I’m thinking of buying an ACASIS NVMe SSD Enclosure for Thunderbolt 3/4 and a Samsung 980 PRO 2 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. I’ve read that the SSD firmware should be updated occasionally, but it can only be done in Windows. Does this matter so much, as I haven’t got access to windows. The SSD is fast and it receives very good reviews. Any ideas?
Mac Studio, macOS 13.0
I’ve been the Samsung for quite a while without issues.
I haven’t been concerned about firmware updates. Usually these don’t matter in an external case. They are more of an issue with internal drives when you upgrade the OS.
I don’t expect to ever upgrade the firmware but in that unlikely event I’m sure I can borrow a friends PC
The only NVMes I’m using are the Samsung and a couple of Kingston KC3000. I’ve heard good reports on the WD but I haven’t used one myself.
Connecting over Thunderbolt limits SSD speeds overall to about 2500 M Bytes/sec, maximum -- regardless of how inherently fast the SSD itself may be.
Don't pay for speeds any higher than that -- you will never see them except in a local PCIe slot.
I have that Samsung NVMe in an Orico aluminium case along with a few others.
Don’t get the NVMe with the heat sink or it won’t fit in a case.
I think an aluminium case is important as the NVMe puts out a lot of heat during use.
One that’s rated at 40Gb/ps will get you about 2.7GB/s over thunderbolt. It does spoil you for using a regular external SSD
I have spoken with samsung, because I am a bit concerned that I will not be able to update the firmware for the Samsung 980 pro, as they said it could be a problem. Do you think this is something I should be concerned about? I am also looking with interest at the WD Black SN850X. I'd be interested in your opinion.
Thank you all for the help you have given me. I have opted for the Acasis enclosure and the Samsung 980 Pro SSD.
Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD
