What external ssd drive is best for a M1 Mac mini?

[Mac-ra]

I’ve been swooning non-stop over the MBP M1 I bought last month…that is until I started to research which external SSD’s I should get to replace my two current HDD’s (one for incremental TM backups, the other for higher-speed & larger files while on-the-go).

Then, before finding this MacRumors thread, my first disappointment came from https://machow2.com/thunderbolt-vs-usbc/. It comes as no surprise to readers of this thread that I was WRONG to assume that TB4 surely must be backward compatible with USB3 Gen 2x2. I now understand why it was wrong but it still doesn’t seem to justify what would seem to be a given to someone who knows just enough about PC technology to be dangerous. So now my higher-speed “on the go“ SSD choice is no longer simple (originally a Sandisk Extreme Pro V2 seemed perfect). Instead it’s now between the modest gain of a 10Gbps SSD and the absurdly nosebleed prices of a TB one.

Then I found this MacRumors thread and learned that the modest gain of a 10Gbps SSD is probably even more modest due to the 25% speed reduction in the Mac M1’s USB3 Gen 2 port. This mystifies me enough that I’ll have to download & run Black Magic when I get a Samsung T7 Shield, Sandisk Extreme V2 or…(waiting for Black Friday). Oh well, my MBP M1 honeymoon is officially over until perhaps TB SSD prices finally start to come down.

I will try to write another post with some info I found that might add some useful info to this “SSD via USB3 Gen 2 vs. 2x2 on an M1 Mac” discussion…assuming anyone cares at this point!

 

[Digitalguy]

I’ve been swooning non-stop over the MBP M1 I bought last month…that is until I started to research which external SSD’s I should get to replace my two current HDD’s (one for incremental TM backups, the other for higher-speed & larger files while on-the-go).

Then, before finding this MacRumors thread, my first disappointment came from https://machow2.com/thunderbolt-vs-usbc/. It comes as no surprise to readers of this thread that I was WRONG to assume that TB4 surely must be backward compatible with USB3 Gen 2x2. I now understand why it was wrong but it still doesn’t seem to justify what would seem to be a given to someone who knows just enough about PC technology to be dangerous. So now my higher-speed “on the go“ SSD choice is no longer simple (originally a Sandisk Extreme Pro V2 seemed perfect). Instead it’s now between the modest gain of a 10Gbps SSD and the absurdly nosebleed prices of a TB one.

Then I found this MacRumors thread and learned that the modest gain of a 10Gbps SSD is probably even more modest due to the 25% speed reduction in the Mac M1’s USB3 Gen 2 port. This mystifies me enough that I’ll have to download & run Black Magic when I get a Samsung T7 Shield, Sandisk Extreme V2 or…(waiting for Black Friday). Oh well, my MBP M1 honeymoon is officially over until perhaps TB SSD prices finally start to come down.

I will try to write another post with some info I found that might add some useful info to this “SSD via USB3 Gen 2 vs. 2x2 on an M1 Mac” discussion…assuming anyone cares at this point!

Don't forget to take into account that TB cannot use almost half of its bandwidth for storage transfers. Out of the 40Gb/s only around 22/22.5 can be used for storage (the rest is there for video etc.). So while 10Gb/s cannot be used entirely either (only around 8 can be used on Intel and around 6 on M1/2 Macs, a little bit more on the pro version), TB/UBS 4 will use 22 out of 40 on any system...

 

[Mac-ra]

Understood and all the more reason why I can't justify the nosebleed prices of a TB SSD. I plan to have both Sandisk's Extreme & Extreme Pro Portable V2 SSD's in hand within a week and will run Blackmagic tests on them via my M1 MBP's TB4 ports. I'm expecting to see little difference between the two while also irrationally? hoping to see better than 600MBps. Thanks for your help and expertise on this matter and maybe I'll have something interesting to report about my results vs. what the PC reviewers show in their tests of these drives.

 

[Pressure]

Just get an USB4 (TB4) NVMe enclosure. The Acacis USB4 enclosure is only $120 right now and plop whatever size SSD you need in it. TB4 gives you up to 32Gbps for data, so expect around 2800MBps read and 2500MBps write (depending on SSD).

