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Thunderbolt 3 M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosures

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masotime

masotime

macrumors 68030
Jun 24, 2012
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San Jose, CA
Paired a Nextorage 4TB (currently $195 via Newegg) with a Zikedrive Z666 ($129) and got pretty good results on an M2 MacBook Air.

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EzisAA

EzisAA

macrumors regular
Jan 26, 2017
110
66
Riga, Latvia
Loco Sock said:
Got the cable and I feel much better. It's running about the same, maybe a few percent quicker. Not worried about disconnects or dropouts.
Click to expand...
I use it from 2019 day to day. I buyed it for GoPro 6 Black to transfer video and charge camera. Later was use it with Sony A7M3 camera for charging from powerbank also in rain. ☔️ 🥲 Then with ACASIS Thunderbolt nvme case. Now with CalDigit TS3+.

Durable and performance is at a high level for this cable.

Maybe it is for somebody to expensive. But for me it is multifuncional cable who always work like he must to work.
 
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Loco Sock

macrumors member
May 17, 2010
69
39
Lounge Deluxe said:
The Zikedrive Z666 seems usb 4 only and no Thunderbolt support, does that mean that this enclosure does not support Trim? If not, that would be a show stopper for me unfortunately.
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USB4 40Gbps/Compatible with Thunderbolt4, Thunderbolt3 40Gbps, USB3.2 Gen2 10Gbps, USB3.2 Gen1 5Gbps,USB2.0

I got that from the Specs.
 
EzisAA

EzisAA

macrumors regular
Jan 26, 2017
110
66
Riga, Latvia
Lounge Deluxe said:
The Zikedrive Z666 seems usb 4 only and no Thunderbolt support, does that mean that this enclosure does not support Trim? If not, that would be a show stopper for me unfortunately.
Click to expand...
USB 4 is the new Thunderbolt 3 name. The same minimal specs - 20Gbps (optional 40Gbps), one 4K 60Hz Display (optional 2x 4K 60Hz Display's). So all the same. Thats why Apple M1 and M2 is USB4/Thunderbolt 3, but M1/M2 Pro/Max/Ultra is Thunderbolt 4 (because is minimal specs 40Gbps, 2x 4K Displays)
 
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Lounge Deluxe

macrumors regular
Jun 1, 2009
153
20
Amsterdam
EzisAA said:
USB 4 is the new Thunderbolt 3 name. The same minimal specs - 20Gbps (optional 40Gbps), one 4K 60Hz Display (optional 2x 4K 60Hz Display's). So all the same. Thats why Apple M1 and M2 is USB4/Thunderbolt 3, but M1/M2 Pro/Max/Ultra is Thunderbolt 4 (because is minimal specs 40Gbps, 2x 4K Displays)
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Obviously both technologies are not entirely the same e.g. TB supports longer cable lengths, and allows for daisy chaining of up to 6 devices which USB 4 doesn't. And then there's trim which is not supported by USB 4.
 
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joevt

macrumors 604
Jun 21, 2012
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EzisAA said:
USB 4 is the new Thunderbolt 3 name. The same minimal specs - 20Gbps (optional 40Gbps), one 4K 60Hz Display (optional 2x 4K 60Hz Display's). So all the same. Thats why Apple M1 and M2 is USB4/Thunderbolt 3, but M1/M2 Pro/Max/Ultra is Thunderbolt 4 (because is minimal specs 40Gbps, 2x 4K Displays)
Click to expand...
USB4 is different than Thunderbolt. USB4 uses 20 Gbps x2. Thunderbolt 3/4 uses 20.625 Gbps x2.

A USB4 host controller doesn't need to be able to do Thunderbolt 3/4.

Apple M1 and M2 is USB4/Thunderbolt 4 except Apple can't call it Thunderbolt 4 because it doesn't support two separate 4K displays. M1/M2 does support two separate DisplayPort connections over Thunderbolt but the second connection can only be used by dual tile displays like the Dell UP2715K or the LG UltraFine 5K.
 
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joevt

macrumors 604
Jun 21, 2012
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Lounge Deluxe said:
Obviously both technologies are not entirely the same e.g. TB supports longer cable lengths, and allows for daisy chaining of up to 6 devices which USB 4 doesn't. And then there's trim which is not supported by USB 4.
Click to expand...
What does TRIM have to do with USB4?

TRIM is part of the storage device. The storage device is connected using USB (mass storage device or UASP) or PCIe to a controller such as SCSI, FireWire, AHCI, SATA, SAS, NVMe etc.

USB4 tunnels USB or PCIe to communicate with the storage device.

Maybe TRIM is not enabled for some of those types storage devices - but the problem would be the same for Thunderbolt or PCIe connected controllers?
 
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Lounge Deluxe

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Jun 1, 2009
153
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joevt said:
What does TRIM have to do with USB4?

TRIM is part of the storage device. The storage device is connected using USB (mass storage device or UASP) or PCIe to a controller such as SCSI, FireWire, AHCI, SATA, SAS, NVMe etc.

