Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Emiljabo

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 16, 2013
50
13
Hi guys,

I've been looking into my options pretty intensely, but a few things are confusing me and I need some advice on the best choice.

I have a late 2014 iMac with USB3.0 and Thunderbolt 2 connections. It's maxed out and I want to give it one last upgrade to extend its life. I plan on getting a new Mac, but I am unable to for at least another year. However, whichever SSD option I go for I would like it to be future proof for when I do get a new Mac.

I am looking at a Samsung 970EVO Plus (2TB) NVMe in a suitable enclosure. My only concern is which connection I should choose to utilise, USB or Thunderbolt with the obvious adaptors for either option. Which would give me the fastest data throughput given my Mac's ageing connections?

For example, would a Thunderbolt 3 enclosure with a Thunderbolt 2 adaptor be better than a USB3.1/2 enclosure with Thunderbolt 2 adaptor?

I work predominantly with very large Photoshop files which can more often than not be 10GB in size.

Thanks!
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.