 

[EugW]

Just get an USB4 (TB4) NVMe enclosure. The Acacis USB4 enclosure is only $120 right now and plop whatever size SSD you need in it. TB4 gives you up to 32Gbps for data, so expect around 2800MBps read and 2500MBps write (depending on SSD).

Well, it depends on just how fast you need it to be, but the Samsung T7 Shield 2 TB is only $149.99.

SAMSUNG T7 Shield 2TB, Portable SSD, up-to 1050MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen2, Rugged, IP65 Water & Dust Resistant, for Photographers, Content Creators and Gaming, Extenal Solid State Drive (MU-PE2T0S/AM), Black

Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD delivers high performance on-the-go, not matter the terrain. It has an IP65 rating for water** and dust* resistance, with Dynamic Thermal Guard to manage heat control. Transfer huge files instantly. USB 3.2 Gen 2 and PCIe® NVMe™ achieve soaring sequential read/write...

www.amazon.com

 

[gradi]

Understood and all the more reason why I can't justify the nosebleed prices of a TB SSD. I plan to have both Sandisk's Extreme & Extreme Pro Portable V2 SSD's in hand within a week and will run Blackmagic tests on them via my M1 MBP's TB4 ports. I'm expecting to see little difference between the two while also irrationally? hoping to see better than 600MBps. Thanks for your help and expertise on this matter and maybe I'll have something interesting to report about my results vs. what the PC reviewers show in their tests of these drives.

I hope you will post your results here after you run the tests.

 

[Mac-ra]

Will do!

 

[Digitalguy]

Understood and all the more reason why I can't justify the nosebleed prices of a TB SSD. I plan to have both Sandisk's Extreme & Extreme Pro Portable V2 SSD's in hand within a week and will run Blackmagic tests on them via my M1 MBP's TB4 ports. I'm expecting to see little difference between the two while also irrationally? hoping to see better than 600MBps. Thanks for your help and expertise on this matter and maybe I'll have something interesting to report about my results vs. what the PC reviewers show in their tests of these drives.

2x2 is not supported by Macs so ythe Extreme portable and the Extreme portable pro should have the same speed. Do note that 6Gbs is not 600MBs but 750... (1byte = 8 bits)

 

[Digitalguy]

Just get an USB4 (TB4) NVMe enclosure. The Acacis USB4 enclosure is only $120 right now and plop whatever size SSD you need in it. TB4 gives you up to 32Gbps for data, so expect around 2800MBps read and 2500MBps write (depending on SSD).

You probably meant 22 instead of 32 (2800MBs is around 22GBs, while 32 is 4000MBs, very far from TB speeds)

 

[Digitalguy]

Well, it depends on just how fast you need it to be, but the Samsung T7 Shield 2 TB is only $149.99.

SAMSUNG T7 Shield 2TB, Portable SSD, up-to 1050MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen2, Rugged, IP65 Water & Dust Resistant, for Photographers, Content Creators and Gaming, Extenal Solid State Drive (MU-PE2T0S/AM), Black

Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD delivers high performance on-the-go, not matter the terrain. It has an IP65 rating for water** and dust* resistance, with Dynamic Thermal Guard to manage heat control. Transfer huge files instantly. USB 3.2 Gen 2 and PCIe® NVMe™ achieve soaring sequential read/write...

www.amazon.com

Yeah honestly I wouldn't buy a $120 TB enclosure to fill it with a 1TB drive... (which would probably cost less) but it makes sense for 4TB drives, but they are so expensive, they are sold at quite a premium vs 2TB ones, unless you go with QLC... but then what's even the point of TB....
I think it can make sense for 2TB drives if having that kind of sequential speed is really important... (of for future-proofing while waiting for TLC 4TB to become more mainstream, but then TB enclosure prices will probably come down too...)

 

[jonny_MU]

Interesting discussion, I happen to have the SanDisk 4TB (nonPro V2 & Pro V2) on my Studio Ultra (Ventura 13.0.1).
Maybe someone can use it ...

 

[Mac-ra]

2x2 is not supported by Macs so ythe Extreme portable and the Extreme portable pro should have the same speed. Do note that 6Gbs is not 600MBs but 750... (1byte = 8 bits)

Yeah, just curious since I’ve never done any drive speed testing, and sorry about messing up the bit to byte conversion (with a CS degree you’d think I’d know better but after years of working as an engineer I can get loosey-goosey with calcs when thinking big picture).

