Looking for a high quality m.2 SSD?

[Imola Ghost]

I ordered a dock for my Mac mini M1 and it allows me to add a M.2 SSD


Looking for recommendations for one of about 1-2tb.

No photo or video type will be running. Just basic storage for photos and music (server).

 

[satcomer]

Sounds like you need a smart NAS in your setup to long store pictices older videos etc! You can see reviews on YouTube if want see how they work!

 

[Fishrrman]

One thing to be sure of before you order a drive:
Is it "m2"
or
Is it "nvme"?

The pins are different, so you want to be careful.

These things are becoming "commodity items".
I'd lean towards "Crucial" or "Sandisk", or possibly "Western Digital" (although I'd hope WD SSDs have better long-term reliability than do their HDDs...)

 

[Imola Ghost]

Sounds like you need a smart NAS in your setup to long store pictices older videos etc! You can see reviews on YouTube if want see how they work!

I’m wanting one of those M.2 SSD’s because that’s what fits in the dock I bought.

 

[Basic75]

One thing to be sure of before you order a drive:
Is it "m2"
or
Is it "nvme"?

No, that's the wrong distinction. M.2 is a connector/form factor that can do SATA or PCIe/NVMe. That's like saying "is it USB-C or is it USB 3.0" where one is the connector and the other is one of the protocols that connector might or might not support in different incarnations.
But you are right to point out that OP needs to know which of these his dock supports in order to choose a compatible SSD. In addition there are multiple form factors for M.2 SSDs that differ in length. Again OP needs to know what the maximum length that fits in the dock is to not buy something that is compatible electrically but plain doesn't fit inside.

 

[Basic75]

I’m wanting one of those M.2 SSD’s because that’s what fits in the dock I bought.

That's like saying "I need tyres for my car" without stating size and summer or winter. Read my above reply for the distinctions you need to make. if you want some suggestions you're gonna need to tell us exactly what your dock supports, or at least the model of the dock to look it up!

 

[Imola Ghost]

here’s what they say.

 

[Fishrrman]

According to this (screenshot from the image you posted above):

... it looks like it has two "bays" that can accept 2.5" SATA, nvme, and m2 drives.

Since this dock is supposed to be USB3.1 gen2, I'd put an nvme blade in it, and you want to connect to the Mac using a USBc cable (NOT USB3 with an "a" connector) to get gen2 speeds.

 

[bwillwall]

You need an M.2 either nvme or sata. Because it supports both, you should be good with just about any standard M.2 drive. It also has a 2nd bay for a 2.5" SATA drive, either SSD or HDD.

 

[Imola Ghost]

Here is the link for the exact dock.

Hagibis USB-C Hub with Dual Hard Drive Enclosure, Type-C Docking Station for Mac Mini M2, Mac Studio M1 Max Ultra with 2.5inch SATA, M.2 SSD, 4K@60Hz DP1.4 & HDMI, USB3.2 Gen2, SD/TF (MC25 Pro HD)

Hagibis USB-C Hub with Dual Hard Drive Enclosure; Unique 2-in-1 design, USB-C Docking Station & Dual Hard Drive Enclosure; Designed for Mac Mini, Mac Studio and MacBook Pro

www.amazon.com

 

[Imola Ghost]

I think I'm just going get an internal 2.5" SATA drive as I really don't think I need the speed of the SSD plus I believe the SATA drive will last longer.

How about a quality 2.5" SATA drive recommendation?