Using USB 4 external bus powered SSD

[macman4789]

Hi,

Just enquiring about using a USB 4 based SSD with a Mac Studio. In terms of using day to day, is it safe to leave plugged in 24/7? For example, shutting down or putting the Mac to sleep, do I need to eject each time the drive? I haven’t really used an external drive regularly but plan to use one quite regularly and leave it plugged. I just want to make sure it’s ok to do so because years ago I was always told to eject it before shutting down etc.

With it being bus powered and have no AC power, does that make any difference?

Many thanks for your input.

 

[Daydog]

Hi,

Just enquiring about using a USB 4 based SSD with a Mac Studio. In terms of using day to day, is it safe to leave plugged in 24/7? For example, shutting down or putting the Mac to sleep, do I need to eject each time the drive? I haven’t really used an external drive regularly but plan to use one quite regularly and leave it plugged. I just want to make sure it’s ok to do so because years ago I was always told to eject it before shutting down etc.

With it being bus powered and have no AC power, does that make any difference?

Many thanks for your input.

I Have a 2tb m.2 plugged in rear thunderbolt port been shut down sleep power on and off always connected 3 week now no problem.

 

[b17777]

I've had a 2TB Acasis plugged in my M1 Studio 24/7 since I bought it for Time Machine.
No problems

 

[macman4789]

Great, thanks for sharing experiences. Just wondered whether there was any issues either not ejecting. Years ago when I used drives, macOS was a bit temperamental with having to eject before shutting down etc.

 

[haralds]

I have two TB4 SSDs and one USB-C on each of my Studio and M4 mini Pro. They work great.
Apple seems to have fixed an issue where drives were ejected on sleep and not remounted on wake.

 

[bcomer]

I use two of these with my studio:

OWC Express 1M2 - The Fastest Single Portable SSD We Offer

Ultra-fast, compatible, and reliable portable USB4 NVMe SSD with speeds up to 3836MB/s. Build your own or choose ready-to-run solutions for your Mac or PC.

eshop.macsales.com

 

[Chancha]

Apple Silicon Macs, including Mac Studio, can only power a maximum of two high-bus-powered devices at one time. The 3rd one onwards can still work but they need to be relegated to an external power source, like a TB dock.