 

[yellowhelicopter]

Then I found this MacRumors thread and learned that the modest gain of a 10Gbps SSD is probably even more modest due to the 25% speed reduction in the Mac M1’s USB3 Gen 2 port.

Yep, my M2 in a cheap USB 3.1 Gen 2 enclosure shows 870/830 MB/s in Disk Speed Test. But it's fine I think, no problems at all with the speed except a noticeably longer boot time compared to internal drive. In other cases it's almost indistinguishable in usual practical use.

 

[Digitalguy]

Interesting discussion, I happen to have the SanDisk 4TB (nonPro V2 & Pro V2) on my Studio Ultra (Ventura 13.0.1).
Maybe someone can use it ...

Interesting, so there is a small difference, at least with your system... Having said that, definitely not a difference that justifies the additional price of the pro (which on supported 2x2 Windows devices should be twice as fast)

 

[Mac-ra]

I ran BlackMagic tests on a SanDisk Extreme Portable V2 2TB and Extreme Pro V2 1TB each connected via the SanDisk-provided USB-C cable directly to a TB4 port on my M1 MBP. The results were partially as expected (i.e., the Pro did not break the 10gbps barrier) and partially surprising (read on).

I let BlackMagic go through nearly a dozen W/R cycles until it seemed apparent to me what both the maximum speeds were along with how much variation there was from one cycle to the next (I've never used Black Magic before and was expecting it to keep track of this maximum along with, say, an average...perhaps it does and I just don't see it?).

Anyway, here are the apparent maximum speeds I saw....

The Extreme:

And the Extreme Pro:

What's surprising is:

1. The Extreme Pro seems to be operating at the maximum speed expected when connected to a USB3.2 Gen2 port and without much, if any, throttling from my M1 Mac. I'm basing this on the BlackMagic test results @ https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/sandisk-extreme-pro-portable-ssd-v2 which shows 944/878MB/s W/R speeds for the Extreme Pro on a pre-M1 Mac, and an unnamed test @ https://dongknows.com/sandisk-extreme-portable-ssd-2020-review/ which shows much slower speeds for the Extreme Pro on a Windows PC Gen2 port.
2. OTOH the Extreme's speeds clearly seem to be throttled by my M1 Mac. I'm basing this on the above PCMag's BlackMagic test results which instead show both the Extreme and Extreme Pro speeds to be nearly identical via a Gen2 connection.

Even more surprising was the variation in the speeds I saw. The Extreme Pro never varied more than +/-10Mb/s between W/R cycles while the Extreme write (not read) speeds would sometimes dip to as low as 600MB/s. So, while the maximum write speed of the Extreme appears to be throttled by ~10% or 100MB/s, instead I'd estimate that the average write speed of the Extreme was closer to 750MB/s or more like 18% slower than the Extreme Pro. Clearly there's something more going on here than what we'd expect from these SSD's on an M1's TB/Gen2 port (i.e., is there some other link in the Extreme Pro's comm chain that allows it to reach its speed potential better than the Extreme does despite the expected M1's Gen2 speed throttling?...this is where my minimal expertise of PC hardware comes to a grinding halt).

What this means to me is that:

1. I don't see the value in spending $100+ more for a 2TB Extreme Pro vs. the Extreme since I'll be using this SSD exclusively for continuous incremental TM backups. I could get by with my old HDD for that.
2. OTOH getting a 10-20% faster 1TB Extreme Pro for only $30 more than the Extreme seems like a deal given that I'll be using that SSD for my on-the-go use. Then again I've just bought a new M1 MBP so why wouldn't I want to spend $120 more to check out the Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q if only for the joy of seeing my M1's TB4 ports doing what they're meant to be doing (and I don't deal with file sizes that supposedly brings the Sabrent's write speed to its knees)?

Thoughts?

 

[EugW]

@Mac-ra, nice tests. Note though that even 927 MB/s may be somewhat throttled.

On my M1 I get 812 MB/s with my Samsung T7 Shield but I get 1034 MB/s on my 2017 iMac.

