2018 Mac Mini with 256 internal ssd - external ssd query

[mcshewring]

Hi,

Hoping someone could advise on the best way forward - I had an old Mac mini with 2TB of internal storage that contained a couple of user accounts with massive iTunes and photos libraries.

These are not going to fit on the new Mac mini with its internal drive.

Please could some one advise as to whether I should be looking to utilise NAS, Samsung T5 or Samsung X5 (or similar) to store the user’s home directories.

I would try and like to go for a best bang for buck solution so any advice would be good.

Some picture editing and video editing (dancing) is done on the the Mac mini.

Cheers

 

[mpfuchs]

Check this link, there is some good info in there:
https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/13/...rbolt-3-usb-c-samsung-x5-t5-specs-test-how-to
I went with the Intel 660p option for my photography needs.

 

[Fishrrman]

Samsung t5 will do absolutely fine. If the 2tb drive you mentioned above was "platter-based", an external USB3 SSD will be MUCH FASTER.

The X5 will be 4-5x FASTER than a t5 (even though the t5 is "fast enough" as it is).
But it will cost you A LOT more.

 

[yukari]

FYI.
You cannot store user account in external drive in Mojave (well, technically you can, but it is tedious and potentially fatal process).

I suggest you keep your user account on internal SSD and simply store all you iTunes, Photo, Documents, etc. files on external SSD.

 

[Ledgem]

FYI.
You cannot store user account in external drive in Mojave (well, technically you can, but it is tedious and potentially fatal process).

I suggest you keep your user account on internal SSD and simply store all you iTunes, Photo, Documents, etc. files on external SSD.

If they go with the X5 or another Thunderbolt-connected drive, doesn't macOS regard it as an internal drive? They could just clone their current drive to the X5 and run off of that.