The enclosure do get crazy warm when using it, though. Don't feel too comfortable about that.
I've visited this thread off and on, and neither do I.
It' Not that because even some cheaper SSDs tend to sleep after some times not being used! Plus some these drives (especially brand model) tend to sleep. They seem to wake up when a Windows computer but on Mac/Linux machines the drive will not wake up to those Mac/Linux machines! Hence the 'disk not properly ejected' error on our Macs!
How does that impact things if you use an external TB3 SSD as your startup disk?
While the 2TB in my '23 Studio hovers around 33C, my TBU405 and Maiwo externals hover around 45C (which is about the same as the daily I recently experienced in the Mojave).
Thank you for posting a temp. of a Mac's internal SSD vs. an external SSD.
The question that follows is what temperature range for each is appropriate, and at what temp.s should be get concerned?
The next question is what are the anticipated long-term consequences of an SSD running at 45 degrees C (113 F) instead of 33 C (91.4 F)?
We need TB5 to enable any further progress in resolution/refresh rate, so I think it's logical that once it arrives, the displays will follow shortly after.
Maybe so, if TB5 rolls out widely. But will TB5 becomes ubiquitous where Thunderbolt is used, the way TB3 and 4 did? Or will it be largely confined to higher end systems?
We're used to seeing different implementations of USB-C ports (e.g.: data and/or power delivery, transfer rates, Thunderbolt vs. not). Might we see that with Thunderbolt?
Are enough people using Thunderbolt (or USB-4) monitors to drive improvements? I'd like to see 5 or 6K 32" monitors at moderate (i.e.: Non-Apple) prices.
I replaced the thermal pad in the Zike drive, which always runs hot, around 60°C idling. Have a Lexar NM790 4TB in there. I figured the original one shipped with the Zike drive perhaps wasn't thick enough. So I bought a stack of them. Added them until the case wouldn't close anymore and backed off by 1 pad. 48°C. Then when it was busy being written to, it went up to 58°C. Then, after being read for Time Machine, 56°C. Not a big difference. The M1 Max internal SSD is about 20°C cooler.
So now we've got a report of 60 degrees Calcius (140 F). You went to considerable DIY bother to get it down to 48 idling (118.4 F). Most people won't do that. How much long-term benefit is likely to be gained from what you did?
I sought an objective opinion on how hot 140 F is. From
JohnsManville:
"Is 140 degrees hot to the touch?
ASTM C1055 (Standard Guide for Heated System Surface Conditions that Produce Contact Burn Injuries) recommends that pipe surface temperatures remain at or below 140°F. The reason for this is that the average person can touch a 140°F surface for up to five seconds without sustaining irreversible burn damage."
No amount of thermal pads are going to counter the chipset not idling. These enclosures don't have the surface area and mass to dissipate nearly 6W of heat at idle.
Why don't they?
I get it with the little portable external SSDs, but why is there not an external Thunderbolt 3 SSD designed for the desktop with enough mass to keep the thing cool?
If it stays cool in a Mac Studio, why can't it stay cool in an external enclosure?
Given Apple's severely high internal SSD upgrade prices, I imagine many users will ask whether it's better to buy an external TB3 SSD and make it the startup disk, saving several hundred, hoping that roughly halving the read/write speeds won't affect the user experience noticeably (speaking of which, what do you guys think about that?). But many people keep Macs a long time (I'm over 7-years old on an iMac now); over that time frame, what does an extra 12 - 27 degrees Celsius heat do?
P.S.: If I ever get to upgrade this iMac, the internal vs. external option will be on my mind.