So here's my report on the WD SN750 4 TB drive in an Acasis "USB4.0 NXMe M2" enclosure on my M1 mac mini running Big Sur 11.3: there is no change in write speed. I'm supposed to get a Caldigit Element hub any day now, and I have hopes, but I'm skeptical write speed will change. This is obviously some problem with Apple's implementation of its port. I have noticed several odd things. If I'm using the drive for another read / or write operation at the same time I run Blackmagic speed test, I can get a 1250 MB/s write speed. Otherwise I get about 850 to 1000 MB/s. It's almost as if the Mac at times opens a faster channel to the drive for some operations, or when a write is already in progress. It also gets this top write speed if I plug another drive into the USB-A port. Go figure.This seems like it's something someone should be able to write a utility for (packet size, perhaps?) or that Apple should be able to address.

That said, I'm happy with the drive and the enclosure for now, because even at its slowest write speed it's two or three times faster than anything else I have, like my Samsung T5. The Acasis is rock stable and never disconnects (I have it attached 24/7). It doesn't overheat or throttle. The read speed continues to be a steady 2,550 to 2,600 MB/s, which when you're editing video files is more important than write speed. All that said, I wish Apple would straighten this out.

 

[Screensaver]

thanks for sharing your test results. I have my own to share in this attached photo with use with my 16 GB Ram M1 Mini.

I also max out at 1250mbps with the 2TB Black SSD. The thing is, I’m pretty sure folks have gotten write speeds to match their read speeds with 2TB SSDs of a different brand, but I can’t recall where I read folks saying this, let alone the SSD they had luck with. And this was with the ACASIS too. If anyone has had this success with their Nvme 2 TB drive, I’d love to know so I can return my Black and scoop it.

 

[deksawyer]

Well, what's better than a late night benchmark along with some 20 yo Armagnac?

First 2 images: Mac Mini 2018 Intel i7, 512GB Apple SSD, then the TB3 external Sabrent Rocket in the Orico TB3 enclosure.

Next 2 images: MacBook Air M1, 512GB Apple SSD, then the same Sabrent/ Orico setup as above:

What do you notice? The external SSD is nowhere near as fast when used with the M1 Mac (it's not a problem for me as it was just a wee experiment - the M1 will never likely have any ext drives attached).

I think I've read in plenty places that the TB architecture in the M1 system has some speed deficits compared to the more mature Intel platform, but who knows what might evolve in the future...???

 

[v0rtex]

I just wanted to share some useful information with everyone. I have been following this discussion for some time as I have been experimenting with TB3 NVMe enclosures to use with an Apple computer. I have been using a 2TB WD SN750 in a Samsung X5 enclosure for about a year without a single problem. I just removed a 500GB SSD and installed the WD drive. I recently needed an additional enclosure, so I purchased a Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q 1TB USB 3.2 / Thunderbolt 3 External SSD and replaced the 1TB SSD with a second WD SN750 2TB SSD. It was attractive to me because in addition to TB3 speeds one could also have USB 3.2 speeds if needed. I thought folks would be happy to know that it is relatively easy to get inside a Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q, albeit with a little damage and a probable voiding of warranty. You just need to remove the thunderbolt logo circle at the top/back of the drive and it reveals a screw. After that, SSD replacement is plug and play!

Getting about 2280 MB/s write and 2435 MB/s read from both enclosures with the same WD SN750 SSD.

Let me know if I can answer any questions or assist anyone. Cheers!

 

[Screensaver]

Getting about 2280 MB/s write and 2435 MB/s read from both enclosures with the same WD SN750 SSD.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Would you confirm the Mac model you have these results with? Since you said you’ve been using this for about a year, is it safe to assume you haven’t upgraded to M1? M1 Macs seem to have entirely different read/write speeds. I would be interested to see what kind of numbers your hardware combo would pull on an M1.

 

[v0rtex]

Thank you for sharing your experience. Would you confirm the Mac model you have these results with? Since you said you’ve been using this for about a year, is it safe to assume you haven’t upgraded to M1? M1 Macs seem to have entirely different read/write speeds. I would be interested to see what kind of numbers your hardware combo would pull on an M1.

I use them with an iMac Pro. Don't have access to an M1 Mac so I can't say how those work with one.