The Extreme Pro in other tests also shows well over 1000 MB/s speeds.

However, what may be more important is sustained speed, not peak. A lot of the drives slow down over time.

 

[Mac-ra]

@Mac-ra, nice tests. Note though that even 927 MB/s may be somewhat throttled.

On my M1 I get 812 MB/s with my Samsung T7 Shield but I get 1034 MB/s on my 2017 iMac.

The Extreme Pro in other tests also shows well over 1000 MB/s speeds.

However, what may be more important is sustained speed, not peak. A lot of the drives slow down over time.

Agreed, especially if you get ~1,000MB/s on a non-M1 TB/Gen2 port, though the Extreme Pro's 10% throttling I can accept. That's pretty minor vs. the apparent 25% throttling of the Extreme. Also agree about the sustained speed though I rarely deal with files much above 1GB so that's not a priority for me (hence why I might check out the Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q drive just to see what real TB speeds are like on my MBP).

 

[Mac-ra]

I just read a claim that if you plug a Gen 2x2 external SSD into an M1's TB3 port, you don't get the M1-specific penalty seen with Gen 2 (i.e., for those drives, both AS and Intel show the same speeds). Anyone have a Gen 2x2 SSD and both an M1 and Intel box for testing?

I don't know if my test above completely proves this claim (I didn't do the Intel part of the test) but it sure seems like the SanDisk Extreme Pro Gen2x2 SSD R/W speeds are 10/20% faster than the Extreme Gen2 when plugged into my M1 MBP TB4 ports. Is that enough to make the Extreme Pro worth the extra cash?...I'd say it depends on the capacity and who you ask (for me I'd say for the 1TB but no otherwise).

 

[Gudi]

2X2 is very rare and I don't think it's even supported by the Mac

Is this established knowledge? This source in German claims that 2×2 devices do not have speed problems with M1 Macs, only USB 3.1 Gen 2 devices don't achieve their advertised 10Gb/s speeds.

Apple: MacBooks und iMacs mit M1, M1 Pro und M1 Max haben Probleme mit USB 3.1 Gen 2
"Geräte, die auf USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbit/s) oder auf USB 4 (40 Gbit/s) zurückgreifen, haben offenbar keine vergleichbaren Probleme an M1-Macs."

 

[Mac-ra]

Is this established knowledge? This source in German claims that 2×2 devices do not have speed problems with M1 Macs, only USB 3.1 Gen 2 devices don't achieve their advertised 10Gb/s speeds.

Apple: MacBooks und iMacs mit M1, M1 Pro und M1 Max haben Probleme mit USB 3.1 Gen 2
"Geräte, die auf USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbit/s) oder auf USB 4 (40 Gbit/s) zurückgreifen, haben offenbar keine vergleichbaren Probleme an M1-Macs."

Based on earlier posts in this thread it does not appear to be "established knowledge". However I was hoping that my tests above might lend some credence to this claim (or at least that Gen2x2 devices are able to get closer to 10Gb/s speeds than Gen2 devices when connected to M1 Macs...which of course is not much solace given that Gen2x2 devices should be capable of up to 20Gb/s). It would take someone other than me with way more experience & expertise in the testing of computer hardware to help establish this claim as "extablished knowledge"...who might that be?

 

[theorist9]

I don't know if my test above completely proves this claim (I didn't do the Intel part of the test) but it sure seems like the SanDisk Extreme Pro Gen2x2 SSD R/W speeds are 10/20% faster than the Extreme Gen2 when plugged into my M1 MBP TB4 ports. Is that enough to make the Extreme Pro worth the extra cash?...I'd say it depends on the capacity and who you ask (for me I'd say for the 1TB but no otherwise).

Interesting. The speed you got with an Extreme Pro on an M1 about equals what I got for the Gen 2 Extreme on my 2019 Intel iMac.

Here's your Extreme Pro (Gen 2x2) on an M1:

My Extreme (Gen 2) on an Intel iMac:

Unfortunately, I don't have an Extreme Pro (Gen 2x2) to test to see if it's even faster. But I do have a Kingston XS2000, which is Gen 2x2.

Kingston XS2000 (Gen 2x2) on an Intel iMac:

 

[Mac-ra]

Interesting. The speed you got with an Extreme Pro on an M1 about equals what I got for the Gen 2 Extreme on my 2019 Intel iMac.

