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If buy M2 Max with 512GB SSD and add Satachi Hub/base and insert a 1 TB M.2 SSD...end up with 1.5 TB storage.
Will this work or will there be an overheating issue & will the additional 1 TB SSD be slow due to SATA vs. NVMe connectivity?
Satachi website PDF Guide clearly states “Compatible with only M.2 SATA SSD drives. Does not work with NVMe.”
I assume Apple SSD uses the PCIe NVMe protocol and not the old slower SATA protocol.
Mac Studio (2022)
Heat will not be an issue, provided the dock provides a heatsink for the SSD stick. Nothing else will get hot, even if the dock does not provide a proper heatsink.
the device you specified is a USB-C dock. Drives placed inside it will be limited to USB-3 10 G bits/sec, about 1,000 M bytes/sec. There are SSD devices available today as fast as the internal drive in a Mac studio, where the DEVICE can run as high as 6,000 M Bytes/sec.
But you can't get data inside that Mac that fast, because at this writing all but a few peripheral devices are limited.
if you used a ThunderBolt-3 Dock, the speed possible would be up to about 2,500 M Bytes/sec
External drives provide an additional Drive, and you would need to decide what files go where. if editing video, best results are obtained by having the source drive and destination drive be physically different drives, so as not to complete with each other.
You also need a way to make a backup copy of all these files, but its should be large (suggested 2.5 times what you need to back up) and cheap. Time machine gets no benefit from FAST, because it is working at low priority in the background. so older technology SATA drives are usually the 'winners' of this 'race' because of cost.
Because most external drives are widely compatible, and you can use MANY drives simultaneously with impunity, it is hard to make a mistake. if not large enough, add more. If not fast enough, add more and faster.
Update:
I just found this:
Stand & Hub For Mac Mini / Studio With NVMe SSD Enclosure
I had not realized that Satachi made more than one stand/hub with an SSD enclosure.
So, now I know I can use with Mac Studio & buy a 1 TB NVMe SSD & install it in the enclosure under the stand/hub.
I still wonder if there will be a heat issue.
Also will this additional SSD be slower vs. the Mac Studio internal SSD?
I will not save much $ vs. paying Apple $200 to upgrade to a 1 TB SSD. But, by using the Stand/hub, I’d have 1.5TB storage.
I’m also not sure which 1 TB M.2 SSD to buy; Crucial, Samsung?
IDK if my Mac Studio will treat this setup as a single 1.5 TB SSD or if it will treat as 2 separate SSDs.
Are there any problems I have not considered?
Thanks for the reply Grant!
The reason I was concerned about heat, is when I learned about the Satechi Stand & hub from Screen Rant article by Brady Snyder 7/2023, I searched & found the one he was discussing & it had a SATA drive enclosure. There was an FAQ:
Q: “Will you be adding a hard drive?”
A: “We had considered it during early prototype testing stages but the heat of the stand with the hard drive was an issue which would probably require an internal fan, and the additive of a drive and the port hubs would require the use of more than one USB-C ports on the back. Our developers are always working to improve on our current designs for possible updated future releases.
As for connecting external hard drives, the hub stand will support no more than one external hard drive at a time due to the limited USB power wattage output.”
I think I’ll just pay Apple the $200 extra to get a 1 TB internal SSD.
Currently, I have a late 2015 27” iMac running macOS Monterey v.12.7.6 so, no more updates. I have a hub (Anker) attached. 10-Port 60W USB 3.0 Hub with 7 Data Transfer Ports and 3 PowerIQ Charging Ports.
I’ll just connect that to my new Mac Studio via a USB-C port. (Will need an adapter for my USB-3 cable.) Or I’ll buy a USB-C hub.
Probably a month after I buy my new M2 Max Mac studio… Apple will release the M4 Mac studio!
On my Mac Studio I used an NVME drive in a Thunderbolt enclosure of fast data transfer. If you are using that MacIi would suggest that external drive to complement the speed of the Studio.
Add storage To Mac Studio with Satechi hub
