External thunderbolt 2 ssd for 2014 mini?

[matthew_]

Hi,

I’ve got the mid level 2014 mini running Sierra & want to install a newer OS on an external drive - I have one thunderbolt 2 port available for that but am not sure what my best options would be - are there thunderbolt 2 drives available that would work directly for that or do I need an enclosure etc? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Synchro3]

Cheapest solution: Buy the LaCie rugged Thunderbolt case with the smallest HardDisk, and install an SATA SSD.

It's bootable.

Only caveat: Once you have a Thunderbolt 3 Mac, you cannot use it directly via the Apple Thunderbolt 3 to 2 adapter, because the adapter provides no power.

 

[Fishrrman]

Cheapest, easiest solution:
Get a USB3 SSD, use that instead.
It will boot and run just as fast as a thunderbolt drive and COST LESS.

 

[matthew_]

Thanks for the replies - I'd prefer to use thunderbolt to have TRIM enabled & am OK with that costing more. I came across this which seems like it may be the only 'plug & play' choice for what I'm going for
https://www.amazon.com/Transcend-256GB-Thunderbolt-StoreJet-TS256GSJM500/dp/B00NV9LSGW