USB4 tunnels USB or PCIe to communicate with the storage device.

Maybe TRIM is not enabled for some of those types storage devices - but the problem would be the same for Thunderbolt or PCIe connected controllers?
Click to expand...
What does TRIM have to do with USB4? Well, TRIM is an Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) command that enables an operating system to inform a NAND flash solid-state drive which data blocks it can erase because they are no longer in use. So TRIM is not part of the storage device, it's the OS that issues the TRIM command. A USB 3 or 4 external enclosure needs to support UASP at minimum to allow the OS to issue Trim commands to it.

But even then, it rarely works under Windows 10/11 and MacOS, including the 3 external USB enclosures I have that supposedly support UASP. Thunderbolt does not have this issue and always seems to allow Trim. Hence my question above to Masotime…
 
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joevt

macrumors 604
Jun 21, 2012
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Lounge Deluxe said:
But even then, it rarely works under Windows 10/11 and MacOS, including the 3 external USB enclosures I have that supposedly support UASP. Thunderbolt does not have this issue and always seems to allow Trim. Hence my question above to Masotime…
Click to expand...
In order to use a USB mass storage device as UASP, it must have a bInterfaceProtocol of type 98 (62h) instead of just 80 (50h). Check the ioreg.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/adding-usb-3-0-and-more-to-a-2011-mac.2308791/post-30578558
 
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PaulD-UK

macrumors 6502a
Oct 23, 2009
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Quote: "can you share how you test for TRIM support on MacOS?"

Option+ menu>Sytem Information>NVME Express>SSD Contoller>SSD ID: 2nd on list = TRIM Support

If the SSD doesn't show up under SSD controller it's not a PCIe (TB3/4) connection to the SSD.
If you can only find the SSD ID under USB>USB Device Tree, instead of NVME Express, then TRIM won't be enabled.
 
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majus

Contributor
Mar 25, 2004
485
433
Oklahoma City, OK
Has ayone used the StarTech TB31PCIEX16 enclosure? I'm wanting to know if on/off of the device is automatic with startup/shutdown of the computer, or does that even matter?
 
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ekwipt

macrumors 65816
Jan 14, 2008
1,069
362
majus said:
Has ayone used the StarTech TB31PCIEX16 enclosure? I'm wanting to know if on/off of the device is automatic with startup/shutdown of the computer, or does that even matter?
Click to expand...
Have not but I’ve been looking at one as well. I’ve got an old PCIE NVME. Add that I’ve never gotten round to use
 
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Loco Sock

macrumors member
May 17, 2010
69
39
Upgraded from a 2017 27" iMac to a Mac Mini M2 Pro and have gained a few hundred MB/s in both read and write to the external. I'll post pictures if requested.
 
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masotime

masotime

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Jun 24, 2012
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I decided to also try the JEYI USB4 enclosure since it uses more or less the same Asmedia ASM2464 (ASM2464PD?) chipset as the Zikedrive. Works pretty well too, and it's cheaper at US$75 (before sales tax). I ordered it on Nov 1st and got it today, Nov 9th, so it's a pretty quick turnaround.

It comes with a proper USB4 / Thunderbolt 4 cable (there's a lightning symbol and a 4 under it) so that's a nice bonus - I'm not sure if the Zikedrive's custom cable is also a Thunderbolt 4 cable.

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joevt

macrumors 604
Jun 21, 2012
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masotime said:
I decided to also try the JEYI USB4 enclosure since it uses more or less the same Asmedia ASM2464 (ASM2464PD?) chipset as the Zikedrive.
Click to expand...
The speeds seem to be within PCIe gen 3 limits.
The Nextorage SSD NE1N4TB is PCIe gen 4? Nevermind. You already showed the NVMe tab in System Information.app which shows gen 4 speed (16 GT/s).
What does the PCI tab in System Information.app show? It should also show 16 GT/s.
What does the Thunderbolt tab show? I wonder if it has any indication that a non Intel-Thunderbolt controller is being used.
I don't think it should show anything in the USB tab?
 
masotime

masotime

macrumors 68030
Jun 24, 2012
2,865
2,841
San Jose, CA
joevt said:
The speeds seem to be within PCIe gen 3 limits.
The Nextorage SSD NE1N4TB is PCIe gen 4? Nevermind. You already showed the NVMe tab in System Information.app which shows gen 4 speed (16 GT/s).
What does the PCI tab in System Information.app show? It should also show 16 GT/s.
What does the Thunderbolt tab show? I wonder if it has any indication that a non Intel-Thunderbolt controller is being used.
I don't think it should show anything in the USB tab?
Click to expand...
Here you go...


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Loco Sock

macrumors member
May 17, 2010
69
39
I'm not getting near those speeds on a Mac Studio M2 Max with the Acasis Enclosure and the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB.

Just set up a return for them. I also don't get a Link Speed of 16 GT, I only get 8 GT.
 
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