Here's your Extreme Pro (Gen 2x2) on an M1:

View attachment 2122615

My Extreme (Gen 2) on an Intel iMac:
View attachment 2122610

Unfortunately, I don't have an Extreme Pro (Gen 2x2) to test to see if it's even faster. But I do have a Kingston XS2000, which is Gen 2x2.

Kingston XS2000 (Gen 2x2) on an Intel iMac:
View attachment 2122613

Interesting indeed! Hence why I'm thinking that, all else being equal, Gen2x2 SSD's will be faster than Gen2's on an M1 or at least an M1 MBP which is what I have (i.e., since the reviewer tests I sited above show that the Extreme and Extreme Pro show the same speeds when connected to a Gen2 port on an Intel PC or Mac). And these are also good data points for possibly? proving (to me at least) that Gen2x2 SSD's are not throttled on an M1 TB4 port (or, again, at least an M1 Pro). I like it...thanks!

 

[theorist9]

Interesting indeed! Hence why I'm thinking that, all else being equal, Gen2x2 SSD's will be faster than Gen2's on an M1 or at least an M1 MBP which is what I have (i.e., since the reviewer tests I sited above show that the Extreme and Extreme Pro show the same speeds when connected to a Gen2 port on an Intel PC or Mac). And these are also good data points for possibly? proving (to me at least) that Gen2x2 SSD's are not throttled on an M1 TB4 port (or, again, at least an M1 Pro). I like it...thanks!

It's also remarkable how much the price of the 4 TB Extreme Pro (V2) has dropped on AZ, from ~$600 in July to $350 today:

SanDisk 4TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD - Up to 2000MB/s - USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, IP65 Water and Dust Resistance, Updated Firmware - External Solid State Drive - SDSSDE81-4T00-G25

Amazon price tracking & price history for SanDisk 4TB Extreme PRO Portable SSD - Up to 2000MB/s - USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, IP65 Water and Dust Resistance, Updated Firmware - External Solid State Drive - SDSSDE81-4T00-G25

camelcamelcamel.com

 

[MikeFAB]

I have a Mac Mini M1, 16GB RAM & 256 GB SSD, with only program files on the SSD.
I received an Acasis External SSD today and fitted it with a Samsung 980 Pro 1TB NVME 2.0 PCIe 4.0 SSD. I have a Sabrent Tool Free NVME Enclosure fitted with a Sabrent 1TB Rocket NVME PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD, the latter is connected directly to the second TBolt 3 Port of the Mac Min and the Primary TBolt 3 Port is connected to a Caldigit TS 3 Plus Dock, The Acasis / 980 Pro SSD is connected to the TBolt 3 out port of the dock. The Sabrent has about 153 GB of data flles on it. A simple comparison was run as the external drives are fitted, these are the results:

Sabrent SSD:

Acasis / 980 Pro:

So far, I have not tried them them the other way around, in terms of what the SSDs are connected to.

 

[Digitalguy]

I have a Mac Mini M1, 16GB RAM & 256 GB SSD, with only program files on the SSD.
I received an Acasis External SSD today and fitted it with a Samsung 980 Pro 1TB NVME 2.0 PCIe 4.0 SSD. I have a Sabrent Tool Free NVME Enclosure fitted with a Sabrent 1TB Rocket NVME PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD, the latter is connected directly to the second TBolt 3 Port of the Mac Min and the Primary TBolt 3 Port is connected to a Caldigit TS 3 Plus Dock, The Acasis / 980 Pro SSD is connected to the TBolt 3 out port of the dock. The Sabrent has about 153 GB of data flles on it. A simple comparison was run as the external drives are fitted, these are the results:

Sabrent SSD:
View attachment 2124421


Acasis / 980 Pro:
View attachment 2124422

So far, I have not tried them them the other way around, in terms of what the SSDs are connected to.

Good to know! I am waiting for my Acacis to arrive. Will either be pairing it with my 980 pro (1TB) or my SN850X (4TB). I'll see if there is a difference between it plugged directly to the M1 mini or to my TB4 OWC hub. I'll also be testing it with my Windows TB4 and TB3 devices.