 

[ihsakashi]

Reviews suggest the 0 TB version can't have an M.2 added but I haven't found one that opened it up to check. It's not easy to open since the screws are non-standard and there may be some adhesive.

https://www.legitreviews.com/wd_black-d50-game-dock-review_225402
https://www.gadgetguy.com.au/wd-black-d50-game-dock-why-should-gamers-have-all-the-fun-review/

It looks like it could be using two four-port USB 3.1 gen 2 hubs changed together. Then the Ethernet and Audio would be using two of the 7 ports.

I got the 0tb dock and a wd black sn750 1tb with an aftermarket heatsink. Everything works great! Check Amazon for the 0tb dock, I got it for $220 CAD, which is an amazing deal.

Seems to run at full speed. Dunno how to check the sensor temperature on the dock, or ssd tho.

 

[defektion]

I just found this on Amazon Canada for the same price! Thanks for validating that you can add an NVMe as most reviews suggested you couldn’t. I’m going to upgrade mine when it comes in!

 

[n1cks]

I got the 0tb dock and a wd black sn750 1tb with an aftermarket heatsink. Everything works great! Check Amazon for the 0tb dock, I got it for $220 CAD, which is an amazing deal.

Seems to run at full speed. Dunno how to check the sensor temperature on the dock, or ssd tho.

How are you getting on? I recently ordered the 2TB version of this dock and whilst I do really like the convenience and design I think on balance I'm going to return it. This dock runs hot and that's without even really putting any stress on the SSD. It's interesting that the StorageReview hands on mentions that the fan never comes on. When I ran the same Blackmagicdesign test it was like a jumbo jet taking off, some serious airflow and noise! They make a great point about the lack of a thermal bridge between the SSD and enclosure, although you would probably have to significantly increase the bulk of the side panels for it to make a difference.

Main concern is that there's no way of monitoring performance with the WD Dashboard. There's no Mac version of the software and it won't even run via Parallels. If they added support for MacOS and the ability to manually set the parameters for the fan I'd probably be tempted to keep it.

 

[Ifti]

I just wanted to share some useful information with everyone. I have been following this discussion for some time as I have been experimenting with TB3 NVMe enclosures to use with an Apple computer. I have been using a 2TB WD SN750 in a Samsung X5 enclosure for about a year without a single problem. I just removed a 500GB SSD and installed the WD drive. I recently needed an additional enclosure, so I purchased a Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q 1TB USB 3.2 / Thunderbolt 3 External SSD and replaced the 1TB SSD with a second WD SN750 2TB SSD. It was attractive to me because in addition to TB3 speeds one could also have USB 3.2 speeds if needed. I thought folks would be happy to know that it is relatively easy to get inside a Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q, albeit with a little damage and a probable voiding of warranty. You just need to remove the thunderbolt logo circle at the top/back of the drive and it reveals a screw. After that, SSD replacement is plug and play!

Getting about 2280 MB/s write and 2435 MB/s read from both enclosures with the same WD SN750 SSD.

Let me know if I can answer any questions or assist anyone. Cheers!

View attachment 1768326 View attachment 1768327

Or you could just buy the Sabrent Thunderbolt 3 NVMe enclosure rather then the XTRM-Q and have tool-free access to insert and remove your own drive?

 

[bearcatrp]

Is it cheaper to buy the enclosure and by the NVMe memory, or buy the entire setup? Been looking at OWC. My 2010 mini used a Mercury elite AL pro with firewire, but can get an adapter for the firewire but 800 Mbs per sec is a bit slow. Having a 1tb drive in my new mac mini, think I need something newer.

 

[v0rtex]

Or you could just buy the Sabrent Thunderbolt 3 NVMe enclosure rather then the XTRM-Q and have tool-free access to insert and remove your own drive?

Sure, but that enclosure says "speeds of up to 1600 MB/s" and it doesn't also have USB C 3.2 compatibility for services without Thunderbolt. The XTRM-Q is both faster and more versatile.

 

[Ifti]

Sure, but that enclosure says "speeds of up to 1600 MB/s" and it doesn't also have USB C 3.2 compatibility for services without Thunderbolt. The XTRM-Q is both faster and more versatile.

Fair point!

