OWC Express 1M2 USB4 40Gb/s NVMe SSD External Enclosure

AllanA6531

Nov 29, 2024 8:07 PM

552 Comments

Joined Jul 2013

AllanA6531Nov 29, 2024 8:07 PM

552 Comments

What's the best SSD for Mac Mini M4 storage expansion as far as reliability?

maxpopcorn

Nov 29, 2024 8:19 PM

619 Comments

Joined Dec 2020

maxpopcornNov 29, 2024 8:19 PM

619 Comments

Quote from tanginator

:

Basically TB3 (JHL7440) vs true TB4 (ASM2464pd) or 2900MB/s vs 3100MB/s. I wonder if the faster transfer speed accounts for the extra heat. The OWC has the newer ASM2464 chip according to dancharblog mentioned by masotime earlier. Link: https://dancharblog.wordpress.com...sets-2022/

Will be testing out the OWC when it arrives. Hopefully the beefy heatsink compensates for the extra heat.

I think the overheating issues is not just because of the faster transfer speed but based on issue that on macOS the chipset is continuously on high power mode. Pls read the issues I found online below.

My use case will be mainly for Mac Mini M4.

Here's what I found online regarding issues with Mac Silicons but I'm not sure if it's legit:

1.) chipset might operate in a high-power mode continuously on macOS, which could lead to higher temperatures and potentially affect performance

2.) chipset may not perform optimally with Apple Silicon Macs, potentially running hotter because it doesn't enter an idle power state effectively. This behavior contrasts with its operation on Windows systems, where it transitions to a lower power state when not actively transferring data

3.) There are reports that M4 Mac Minis cannot boot from SSDs housed in enclosures using the ASM2464PD chipset. When attempting to boot, the device may start, the drive will light up, but then the Mac Mini shuts down and restarts

4.) There are indications that the ASM2464PD might have compatibility issues with certain Thunderbolt chips in older Mac devices. It is reportedly more suitable for Macs released after 2022 that use newer Thunderbolt chips

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maxpopcorn

Nov 29, 2024 8:33 PM

619 Comments

Joined Dec 2020

maxpopcornNov 29, 2024 8:33 PM

619 Comments

Quote from helofrend

:

I can confirm that the Hagibis mc40 aluminum enclosure with the ASM2464PD chipset gets the same 3.1-3.2 gbps speed as expected. All enclosures should have roughly the same speeds with the same chipset. Build quality for the hagibis is top notch. Using it with a Mac mini m4. It's a nice hand warmer í ½í¸. I haven't bothered to check out the actual drive temp though. Unless I hear about people having nvme drive failures, I'll be blissfully ignorant. They provide two sets of heatsink pads...4 total. One goes on the drive (over the sticker I believe) and one goes on the controller. Both make good contact with the all aluminum case. It looks like others use the same case supplier too. Qwiizlab seems to be the same case at least. Not sure what these cost now, but I paid something like $56 for it.

You're not experiencing issues with overheating? Do you leave your Mac mini on continuously or you power it off when not in use? Pls check power usage it supposed to higher due to continuous high power mode. I have several concerns heat reduce ssd life, higher electricity usage, booting issues.

Do you guys have recommendations for other enclosures that is as good as owc but without issues?

Last edited by maxpopcorn November 29, 2024 at 01:03 PM.

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bugeyz

Nov 29, 2024 9:06 PM

91 Comments

Joined Oct 2013

bugeyzNov 29, 2024 9:06 PM

91 Comments

Second guessing my order after learning about the idle power consumption/ heat issue.

I plan on keeping it connected to a m4 mac mini full time, not powering down the device at all just letting it go to sleep on its own. From what I gather it sounds like the drive will be using near full power 24/7 even while idle in my use case? I can't imagine that will be great for the longevity of the drive.

AllanA6531

Nov 29, 2024 9:26 PM

552 Comments

Joined Jul 2013

AllanA6531Nov 29, 2024 9:26 PM

552 Comments

Same here. Still debating. I've had many drives die and I don't want to spend $250 for an enclosure and 2TB and have it die because of heat issues.

helofrend

Nov 29, 2024 10:28 PM

109 Comments

Joined Nov 2015

helofrendNov 29, 2024 10:28 PM

109 Comments

Quote from maxpopcorn

:

You're not experiencing issues with overheating? Do you leave your Mac mini on continuously or you power it off when not in use? Pls check power usage it supposed to higher due to continuous high power mode. I have several concerns heat reduce ssd life, higher electricity usage, booting issues.Do you guys have recommendations for other enclosures that is as good as owc but without issues?

Just checked it. Powered on 24/7. WD sn850x 2 TB drive. 42 degrees Celsius compared to internal drive at 37. This seems like a non issue to me. Back everything up just in case of course, but i'm conformable with this drive being on 24/7.🤷🏻

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Tony_1118

Nov 29, 2024 11:07 PM

21 Comments

Joined Apr 2014

Tony_1118Nov 29, 2024 11:07 PM

21 Comments

Quote from izzzi

:

Make some names, man, don't just whet our appetites.

https://a.co/d/5aaLaCC This is the one I kept in the last. It has JHL7440+JMS583. No overheating issue on Mac Mini M4. But i did add some thermal pads to make the chip and SSD touch the enclosure. When idle sometimes i see the internal SSD temp is even higher than the enclosure temp.

