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M1 Mac Mini crashing when using SK Hynix Gold P31 SSD with Acasis USB4/TB3 enclosure

Tried using the SK Hynix Gold P31 SSD with Acasis USB4/TB3 enclosure yesterday and it caused my 16GB RAM M1 Mac Mini to crash immediately. After crashing, the Mac would attempt to restart itself several times, but it could not restart successfully. Ultimately the Mac would start up in Recovery Mode. The only way to allow the Mac to start normally and function was to disconnect the Acasis enclosure with SK Hynix SSD.

I also had a 1TB Samsung EVO Plus SSD which I tried with the Acasis enclosure, which worked and did not crash my Mac. I also installed the SK Hynix Gold P31 into a Jeyi USB3.1 v2 enclosure and connected to the Mac via the TB3 port, and there was no crashing or issues. So, I think the problem may have to do with a conflict between the SK Hynix Cepheus controller chip and the Acasis Intel 7440 chip. I did contact Apple Support and they have escalated the issue to their engineering department. I have submitted my system logs to them, as well as provided the make and model and chipset information for the SK Hynix and Acasis devices. Did anyone experience the same issue?

Mac mini, macOS 11.3

Posted on Feb 11, 2021 9:47 AM

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Zhaobello Author

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Posted on Feb 24, 2021 8:49 AM

2/24/2021 Update & Correction

I forgot to add a correction to my assessment. The SK Hynix Gold P31 NVME, combined with the Acasis USB4 enclosure (USING INTEL 7440 CHIPSET) is the reason why the SK Hynix does not work with the M1 Mac. I also tried using the SK Hynix with a Jeyi USB 3.1 gen 2 (10Gb/s) enclosure, and that worked without issue with my M1 Mac Mini, and at about near the max speeds for USB 3.2 gen 2 (Jeyi uses the Realtek RTL 9210 controller chip, which is supposedly the best now compared with JMicron JMS583 chip). Also tried the SK Hynix with a Sabrent Thunderbolt 3 enclosure, which also CRASHED my M1 Mac Mini exactly the same as the Acasis USB4/TB3 enclosure.

Summary: SK Hynix Gold P31 M.2 2280 SSD will NOT work (currently) with any USB4/Thunderbolt 3 enclosures. SK Hynix will need to updated the firmware for their Cepheus controller chip to allow it to work with M1 Macs/MacOS systems.

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43 replies

wjpjr

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Feb 12, 2021 11:23 AM in response to Zhaobello

good to hear Zhaobello. If I'm not mistaken the TBW endurance of the SN750 equals the Sammy EVO+ and is slightly cheaper.

Zhaobello Author

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Feb 12, 2021 1:35 PM in response to wjpjr

Yes. Only Black Magic. I'm on a Zoom call now but I'll run the Crystal Disk afterwards. But very pleased with WD and happy that I read about the results from another MacRumors member.

wjpjr

Level 1

101 points

Feb 12, 2021 5:55 PM in response to Zhaobello

Good to hear. Did collect any quantified transfers data during the recent eval?

it will be interesting to hear how the Mushkin Pilot-e does tomorrow.

Zhaobello Author

Level 1

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Feb 22, 2021 7:24 AM in response to wjpjr

Thanks for the heads up wjpjr. But is the limiting reagent the M1 Mac Mini's PCIe 3 interface? If not, I will get the Sabrent as you suggested.

wjpjr

Level 1

101 points

Feb 22, 2021 7:28 AM in response to Zhaobello

I thought the M1 was TB3/USB 4.0. Although the M1s seem to not for some reason transfer at their rates data speeds. Hopefully that’s a BS and/or firmware SW issue and not a M1 HW design issue.

wjpjr

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101 points

Feb 22, 2021 8:08 AM in response to Zhaobello

Where did you get the info on M1 Macs and PCIe 3.0 spec?

wjpjr

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101 points

Feb 22, 2021 9:13 AM in response to Zhaobello

Gotcha.. duh slapping head :-).

Zhaobello Author

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Feb 22, 2021 11:16 AM in response to wjpjr

Ha. I do the same things.

Zhaobello Author

Level 1

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Feb 14, 2021 5:00 PM in response to wjpjr

wjpjr,

I just went to Amazon and checked the WD SN750. I saw a $5 price drop. So I googled if Amazon would credit or refund me the difference, and the most recent information on the web said that Amazon has stopped their refund policy for items purchased and then the price drops within 7 days of purchase. Nonetheless I contacted Amazon Customer Service and they gave me a $5.00 promo credit for my next purchase. Thanks for the heads up wjpjr!

wjpjr

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Feb 14, 2021 5:07 PM in response to Zhaobello

“Amazon has stopped their refund policy for items purchased and then the price drops within 7 days of purchase.”

yeah they changed their policy about 2 years ago. Nice you got the promo credit. The other option I’ve used was to rebuy and return. Yeah sounds stupid but it works, especially if the difference is large.

Zhaobello Author

Level 1

9 points

Feb 15, 2021 7:24 AM in response to wjpjr

That's not stupid at all. It's exactly what most people would do. If they were alerted that the price dropped within the 7 day time period. Is there any app/extension/etc. that you use to track prices on Amazon or other sites?

wjpjr

Level 1

101 points

Feb 15, 2021 9:45 AM in response to Zhaobello

“Is there any app/extension/etc. that you use to track prices on Amazon or other sites?”

Nope, just my OCD checking my shopping list :). I gave up on those “item tracking” apps and/or similar browser extensions when I realized how much personal information was leaking. As the saying goes “there’s no ‘free’ lunch”.

Zhaobello Author

Level 1

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Feb 11, 2021 5:32 PM in response to wjpjr

My current typical use most probably won't include very large file and data transfers, and extended time transfers. Hopefully it will stay within the SLC cache. If heat does become an issue no matter what, I am also considering the Fledgling Shell Thunder enclosure, which includes a fan. Heat is a concern, that is why my first pick was the SK Hynix Gold P31, as it seems to be known for its power efficiency and cool running temps.

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M1 Mac Mini crashing when using SK Hynix Gold P31 SSD with Acasis USB4/TB3 enclosure