Level 1

16 points

External SDD for Mac mini Pro

I have decided to go for Mac mini Pro, and a external SDD. After some research, I get that I can't just choose a random SDD that fit my speed criteria. It's also about connectivity. Thunderbolt 3 and above or USB-C 4.0. Apple doesn't support USB-C 3.2 2x2, so this narrow the available SDDs out there.

I'm not into speed for hard drives. What do I actually need? I edit in both Photoshop, Final Cut Pro and After Effects. I also make music in Logic Pro. What speed is for the SDD is a minimum? I guess there is no point having a fast machine if the SDD slows me down?

And, should I keep all my apps installed internally in the mini or should this be stored in the external SDD?

Posted on Feb 2, 2025 10:51 PM

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39 replies

Feb 5, 2025 01:23 AM in response to Neguah

I have been very happy using OWC Dual Drive Dock with numerous bare SATA 3.5" and 2.5" HDD and SSD drives.

Sustained R/W with SSDs is 530-560 MB/s (Samsung 860/870 EVO 1-2 TB), with HDDs up to 110 MB/s (various very old 5400-7200 rpm HDDs). Mac mini 2018 can also boot from those drives.

https://www.owc.com/solutions/drive-dock

I have used HDDs as cold archives for images, movies etc (duplicated with Carbon Copy Cloner to at least one other HDD as a backup).

Those SSD speeds are enough for me but the newer similar OWC Dual Drive Dock that supports also M.2 SSD via U.2 Adapter might be around 1000 MB/s with such disks.

https://www.owc.com/solutions/drive-dock-u.2

Neguah Author

Level 1

16 points

Feb 5, 2025 01:46 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Ian R. Brown wrote:

That should work well but the enclosure is very expensive . . . about 3x more than necessary (I'm the proverbial Scrooge!)

Huh, you don’t say. Here I thought it was not so expensive ($32 here in Norway). Appreciate the input😊

Neguah Author

Level 1

16 points

Feb 5, 2025 06:13 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Ian R. Brown wrote:

This one is very popular over here and cheap.

SABRENT NVMe Enclosure

Funny you should mention this. Have had this as my first choice, but I can’t find it in Norway. Too expensive to order from abroad.

Feb 3, 2025 02:26 AM in response to Neguah

What do you mean by slowing you down?

Slowing what?

Making your Mac less responsive or taking longer to Render/Export?

Even a slow HDD shouldn't affect that but by all means get an SSD if you wish.

Neguah Author

Level 1

16 points

Feb 3, 2025 03:45 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

So having a slow HDD would not be a bottleneck? How can this be?

Yes, slowing my editing process, rendering and export.

Feb 3, 2025 05:21 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Incidentally modern Macs don't need to render video unless you have a particularly complex timeline with numerous effects.

Neguah Author

Level 1

16 points

Feb 3, 2025 11:28 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Since you say enclosures, you recommend me going for internal SSD, not external?

Feb 5, 2025 01:30 AM in response to Neguah

That should work well but the enclosure is very expensive . . . about 3x more than necessary (I'm the proverbial Scrooge!)

Feb 5, 2025 02:22 AM in response to Neguah

This one is very popular over here and cheap.

SABRENT NVMe Enclosure

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External SDD for Mac mini Pro