i have not rolled my own in a while-putting together external hard drive

[robfilmsnyc]

i am transitioning from an intel imac (that machine was great!) to a new-to-me 16" M1 mbp.

i want to put together an external hard drive to supplement the 512 in the M1.

i was hoping for something in the 4TB range.

i know OWC has an M2 NVME enclosure but i was also looking at this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C8CZB5S7/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2OVK74ORFFJID&th=1

care to recommend a M2 NVME hard drive?

i was looking at the samsung 990/980/970 series. (plus or pro?)

i have never put together a M2 NVME hard drive.

is it as simple as it appears?

again, great to have this site up and running?

thumbs up.

rob

[d4]

This isn't what you were asking about, but it might be an option:

Amazon Prime Day Deal
SAMSUNG T7 Portable SSD, 4TB External Solid State Drive, Speeds Up to 1,050MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2
$218.49

Amazon Link

[robfilmsnyc]

D4-

a good option.

thanks for the sharing.

thumbs up.

rob

[Diana]

i am transitioning from an intel imac (that machine was great!) to a new-to-me 16" M1 mbp.

i want to put together an external hard drive to supplement the 512 in the M1.

i was hoping for something in the 4TB range.

i know OWC has an M2 NVME enclosure but i was also looking at this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C8CZB5S7/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2OVK74ORFFJID&th=1

care to recommend a M2 NVME hard drive?

i was looking at the samsung 990/980/970 series. (plus or pro?)

i have never put together a M2 NVME hard drive.

is it as simple as it appears?

again, great to have this site up and running?

thumbs up.

rob

In my experience anything over 1TB will generate heat; I had a 2TB in a fanless enclosure (that failed) get scaldingly hot. The NVMe was okay once transplanted into a new case. I think it is a Samsung 980, but I would have to open it up to make sure. While a heat shield may sound like a good idea, if you are wanting to put it in an enclosure it most likely won’t fit without voiding the warranty. Lest you think NVMe drives don’t fail, I had one that did die a premature death. I got it through our sponsor who made the return and replacement process fast and easy—OWC just rocks. 

And yes, they are that easy. Just make sure you get an appropriate case. The one you linked to looks good; I went with an OWC case myself. 

Yep, another shameless plug! 

[freeradical]

AFAIK, the Mac does not support the 20 Gbps flavor of USB, so you shouldn't pay more just to get that capability.

I have a 4 TB Samsung T7, and a 4 TB Samsung 990 Pro in an OWC 1M2 chassis.

The 990 definitely radiates heat, which is why the 1M2 looks like a big old heat sink.

I would say that for portability go for something like the T7, although the 990 Pro in the 1M2 box is just as fast as the internal SSD on my M1 Mini...

---

AFAIK, the Mac does not support the 20 Gbps flavor of USB, so you shouldn't pay more just to get that capability.

I have a 4 TB Samsung T7, and a 4 TB Samsung 990 Pro in an OWC 1M2 chassis.

The 990 definitely radiates heat, which is why the 1M2 looks like a big old heat sink.

I would say that for portability go for something like the T7, although the 990 Pro in the 1M2 box is just as fast as the internal SSD on my M1 Mini...

Well, almost as fast...            

[RAMd®d]

In my experience anything over 1TB will generate heat  .


In my experience, 1TB generates heat, even idling.

I have a couple of 1M2 OWC boxes, which are heat sinks that hold an m.2 stick.

They get very, very warm.

A box with a fan could be a big help, but what happens if the fan dies?

Maybe it'll just run warmer.

And no, no support for 20Gbps.


The physical bit of rolling your own is pretty easy.

A box and stick with the m.2 protocol is the start.

I like boxes that have lids, not sleeves.

Just push the stick into the m.2 connector and use an included screw to secure the other end of the stick to the circuit board.

Most boxes have some room for a silicone heat sink strip, which may be included with the stick.

Some include a metal heat sink.

There may not be room for both and allow the lid to fit without undo pressure on the stick and board.

