What ssd case to use with this one?

[Jason32]

I need an external ssd with my new iMac....how do I get max speed out of this drive? Which case?

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if that’s not a good solution then which external ssd 2tb drive would u recommend?

thanks guys

 

[mj_]

Since this is an NVMe SSD you want either a USB 3.2 Gen 1 (which is identical to USB 3.1 Gen 2) or a Thunderbolt enclosure. Which ones will work depends on what iMac you've got.

 

[Jason32]

Since this is an NVMe SSD you want either a USB 3.2 Gen 1 (which is identical to USB 3.1 Gen 2) or a Thunderbolt enclosure. Which ones will work depends on what iMac you've got.

I bought the latest i9 iMac with 5700xt so it’s the latest and greatest iMac lol. Do u think with thunderbolt 3 I’ll be able to get 3400MB read/write from that ssd if I get the correct case?

 

[mj_]

In a TB3 case you will get the maximum performance this SSD is capable to deliver. Which depending on workload might only be slightly higher than the roughly 1,000 MB/s you will get out of a USB 3.2 Gen 1 case at a fraction of the price.

Not sure about the P5's raw performance numbers but keep in mind that sequential read/write speed is only really good for one thing: marketing.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

You can go two directions:

1. Get a thunderbolt3 nvme enclosure. This will deliver read speeds 2,000MBps or higher.
BUT... there aren't many of these enclosures available, and they'll get very HOT under heavy write loads.
SOME (not all) drives may automatically "throttle back" the speeds under high heat. I've heard that this is "built into" nvme technology. I could be wrong.

Having said that... under most day-to-day computer operations, where the drive is not handling long, extended writes, the drive should be usable and fast.

2. Get a USB3.1 gen2 nvme enclosure. The read speeds are down around 965MBps.
Less heat, but again, they do get hot under heavy writes, and even here can "throttle back" (I've experienced that myself).

 

[Jason32]

OP:

You can go two directions:

1. Get a thunderbolt3 nvme enclosure. This will deliver read speeds 2,000MBps or higher.
BUT... there aren't many of these enclosures available, and they'll get very HOT under heavy write loads.
SOME (not all) drives may automatically "throttle back" the speeds under high heat. I've heard that this is "built into" nvme technology. I could be wrong.

Having said that... under most day-to-day computer operations, where the drive is not handling long, extended writes, the drive should be usable and fast.

2. Get a USB3.1 gen2 nvme enclosure. The read speeds are down around 965MBps.
Less heat, but again, they do get hot under heavy writes, and even here can "throttle back" (I've experienced that myself).

I’ll be using it to copy 4K video files maybe about 10-20gb at a time but mostly it will be permanently connected to my iMac with occasional file transfers to the iPad pro 4th gen.

should I get the above drive with an enclosure or should I go the normal external ssd like crucial x8 or WD P50? They are expensive that’s why I thought about getting a normal internal ssd with a case.

 

[mj_]

iPad Pro = USB-C, no Thunderbolt. Just get an external USB drive (e.g. Samsung T7) and be done with it, it won't make any difference whatsoever.