What should I do if my External Enclosure is too hot?

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Level 1

6 points

What should I do if my External Enclosure is too hot?

I just received my OWC 1m2 enclosure and installed the internal SSD(WD SN850X 2TB) and connected it to my m4 Mac mini and while in idle it is extremely hot to the touch. Is it supposed to get hot while in idle or is there something I should've done after installing the SSD? I read online that it should be in low power mode while in idle but upon checking the settings I could not find the "power settings" as it was referred to online! any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Mac mini, macOS 15.3

Posted on Dec 21, 2024 02:54 PM

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Answer 1

tbirdvet

Level 6

16,721 points

Dec 21, 2024 04:21 PM in response to Blaque37

NVME drives run very warm to the touch even at idle. Depending on the enclosure design and NVME the temp. can vary. I use the WD SN850X in my Acasis enclosure but mine as a small fan so remains cool except under heavy loads. I assume you used a thermal pad on the drive to help dissipate the heat?

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Answer 2

Dec 22, 2024 05:19 AM in response to Blaque37

How much data do you have on the drive? If it is quite a bit, Spotlight could be indexing it while the machine is idle which would cause the drive to warm up.

Also, a hot case in itself is not necessarily a bad thing as it means the heat sinking is actually working and getting the heat away from the SSD blade. I would find a drive case that never gets warm would be a warning that the SSD blade is not getting rid of its heat.

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Answer 3

hcsitas

Level 6

13,958 points

Dec 21, 2024 05:39 PM in response to Blaque37

Try these settings exactly as shown, might fix:

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Answer 4

Blaque37 Author

Level 1

6 points

Dec 21, 2024 04:44 PM in response to tbirdvet

There was a thermal pad pre-installed on the inside of the enclosure when it was purchased and there was no room to add an additional one before closing the enclosure.

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Answer 5

Blaque37 Author

Level 1

6 points

Dec 22, 2024 07:43 AM in response to woodmeister50

There is no data on it. I just got it yesterday.

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What should I do if my External Enclosure is too hot?

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