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Best external Thunderbolt drive that I can open and install SSD?

shenan1982 said:
So I wonder if I should use it with my 512gb Samsung ssd as my new iMacs boot/osx install drive or if I should use the 1tb fusion drive. Whatcha think??
Click to expand...

I'm in a similar boat. I am not sure to use the fusion or external. I have an 840 pro 256gb and I am using it in a hackintosh and it is getting 515mb/sec. I am ordering the late 2012 27" and want to use the 840 in it.

I know it won't get the exact speed but I hope to 400mb/sec. I need suggestions also!
 
I would probably boot from the Fusion drive, and move my entire home folder over to the external 500GB SSD. If my iMac should ever need service, all my personal data stays safely at home, away from the prying eyes of some random service technician. Meanwhile, I could plug it into any other Mac laptop of desktop with a Thunderbolt port to keep working until my iMac returned.

Keep non-critical, seldom accessed stuff on the Fusion drive.

I like the Seagate GoFlex Thunderbolt adapter for my external SSD. I bought new "GoFlex Enclosures" on eBay to make it look "finished", but you could also buy a kit with the TB adapter, hard disk, and cable ... then carefully snap open the enclosure, replace the hard disk with your SSD, and snap it back together again. You can use the disk drive elsewhere, in a USB-3 enclosure for backup, or sell it.


-howard
 
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hfg said:
I would probably boot from the Fusion drive, and move my entire home folder over to the external 500GB SSD. If my iMac should ever need service, all my personal data stays safely at home, away from the prying eyes of some random service technician. Meanwhile, I could plug it into any other Mac laptop of desktop with a Thunderbolt port to keep working until my iMac returned.

Keep non-critical, seldom accessed stuff on the Fusion drive.


-howard
Click to expand...

So then why not just run the OS off the SSD? Doesn't seem like it'd make sense to boot off a spinning disk when I could take advantage of an SSD boot time.
 
shenan1982 said:
So then why not just run the OS off the SSD? Doesn't seem like it'd make sense to boot off a spinning disk when I could take advantage of an SSD boot time.
Click to expand...

I believe the OP was talking about an internal Fusion drive? If not and just a hard disk model, then definitely boot off of the external SSD!

The boot files will always be on the SSD due to the frequency of access, but yes, you could put the boot on your external drive if desired ... you can put everything on the external drive if you want!

The point was, however, that the Seagate GoFlex Thunderbolt adapter is the best one I have tried and should be ideal for the OPs application.
 
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hfg said:
I believe the OP was talking about an internal Fusion drive? If not and just a hard disk model, then definitely boot off of the external SSD!

The boot files will always be on the SSD due to the frequency of access, but yes, you could put the boot on your external drive if desired ... you can put everything on the external drive if you want!

The point was, however, that the Seagate GoFlex Thunderbolt adapter is the best one I have tried and should be ideal for the OPs application.
Click to expand...

Which seagate adaptor again? What product numbers would I need to boot off my ssd?
 
shenan1982 said:
Which seagate adaptor again? What product numbers would I need to boot off my ssd?
Click to expand...

From another thread here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1526091/


shenan1982 said:
OK, so I'm looking on Amazon, my preferred vendor, and don't see which Seagates you're referring to, could you link me to the two parts (the drive\enclosure that I could easily replace the drive on, and the thunderbolt that's powered and would go along with said drive)? Thanks

And the seagate enclosure is openable to swap drives easily?
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Thunderbolt adapter only (no TB cable):
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Portable-Thunderbolt-Adapter-STAE128/dp/B009HQCARY/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

Here is a 1TB drive with the Thunderbolt adapter with TB cable:
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Thund...62587&sr=1-2&keywords=seagate+mac+thunderbolt


The enclosure is the typical "snap together" construction which can be carefully opened with a plastic credit card so as not to break too many of the snap points.

-howard

EDIT: I actually had the Mac Backup kit shown above, and even though I have the eBay enclosures which are the same as my other GoFLex interchangeable drives, I elected to open that case and swap drives because it is just a little slimmer and is better looking with a metal silver stripe around the perimeter than the other case.
 
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hfg said:
You might find this article of interest ...

http://www.storagereview.com/thunderbolt_storage_with_any_hard_drive_or_ssd
Click to expand...

Yeah, this setup still doesn't work for me because this is a non-powered, and as many have said, I need a powered TB adaptor since I'm going 512GB and using the drive for processor-intensive tasks right?

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hfg said:
From another thread here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1526091/




Thunderbolt adapter only (no TB cable):
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Portable-Thunderbolt-Adapter-STAE128/dp/B009HQCARY/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

Here is a 1TB drive with the Thunderbolt adapter with TB cable:
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Thund...62587&sr=1-2&keywords=seagate+mac+thunderbolt


The enclosure is the typical "snap together" construction which can be carefully opened with a plastic credit card so as not to break too many of the snap points.