Basically, that's it.

Most boxes include a cable that won't impede the boxes maximum throughput, but I don't know that's a given.

And the boxes rated throughput often applies to PCs, and not Macs, so you may see numbers that Macs won't achieve.

[chopper]

This isn't what you were asking about, but it might be an option:

Amazon Prime Day Deal
SAMSUNG T7 Portable SSD, 4TB External Solid State Drive, Speeds Up to 1,050MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2
$218.49

Amazon Link

Now this is the solid dealmac info we NEED. I might buy one and stick it on the back of my iMac Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017.

[robfilmsnyc]

This isn't what you were asking about, but it might be an option:

Amazon Prime Day Deal
SAMSUNG T7 Portable SSD, 4TB External Solid State Drive, Speeds Up to 1,050MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2
$218.49

Amazon Link

Now this is the solid dealmac info we NEED. I might buy one and stick it on the back of my iMac Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017.

chopper-

for nearly the past decade, i've been working on a late 2015 iMac 27" i7/4.0/40gb/3TB that has been the BEST work machine i have ever used.

stills. video. audio. small biz stuff. 

this machine has been a workhorse.

but so much of the media oriented software i use now offers new tools (which are wonderful!) that are only accessible with Mac Silicon.

that's why i got myself a used 16" M1 MBP so i can taste the future.

i so wish that Apple would make a PRO 27" iMac.

i have waited for years but there has not been a peep from Apple.

sigh.

all good. 

thumbs up.

rob

[jdcjdc]

there are 2 different options in this thread.

NVMe is a drive type/connection. Typically when one says "NVMe case" = 10 GB/s and start at $20.

the case you posted is a Thunderbolt case. Add a NVMe drive = R/W speeds of 30+ GB/s = $76 price.
The Samsung T7 = has a NVMe drive, but a NMVe case = R/W @ 10 GB/s speeds

If its just for "storage" then 10 GB/s options are great. If its a drive where working files will go, and you are copy/pasting back and forth from the internal on, then TBolt is the better option

Out of curiosity, which M1? I kept looking at them, but went with a M4 Air... faster.

Apple does make a PRO 27" iMac. Its just 2 pieces now, rather than 1.

---

Now this is the solid dealmac info we NEED. I might buy one and stick it on the back of my iMac Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017.

4TB External SSDs have been $190-200-220 for months. Nothing super special. Sandisk Pro, Crucial X9/X10 (highly rated), T7, more

[robfilmsnyc]

there are 2 different options in this thread.

NVMe is a drive type/connection. Typically when one says "NVMe case" = 10 GB/s and start at $20.

the case you posted is a Thunderbolt case. Add a NVMe drive = R/W speeds of 30+ GB/s = $76 price.
The Samsung T7 = has a NVMe drive, but a NMVe case = R/W @ 10 GB/s speeds

If its just for "storage" then 10 GB/s options are great. If its a drive where working files will go, and you are copy/pasting back and forth from the internal on, then TBolt is the better option

Out of curiosity, which M1? I kept looking at them, but went with a M4 Air... faster.

Apple does make a PRO 27" iMac. Its just 2 pieces now, rather than 1.

---

Now this is the solid dealmac info we NEED. I might buy one and stick it on the back of my iMac Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017.

4TB External SSDs have been $190-200-220 for months. Nothing super special. Sandisk Pro, Crucial X9/X10 (highly rated), T7, more

jdcjdc-

i picked up a 16" M1 macbook pro 16/512 from original owner/battery 92%/$700.

after so many years with the imac (imac pro+2 pieces=funny and right!), i was unsure whether i needed the potential mobility of a laptop. i was concerned about video editing on a mba with the reports of throttling on pieces longer than 10min with several layers, so i went mbp.

i can see myself with a mac mini or studio and "saving" the M1 for when we are traveling.

(i just became a first time grandfather so we will be traveling in the northeast more often!)

btw-good to see you found your way to this new site.

you and others are such a wonderful source of mac/apple info.

thumbs up.

rob