Corsair EX400U stability issue on mac mini m4 pro TB5 - unable to download firmware update?

[jeremmeyy1]

I recently got a corsair ex400u USB4 portable SSD for my mac mini m4 pro but its been having connectivity issues (disconnects frequently) while using the TB5 ports. Works fine with USBC ports on the front tho is much slower. I've tried to update the firmware via Corsair's SSD Toolbox software on a windows machine but it seems to not work (can see the newer firmware version in the toolbox but unable to download the firmware). Any one also experiencing the same issue or have suggestions? Not really sure if this is a mac or SSD issue... Thanks

 

[bzgnyc2]

I recently got a corsair ex400u USB4 portable SSD for my mac mini m4 pro but its been having connectivity issues (disconnects frequently) while using the TB5 ports. Works fine with USBC ports on the front tho is much slower.

This is a relatively new model and design of drive and there may not be too many people with experience with it on the Mac yet. Can you post the transfer rates you see with each connection? Also, a snapshot from System Information's Thunderbolt/USB4 and NVMExpress pages?

I assume you are using the USB-C to USB-C cable included with the drive?

I've tried to update the firmware via Corsair's SSD Toolbox software on a windows machine but it seems to not work (can see the newer firmware version in the toolbox but unable to download the firmware). Any one also experiencing the same issue or have suggestions? Not really sure if this is a mac or SSD issue... Thanks

If you are having trouble with the drive under Windows -- including using their toolbox software for it's original purpose) -- you should contact the manufacturer. Could be a Windows issue with some intermediate driver or could be a hardware problem. Either way, some manufacturers support Mac at least as well as Windows but most at least support Windows as well as they can.

Does your Windows machine have USB3 or USB4 (I am assuming not Thunderbolt, etc)? Also if you leave this drive connected to Windows and under significant use there, does it also suffer disconnects?

 

[jeremmeyy1]

This is a relatively new model and design of drive and there may not be too many people with experience with it on the Mac yet. Can you post the transfer rates you see with each connection? Also, a snapshot from System Information's Thunderbolt/USB4 and NVMExpress pages?

I assume you are using the USB-C to USB-C cable included with the drive?



If you are having trouble with the drive under Windows -- including using their toolbox software for it's original purpose) -- you should contact the manufacturer. Could be a Windows issue with some intermediate driver or could be a hardware problem. Either way, some manufacturers support Mac at least as well as Windows but most at least support Windows as well as they can.

Does your Windows machine have USB3 or USB4 (I am assuming not Thunderbolt, etc)? Also if you leave this drive connected to Windows and under significant use there, does it also suffer disconnects?

Thanks for the response! I have yet to test the speed via a benchmark but when it does work on the TB5 ports its noticeably faster... There are quite a few reviews of it being tested online (blackmagic speed test - about 3400/3000MB/s R/W iirc) and that was one of the reasons I bought it in the first place... I'll try to get a snapshot from the USB4 System Infomation later, although this does feel like a firmware issue (I used to have a ASM2464PD based enclosure that was experiencing the same flaky behavior on mac mini m4 pro which was resolved with a FW update).

Yep, am using the included C to C cable.

It is stable on windows USB4 as well as USB3 (AMD Ryzen laptop 8845H) under heavy use with no disconnects, the instability just seems to happen on the mac mini m4 pro.

Maybe I'll reach out to Corsair... The drive is detected by Corsair's SSD Toolbox though it just fails at the downloading of the new FW.

 

[jeremmeyy1]

Thanks for the response! I have yet to test the speed via a benchmark but when it does work on the TB5 ports its noticeably faster... There are quite a few reviews of it being tested online (blackmagic speed test - about 3400/3000MB/s R/W iirc) and that was one of the reasons I bought it in the first place... I'll try to get a snapshot from the USB4 System Infomation later, although this does feel like a firmware issue (I used to have a ASM2464PD based enclosure that was experiencing the same flaky behavior on mac mini m4 pro which was resolved with a FW update).

Yep, am using the included C to C cable.

It is stable on windows USB4 as well as USB3 (AMD Ryzen laptop 8845H) under heavy use with no disconnects, the instability just seems to happen on the mac mini m4 pro.

Maybe I'll reach out to Corsair... The drive is detected by Corsair's SSD Toolbox though it just fails at the downloading of the new FW.

If anyone has an EX400U and some spare time could try to update their device too with Corasir's SSD Toolbox I'd be very grateful I'm convinced its a resolvable firmware issue 😭

 

[bzgnyc2]

Thanks for the response! I have yet to test the speed via a benchmark but when it does work on the TB5 ports its noticeably faster... There are quite a few reviews of it being tested online (blackmagic speed test - about 3400/3000MB/s R/W iirc) and that was one of the reasons I bought it in the first place... I'll try to get a snapshot from the USB4 System Infomation later, although this does feel like a firmware issue (I used to have a ASM2464PD based enclosure that was experiencing the same flaky behavior on mac mini m4 pro which was resolved with a FW update).

Yep, am using the included C to C cable.

It is stable on windows USB4 as well as USB3 (AMD Ryzen laptop 8845H) under heavy use with no disconnects, the instability just seems to happen on the mac mini m4 pro.

Maybe I'll reach out to Corsair... The drive is detected by Corsair's SSD Toolbox though it just fails at the downloading of the new FW.

Also agree it's likely the firmware. Just that it's odd that Corsair's Windows Toolbox can't update it. Corsair should be fully supporting the whole solution as compared to some of the noname ASM2464PD and similar NVMe enclosure companies (which I use a Acasis with the Intel chipset so not against but accept that I may be self-supporting). Which if Corsair can't resolve that over the phone makes me think they will give you a replacement.

 

[taylor999]

Since it works fine on the front USB-C but disconnects on the TB5 ports, maybe the Thunderbolt connection is causing some compatibility hiccups. For the firmware update, sometimes Corsair’s toolbox can be picky, especially on Windows with certain drivers. You could try running the update on a different Windows PC if possible, or check if your Mac has any system updates that improve Thunderbolt stability