Thunderbolt vs USB hub for 2018 Mini?

Hi, currently already have a powered 7 port USB-A port for various peripherals into one of the two USB A ports. One TB port dedicated to a TB audio interface that requires it. All other ports are in use by a combination of portable external SSD, a 2nd monitor with a video hub on it.... pretty maxed out!

If i want to have say, a couple additional SSDs or an HDD in action for some reason, cables have to be swapped out. I'm basically a few ports short even with all USBs in use!

I need to do a project entailing a lot of quicklook preview scanning of audio files on external SDDs, and transfer of some files into various folders on the same or another connected external HD...that's where i felt i needed a powered hub.

Someone in a forum said i should consider a powered TB hub vs the USB-C or other variations of USB.

That's why i was hoping there might be a modestly priced version that might have say...4 ports or less. I wasn't sure if one of the TB ports on the mini might accomodate that and if so whether i could still use USB on it and which 'incarnation' of USB that'd be.

Ideally would like to just expand by 4 or so ports and have the ability to see 10 gbps speeds with that additional hub. Hope that clarifies!

It's truly head-spinning sifting through the plethora of hubs on Amazon with all the different variations of USB that have evolved. I know USB-A is going to be restricted to the 5gb speed and not sure that i absolutely need faster than 10gbps data for most things...i just thought it'd be nice to be able to have that option for the sort of rapid-fire read/write tasks i occasionally have to do, using the mini as the host computer.

Thanks!

It does seem the OWC is the closest thing. I wonder if,with adapters or USB-A to USB-C those ports are backward compatible in case i'd want to go that route.

On the other hand...this is a thought. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D31FXRCF?th=1

Not TB, but, with the right USB-C to USB-A cables, i 'think' - i could use those usb 3.2 ports for USB-C devices and get a big speed boost, no?

One other thought...if i went with a used previous OWC model... Can you tell me what the speed limit(s) would be if i decided to go with this one vs that new/current version?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/396284248400?_skw=owc+thunderbolt&itmmeta=01JNMRYYEAV827HY29BKTF5491&hash=item5c4461c150:g:LPEAAeSw~1pnyRh6&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1c8AWhBgXqzIItdcL6iCvB8tImgXYgn04UNL7VYqDxGI5AReF56bVWdSkyxAxyhEHR38og%2BARksbDOTjuziE5YrmEwqBT8pfa%2FSfYBJswrob68rQ7DyDBYD5ABzmi8nV7iwvHpLsDF%2B%2BvkitNT8vO%2BuMrT5BZr%2BLG7DMgkCznyvVWUeIW%2F2QpDTT%2B5GMvBMtklESf%2FXSH%2Br3yamnRFbwmqi7lJlJ%2B6Krh1ECzC9%2F4USQQYbHSTwZoTD9iKyyczBpIg%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7Tn-5itZQ

One other question if you don't mind on this... I'm worried there might be some sort of issue with this OWC dock...from what i see on the box description, it is compatible with OS 11 and above. Any idea why it would not be compatible with Mojave on my 2018 Mini? Always something! Too late to reach anybody at OWC so just thought i'd ask if anyone here might know about it. Thanks!

Yes, this particular Mini with Mojave is for legacy editing software - needs 32-bit (Mojave =end of the line)- not to mention HFS+ for read/write scratch disk (for recorded audio). Hence, the app works on the APFS formatted internal HD, but i have to write to an external HD formatted for HFS+.

No huge deal really... BUT - i can't find confirmation that this particular OWC TB hub is actually able to work with Mojave. It says "compatible with Big Sur and above" on the website description... whereas an older OWC 14-port TB dock is listed as compatible with Mojave. That one however appears to only have two USB-C type TB ports. As such it would only give me one extra TB port -because i'd have to use the other to connect it to the Mini. Funny that they call it a Thunderbolt Dock when it's mostly USB type ports. Alot of these are around in the used market. Finding something that gives me a few more ports has turned out to be far harder than I expected.

https://www.amazon.com/OWC-14-Port-Thunderbolt-Compatible-OWCTB3DK14PSG/dp/B07JMH6BSY/ref=asc_df_B07JMH6BSY?mcid=39bc561456c2307eb9b6668114f0a53b&hvocijid=2920983775519896730-B07JMH6BSY-&hvexpln=73&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=730434177080&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2920983775519896730&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016890&hvtargid=pla-2281435179738&th=1

Thanks for the reply! This Mac Mini 2018 is my main machine for the business/studio, but I get where you're coming from. I know I’m probably overthinking the “need for speed,” but sometimes I do feel the CPU get taxed with certain editing tasks. It doesn't help that I’m using some legacy 32-bit software in Mojave in this case.

That said, I found a pretty good “open box” deal on the previous-gen OWC Thunderbolt hub for about $125 USD and decided to go for it. But I do appreciate your points about powered USB hubs for expansion. In fact, I already have the 7-port hub you mentioned. It’s on this studio Mini and right now literally every port on that machine (and the hub) is full!

Also, the point about USB-A vs. USB-C is spot on. The "all-USB-A" ones are cheaper and going with adapters makes sense. I did also pick up a couple more USB hubs. One’s a hybrid, with a mix of USB-C & USB-A ports—10 ports total, plus it has a 60W power adapter, so more juice for the setup. I figured I’d swap it in and move the 7-port one to another studio where I’ve got a 2018 i5 Mini.

Maybe overkill, but..rather have more capacity than less. I guess I could exchange the 'hybrid' USB hub for an all-USB-A one, but at this point, I feel like I’ve spent too much time down this rabbit hole, and I’m sure what I’ve bought will be more than enough for the foreseeable future.

Thanks again for the insights!

Thanks for your input. Decided to go with that ebay OWC unit because it is listed as "new." Should give me just enough of the extra ports needed.