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Fast, portable, thunderbolt storage?

B

Boe11

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 12, 2010
516
23
Hey folks,

I'm not sure how much--if any--consensus there is on thunderbolt external storage a few years later.

I'm looking to invest in some external storage for video editing that will use ssd drive/s and utilize the magical attributes of thunderbolt 2/3.

Ideally, i'd like to buy an ssd-sized enclosure and just stick a 2tb samsung SSD into. Is that an option yet? It seems like this is still sort of a murky area and the drive options haven't changed much since TB was released.

Just looking for some education and an update on the state of the external storage world with regard to macs and video work. I'd like to invest in something this spring if I can figure out what to buy. So far the only thing I've found that seems close is the lacy rugged drive but the reviews are pretty sketchy and I'm not even sure if you can stick your own ssd in it or not.

I guess in my brain it just seems so straight forward. SSDs are fast. Thunderbolt is fast. I just want a drive that I can plug into my computer for fast, efficient storage on the go. Are we there yet?
 
This has been touched on recently here, although in the context of the Mac Mini. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/which-port-is-best-for-external-ssd-on-2013-mini.2021042/ I am using a 1TB USB 3.0 Samsung T3 external drive for video editing on a 2012 quad i7 Mini Server. I keep my current project on this drive and archive everything on some larger hard drives.

The Samsung T3 is more than twice as fast as my USB 3.0 hard drives. Not sure what you are expecting in terms of speed, but this drive was a nice upgrade for me and the price was reasonable. Of course they don't come anywhere near the speed of the original thunderbolt, let alone v2 or 3 :)

samsung500.jpg
 
That T3 looks like it might be just right if there are no suitable TB options. 2tb for $7XX. Not bad and seems like it'd be well-suited for editing on the fly or at the office.

Thanks, guy.
 
Dang, that is rather obnoxious haha. Might have to go with the 1tb version.
 
A while ago I bought a G-Technology GDrive mobile hard drive with TB2, carefully disassembled it, and replaced the spinning drive with a 1 TB Crucial SSD. Yes, I was aware that I was invalidating the warranty.

The GDrive enclosure is beautifully engineered and constructed.
 
Boyd01 said:
I bought a used Quad Mini Server from MacSales (OWC) and have been very happy all around. But this concerns me about their SSD's, and there are other threads about problems with their drives. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/owc-ssd-upgrade-2012-macbook-air-buyer-beware.1459847/
Click to expand...

I've been using 3 of their SSD's for about a year now with no problems.
Also have a couple Crucial SSDs, again with no problems. Depending on your OS, make sure that TRIM is enabled.
 
monokakata said:
A while ago I bought a G-Technology GDrive mobile hard drive with TB2, carefully disassembled it, and replaced the spinning drive with a 1 TB Crucial SSD. Yes, I was aware that I was invalidating the warranty.

The GDrive enclosure is beautifully engineered and constructed.
Click to expand...

I tried to swap out a drive from a G-tech but the controller board wouldn't recognize it. Was one of the bigger enclosures though and not the mini

These are expensive but I like them a lot because of the dual USB/T2 ports:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NV8PQ4...TF8&colid=2L1E4PPTJ7BJT&coliid=I3DYMYZAEA3XJH

EDIT: Didn't realize you were only interested in SSD drive....
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
LOL, that link for the Transcend Drive brags:

Thunderbolt Interface for Blazing Fast Transfer Speeds
With the advanced Thunderbolt Input/Output technology, the SJM300 portable hard drive delivers the unparalleled interface transfer rates of up to 10 Gb/s*, 20 times faster than USB 2.0

You have to click a link that says "Show More" to see the disclaimer:

*Maximum interface transfer rates shown. Owing to the HDD specifications, the maximum performance of SJM300 is 120MB/s
 
Boyd01 said:
LOL, that link for the Transcend Drive brags:

Thunderbolt Interface for Blazing Fast Transfer Speeds
With the advanced Thunderbolt Input/Output technology, the SJM300 portable hard drive delivers the unparalleled interface transfer rates of up to 10 Gb/s*, 20 times faster than USB 2.0

You have to click a link that says "Show More" to see the disclaimer:

*Maximum interface transfer rates shown. Owing to the HDD specifications, the maximum performance of SJM300 is 120MB/s
Click to expand...

Wow. I never even bothered to look at the * disclaimer. I do use them to move around 50,60,and 70GB video files though and they don't 't seem inordinately slow. Granted I'm not actually editing on them.
[doublepost=1481767885][/doublepost]....I see the Glyph portable drives are only 140 MB/s 1TB (External Rugged Mobile Hard Drive BBPL1000)
 
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