-howard

EDIT: I actually had the Mac Backup kit shown above, and even though I have the eBay enclosures which are the same as my other GoFLex interchangeable drives, I elected to open that case and swap drives because it is just a little slimmer and is better looking with a metal silver stripe around the perimeter than the other case.
Click to expand...

But that still isnt externally powered for a 512gb drive :-(
 
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500gb+

I'm in the same boat. Just want a simple TB external 2.5 case that will support 500+GB SSD drives. Very challenging to find this. On the other hand, very easy to find USB3 versions at great prices that frankly perform in the 400+ r/w range.

Of course, we could always get a Drobo Mini? The Promise J4 only takes 240GB.

Or we go USB3, check out THIS article from barefeats and tell me what you think

Starting to think Intel is killing TB.
 
This is such an over prices solution from OWC... $$$$$$

I don't understand why OWC overcharges for so much. I have one of their 6G pro SSDs. It's been replaced and is still slow as a dog. I won't do business with them anymore.

Altho, if I were going for madness. You could buy this Helios alone. Then add a OSX supported hardware RAID card with BBU. Then get an external SAS case, and go to town... add 4 2TB Enterprise class drives and put it into a Raid 10. BAM! That would be amazing. With the right card ... you could add 8 drives. Now we are talking about Monster storage! My LSI 9265-8i supports SSD caching. You could setup 4 drives in a RAID 10, 2 SSDs striped as your cache, and then 2 SSDs striped as your scratch disk. I get nearly 1400 r/w with my LSI and 4 Intel 520s.
 
Tanax said:
Samsung 840 and 840 Pro are pretty darn reliable too, and really fast!! :)
Click to expand...

I have some Mybook Duo TB drives that I placed a Samsung 840 pro in one slot via an icy dock, and it runs very well there. You can even wedge it in there without the icy dock if you prefer.
 
itsamacthing said:
More updated than the 320, wish the LaCie was empty for 150$!
Click to expand...

You can get a refurbished LaCie for about $200 with a pair of 500GB hard disks from MacMall, replace the hard disks with your choice of SSD drives, RAID-0 them with Disk Utility, unplug the obnoxious fan, and have a really fast external Thunderbolt SSD drive. Sell the drives on CL or eBay to get back some of the initial cost.



-howard
 
From the Wiki ... Thunderbolt can supply 10 watts of power.


Power capabilities versus other interfaces

Thunderbolt was clearly intended as, and functions as, a unifying interface for mobile, laptop and desktop devices to prevent more proliferation of cables and connectors for displays and storage. Its power characteristics reflect this. The power, at 10 Watts, improves on USB 3.0's 4.5 watts, but is not beyond the ability of a laptop or tablet to power.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_(interface)#Power_capabilities_versus_other_interfaces



-howard
 
itsamacthing said:
This is starting to look like the best deal around LaCie

2 512GB SSDs are going to be 1000$ and nothing to stick them in for TB.
Click to expand...

So can I get this drive and put my SSD into it? Seems like the perfect solution.. powered external drive.

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hfg said:
From the Wiki ... Thunderbolt can supply 10 watts of power.


Power capabilities versus other interfaces

Thunderbolt was clearly intended as, and functions as, a unifying interface for mobile, laptop and desktop devices to prevent more proliferation of cables and connectors for displays and storage. Its power characteristics reflect this. The power, at 10 Watts, improves on USB 3.0's 4.5 watts, but is not beyond the ability of a laptop or tablet to power.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_(interface)#Power_capabilities_versus_other_interfaces



-howard
Click to expand...

Hmm, well that shows it should work then. Hmm, I just wish there was an enclosure that didn't involve prying open a drive. So that seagate drive... will that perform faster than a Thermaltake 5G 5.0Gbps USB 3.0 SATA Hard Drive Docking Station?
 
shenan1982 said:
So can I get this drive and put my SSD into it? Seems like the perfect solution.. powered external drive.

----------



Hmm, well that shows it should work then. Hmm, I just wish there was an enclosure that didn't involve prying open a drive. So that seagate drive... will that perform faster than a Thermaltake 5G 5.0Gbps USB 3.0 SATA Hard Drive Docking Station?
Click to expand...

Surprisingly, all the diskspeed-tests I've seen shows that the Seagate TB is slower than the USB3 Thermaltake enclosure. Perhaps they used a slower SSD but still.. Weird that a TB-enclosure that is more than double the price is slower than a USB3-enclosure.
 
shenan1982 said:
Anyone recommend anything better than this one:

http://www.amazon.com/MiniPro-FireW...e-Silver/dp/B00655YT9C/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp

That one is powered externally. Just wish it wasn't so bulky (compared to super slim enclosures)
Click to expand...

I used that enclosure with my SSD via FW800. It was stable, fast and haven't had a single issue. Obviously you would use it with USB3.

I now installed the SSD inside the iMac. I no longer need this enclosure and would be willing to sell it for $40.00 if you're interested.
 
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Tanax said:
Surprisingly, all the diskspeed-tests I've seen shows that the Seagate TB is slower than the USB3 Thermaltake enclosure. Perhaps they used a slower SSD but still.. Weird that a TB-enclosure that is more than double the price is slower than a USB3-enclosure.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I suppose I can use the USB3 I ordered then, it'll be delivered tomorrow (my iMac comes Monday). I am not sure why, but having lived on USB2 vs FW800 for so long, I distrust USB so much, hehe

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excommie said:
I used that enclosure with my SSD via FW800. It was stable, fast and haven't had a single issue. Obviously you would use it with USB3.

I now installed the SSD inside the iMac. I no longer need this enclosure and would be willing to sell it for $40.00 if you're interested.
Click to expand...

Why would I pay you $40 for something used that goes for $55 new including shipping? hehe. And you opened up your 2012 iMac and put the SSD inside? Yikes. I have SSD inside my 2010 iMac but I wouldn't open the 2012 under any circumstance given they clearly seal it closed to keep users out.
 
shenan1982 said:
So can I get this drive and put my SSD into it? Seems like the perfect solution.. powered external drive.

----------



Hmm, well that shows it should work then. Hmm, I just wish there was an enclosure that didn't involve prying open a drive. So that seagate drive... will that perform faster than a Thermaltake 5G 5.0Gbps USB 3.0 SATA Hard Drive Docking Station?
Click to expand...

USB-3 requires considerably more CPU overhead than Thunderbolt.

You can just plug your SSD onto the GoFlex bare if you don't want an enclosure, but snapping open a disk enclosure is pretty simple, or buy a new GoFlex enclosure on eBay.

You say you want to use this on the road with a Macbook Air ... using a powered drive is not only inconvenient and non-portable, but the cables and wall-wart power supply are bigger than the drive.

My Test Results:
All speeds using Crucial M4 512GB and BlackMagicDesign "Disk Speed Test"

Wr / Rd MB/s
260 / 382 ...... Seagate GoFlex Thunderbolt (single drive)
199 / 250 ...... LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt (single drive)
370 / 481 ...... LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt (dual drive in RAID-0)

197 / 201 ...... LaCie Little Big Disk (as received with 2Tb hard disk RAID-0)

167 / 194 ...... Seagate USB-3 GoFlex (single drive)



-howard
 
hfg said:
USB-3 requires considerably more CPU overhead than Thunderbolt.

You can just plug your SSD onto the GoFlex bare if you don't want an enclosure, but snapping open a disk enclosure is pretty simple, or buy a new GoFlex enclosure on eBay.

You say you want to use this on the road with a Macbook Air ... using a powered drive is not only inconvenient and non-portable, but the cables and wall-wart power supply are bigger than the drive.

My Test Results:
All speeds using Crucial M4 512GB and BlackMagicDesign "Disk Speed Test"

Wr / Rd MB/s
260 / 382 ...... Seagate GoFlex Thunderbolt (single drive)
199 / 250 ...... LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt (single drive)
370 / 481 ...... LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt (dual drive in RAID-0)

197 / 201 ...... LaCie Little Big Disk (as received with 2Tb hard disk RAID-0)

167 / 194 ...... Seagate USB-3 GoFlex (single drive)



-howard
Click to expand...

Your test is exactly what I wanted to see.

So I know people have thrown around various models, but since you have the specific setup I want, please give me more info.

I see a couple:

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Ultra...95&sr=1-2&keywords=seagate+goflex+thunderbolt

and

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Thund...58442418&sr=1-11&keywords=seagate+thunderbolt

I assume it's the second one I should be using because it seems to be the current model shipped\sold by Amazon? And comes with the cable and everything? Cost isn't an issue, I want to make sure I'm getting what looks\runs right.

I prefer the aesthetics of having an enclosure, so if I order from the second link I'll have everything to have the same setup as you (I have the Crucial 512 gb drive as well already)
 
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shenan1982 said:
Your test is exactly what I wanted to see.

So I know people have thrown around various models, but since you have the specific setup I want, please give me more info.

I see a couple:

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Ultra...95&sr=1-2&keywords=seagate+goflex+thunderbolt

and

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Thund...58442418&sr=1-11&keywords=seagate+thunderbolt

I assume it's the second one I should be using because it seems to be the current model shipped\sold by Amazon? And comes with the cable and everything? Cost isn't an issue, I want to make sure I'm getting what looks\runs right.

I prefer the aesthetics of having an enclosure, so if I order from the second link I'll have everything to have the same setup as you (I have the Crucial 512 gb drive as well already)
Click to expand...

Either one should be fine, and they both come with the expensive cable.

I think I probably have the older one with the silver rim, but also have one of the newer TB GoFlex sleds as on the newer kit. Both seem to have the same speed test results.
 
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