 

[macjunkie2013]

Mac Mini M1 16GB/256GB + JEYI Thunderdock + Samsung 980 Pro 2TB Boot Drive + 65W USB-C PD power supply.

~2700 MB/s Read ~ 2800 MB/s Write. Only marginally slower than the internal SSD and saved me ~$500.

I boot and work 100% on the external SSD, and don't use the internal SSD for anything.

The Thunderdock is awesome, but does require a power supply that is not included. The dock gives me an extra 60w Thunderbolt Port and USB 3.1 Gen 2 port.

 

[mackiemesser2]

Mac Mini M1 16GB/256GB + JEYI Thunderdock + Samsung 980 Pro 2TB Boot Drive + 65W USB-C PD power supply.

~2700 MB/s Read ~ 2800 MB/s Write. Only marginally slower than the internal SSD and saved me ~$500.

I boot and work 100% on the external SSD, and don't use the internal SSD for anything.

The Thunderdock is awesome, but does require a power supply that is not included. The dock gives me an extra 60w Thunderbolt Port and USB 3.1 Gen 2 port.

View attachment 1780317​

View attachment 1780319

... and has fan (that's running all the time?)?

 

[macjunkie2013]

... and has fan (that's running all the time?)?

No


That super tiny fan runs for maybe ~15 seconds at startup and waking from sleep. It seems about as loud as a small laptop fan.


The Hub never seems to get from hot, so maybe it can be disabled? It does not bother me since it turns off after a few moments.

 

[quietmind]

Mac Mini M1 16GB/256GB + JEYI Thunderdock + Samsung 980 Pro 2TB Boot Drive + 65W USB-C PD power supply.

~2700 MB/s Read ~ 2800 MB/s Write. Only marginally slower than the internal SSD and saved me ~$500.

I boot and work 100% on the external SSD, and don't use the internal SSD for anything.

The Thunderdock is awesome, but does require a power supply that is not included. The dock gives me an extra 60w Thunderbolt Port and USB 3.1 Gen 2 port.

I also have a Mac Mini M1 and looking for external storage and this looks better than anything I've seen on this thread so far.

If you have a chance, it would be interesting also to see the measurements given by the AmorphousDiskMark tests (several are given in earlier posts in this thread for other configurations).

Also, I wonder if similar speeds could be obtained from the WD Black SN750 that is frequently recommended for Mac M1?

 

[macjunkie2013]

I also have a Mac Mini M1 and looking for external storage and this looks better than anything I've seen on this thread so far.

Also, I wonder if similar speeds could be obtained from the WD Black SN750 that is frequently recommended for Mac M1?

IMHO, the Hub is good because it offers so much for a low price making it reasonably comparable to NVME TB3 enclosure. All other hubs w NVME support are at least 2x the price and size.

I think the WD Black SN750 is an excellent choice. It will likely be slightly slower but still solid. I got a great deal on the Samsung, otherwise I might have gone w the SN750.

Before my current setup, I also did a test w a different NVME drive and enclosure here:
Mac Mini M1 w PNY CS3140

 

[macjunkie2013]

According to ADM

Samsung TB3 (top) seems comparable and faster in some cases.

Apple M1-SSD (bottom) is clearly faster in sequential write.

 

[mackiemesser2]

IMHO, the Hub is good because it offers so much for a low price making it reasonably comparable to NVME TB3 enclosure. All other hubs w NVME support are at least 2x the price and size.

I think the WD Black SN750 is an excellent choice. It will likely be slightly slower but still solid. I got a great deal on the Samsung, otherwise I might have gone w the SN750.

Before my current setup, I also did a test w a different NVME drive and enclosure here:
Mac Mini M1 w PNY CS3140

So it doesn't run without power attached, right? Or can you use it as a "NVMe drive" only? That would be nice...

How about this?:

Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com

 

[macjunkie2013]

Yes it needs power input. Strange that they don't sell it with a power brick, but that seems to be more and more common. That other Dock will also need power even though you can buy it without.

I tried just as TB3 Powered only but it won't work. From what I can tell, having it powered seems to help performance a bit anyway, in comparison to plain enclosures.

My LG phone charger (output 3V-5A) works fine, but I bought the one from Amazon in case I needed more output.