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maxpopcorn

Nov 29, 2024 11:09 PM

619 Comments

Joined Dec 2020

maxpopcornNov 29, 2024 11:09 PM

619 Comments

Quote from helofrend

:

Just checked it. Powered on 24/7. WD sn850x 2 TB drive. 42 degrees Celsius compared to internal drive at 37. This seems like a non issue to me. Back everything up just in case of course, but i'm conformable with this drive being on 24/7.🤷🏻

Thanks for sharing your temp. Please monitor your temp when your Mac is doing a lot of read/write activities vs idle vs sleep mode. There's report that chipset Also, monitor your power usage(Kill-a-Watt or smart plug) throughout the day including idle and sleep mode because there's reports that the ASM2464PD chipset does not go idle mode and continuously on high power mode on MacOS.

Thanks!

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maxpopcorn

Nov 29, 2024 11:25 PM

619 Comments

Joined Dec 2020

maxpopcornNov 29, 2024 11:25 PM

619 Comments

Quote from Tony_1118

:

https://a.co/d/5aaLaCC This is the one I kept in the last. It has JHL7440+JMS583. No overheating issue on Mac Mini M4. But i did add some thermal pads to make the chip and SSD touch the enclosure. When idle sometimes i see the internal SSD temp is even higher than the enclosure temp.

Thanks for sharing the link to your enclosures. It's a lot cheaper too. Smilie

How long have you had the enclosures. Please share the power consumptions and temps during busy reads/writes vs idle vs sleep.

I'm wondering if there's a firmware updates that fixes the issues for ASM2464PD chipset and MacOS.

Thanks!

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maxpopcorn

Nov 29, 2024 11:44 PM

619 Comments

Joined Dec 2020

maxpopcornNov 29, 2024 11:44 PM

619 Comments

I'm very interested in buying this OWC 1M2 but holding out because of ASM2464P temp and continuous power usage issues with MacOS. Additionally, OWC charges for returns 5% unopened and 15% opened restocking fees and we need to pay return shipping so we have to make sure issues read online are fixed before ordering.

1

kensteele

Nov 30, 2024 12:16 AM

13.1K Comments

Joined Dec 2004

kensteeleNov 30, 2024 12:16 AM

13.1K Comments

Quote from maxpopcorn

:

I'm very interested in buying this OWC 1M2 but holding out because of ASM2464P temp and continuous power usage issues with MacOS. Additionally, OWC charges for returns 5% unopened and 15% opened restocking fees and we need to pay return shipping so we have to make sure issues read online are fixed before ordering.

the price is going to go up by more than 15% by the time the issues are fixed

maxpopcorn

Nov 30, 2024 12:22 AM

619 Comments

Joined Dec 2020

maxpopcornNov 30, 2024 12:22 AM

619 Comments

Quote from kensteele

:

the price is going to go up by more than 15% by the time the issues are fixed

Reports of more issues with MacOS M4 unfortunately. What I'm worried about is what if it's not fixable or issues after issues with this owc 1m2 especially it's very expensive and almost 2x than other options!

https://www.reddit.com/r/OWC/comm...press_1m2/. This posting was just 9 days ago.

Last edited by maxpopcorn November 29, 2024 at 04:25 PM.

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tanginator

Nov 30, 2024 12:36 AM

354 Comments

Joined Sep 2004

tanginatorNov 30, 2024 12:36 AM

354 Comments

Quote from maxpopcorn

:

Thanks for sharing the link to your enclosures. It's a lot cheaper too.

How long have you had the enclosures. Please share the power consumptions and temps during busy reads/writes vs idle vs sleep.

I'm wondering if there's a firmware updates that fixes the issues for ASM2464PD chipset and MacOS.

Thanks!

Latest firmware was from Oct 2024 and needs a Windows machine to perform the update. I'm going to check mine once it gets here. Firmware link: https://www.station-drivers.com/i.../?Itemid=0

In hindsight, I really like the AJM40C from Tony_1118's link. Dual chip for redundancy and well-priced. TB3 speed (2800MB/s) is probably more than enough for what I do.

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kensteele

Nov 30, 2024 12:51 AM

13.1K Comments

Joined Dec 2004

kensteeleNov 30, 2024 12:51 AM

13.1K Comments

Tried to order one and it crapped out and charged my card (pending) but no order from OWC; only a message that says please call.

Put in another order within 30 minutes and it went thru just fine and charged my card (pending).

Today, I get two shipment notifications even though the offer says limit 1.

Deciding if I want to keep both....probably will.

tanginator

Nov 30, 2024 12:54 AM

354 Comments

Joined Sep 2004

tanginatorNov 30, 2024 12:54 AM

354 Comments

Quote from maxpopcorn

:

Reports of more issues with MacOS M4 unfortunately. What I'm worried about is what if it's not fixable or issues after issues with this owc 1m2 especially it's very expensive and almost 2x than other options!

https://www.reddit.com/r/OWC/comm...press_1m2/ [reddit.com]. This posting was just 9 days ago.

Wow, will report back in a few days. Wish I saw this earlier. I really like its design and hope it's not a widespread issue. I'll be using the free Stats app and BlackMagic to monitor power consumption. Wondering how much more power the ASM chip will consume. From my observation, the JHL7440 uses 8W-10W more than a generic 10Gbps enclosure (around 5W). All done on a M4 Mac Mini.

Last edited by tanginator November 29, 2024 at 04:59 PM.

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OWC Express 1M2 USB4 40Gb/s NVMe SSD External Enclosure

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