2 Bay SSD Storage Hub For Your Mac mini (M1 or M2)
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- čas přidán 1. 06. 2023
- In this video we showcase a 2 Bay storage hub for your Mac mini that can take 2 SSDs. One slot is for a M.2 SSD (either SATA or NVMe) and the second slot is for a 2.5" SSD. If you are looking to add storage to your Mac mini (M1 or M2 Mac mini) then take a look at this storage hub by Qwiizlab to see if it has the features that you need. In the video we perform a speed test on both the M.2 SSD slot and the 2.5" SSD storage slot on the Quiizlab UH25 Pro Hub.
In this video we talk about the following products:
Qwiizlab Dual Bay Storage Hub For Mac minis - amzn.to/3qnBmPJ
Crucial P3 500 GB M.2 NVMe SSD - amzn.to/3N9QclH
Crucial P3 Plus 500 GB M.2 NVMe SSD - amzn.to/3IYjkKj
Leven JS600 1 TB 2.5" SSD - amzn.to/3N9oENn
Satechi Mac mini Storage Hub - amzn.to/3C7w2mc
Thanks for watching and please subscribe for hundreds of similar videos about technology products and Apple computers and accessories. Please note that if you use a link above to make a purchase a small portion could go to help grow our Apple Mac related channel. Thank you. - Věda a technologie
I'm preparing to switch out my older PC for a Mac Mini, and because of your video, I know I'll be able to get enough storage and use the hub to connect everything. I did opt for a 2TB drive (I love having extra storage) and I can't wait for everything to arrive so I can install it all and get going. Thanks for an excellent video!
Thank you. The storage on the Mac mini will be faster but the storage on the hub is a great way to add extra storage for sure for things like backups and most tasks. Good luck with everything.
Just remember that you should always have a backup of your important files.
That's a pretty slick hub. I like that it can hold two storage drives, haven't seen that in any other hub.
It's been around for while. Not bad for adding cheap storage. Not thunderbolt 4 but nice for storage up to 800 MB/s.
Thank you Craig, keep those video coming I just order it for my Mac mini M2
Thanks. Good luck and thanks for watching.
Great review, thanks
Thanks for the feedback.
I love your videos Craig. This one is another great one. Can you please talk more about what you mean by “formatting” the drives and not wanting to mess them up? I’m still a rookie over here 😂
Thanks for feedback. You need to use Disk Utility to format SSDs in APFS. I has showed that in a number of past videos but not sure which ones. I would just do a search as I'm sure there are hundreds of videos on formatting SSDs on MacOS and I was just saying make sure you pick the external and not the main drive or you would erase everything on your main drive. But, it's pretty easy. Thanks for watching.
I've got one of these and would really recommend it, not just as it's dual bay but because it has also got the central (micro) SD card slot.
Yes, the micro SD slot is nice to have.
very interesting product!!!i saw it a couple of times reviewed in youtube, but anyways!!! (also, very promising prices for ssd's!!!)
Thanks for watching. Good solution for cheap storage.
Craig Neidel ThanksMuch for sharing !
Thanks for watching.
Another awesome video! I'm going to get one of these but I had a question. Is there any reason (other than cost) you didn't choose larger storage like the 2TB NVMe or SADA? I was thinking to do that but I wanted to make sure there wasn't a technical reason. Thanks Craig! You rock!
No I just had these disks I could use. I think it could have a 2 TB limitation but I have not tested that yet. But there was no reason I didn't put larger drives in up to the 2 TB and I just used the drives that I had which I could use. Thanks for watching.
I want to grab a Black Friday deal. Can i use a 2TB 5000Mbps. Does this enclosure has speed limitations and also do I have to buy a Good high speed cable for optimum speed
Crucial P3 Plus 2TB PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD, up to 5000MB/s - CT2000P3PSSD8
Great!
👍
Thanks. Nice for adding some cheap storage
I just subscribed to your channel. This is the second video I watched from you. I did a review of a similar device on my own channel. I too only have 1 port plugged in and it seems to handle well. But when I need to power up an additional external SSD (glued to my wall), then it sputters. There's a limit as to how much abuse it can take but you will need another port available.
Thanks for the sub. Yes, it can handle a certain amount when you have SSDs running also. But it does come with the capability of connecting to an external power supply to add additional power to it. Thank you.
I like the design, the features like 10Gbps usb ports and having an option for external power supply seems well thought out to me. The only thing that put me off was the lack of cooling for the nvme ssd. I went with two small Sabrent ssd enclosures instead, but it's going to look a lot messier on the desk :/
Yeah but most enclosures only allow about 700 to 850 MB/s so the aren't getting super hot unless you really push them. If you put these into thunderbolt 4 enclosures the cooling is much more important.
Hey Craig, Joe from Phoenix again great video! I remember in 2012 I bought a MacBook Pro and I immediately bought a crucial SSD drive at the time. I didn’t know the difference between Sada and NVM. I don’t even know if they had NVM at the time. But I paid about $400 for the drive. It was worth every cent my computer was blazing fast Fast forward. Exactly 10 years and I got one of the new Macbook Pro M1. I think I mentioned that to you before now I bought a couple of external cases based on your recommendation, and I’m trying to put together an entire back up system, including moving my old CD and DVDs to M1 DVDs for cold storage. They say those M1 DVDs will last 1000 years, wow! I’m not sure how they know that ha ha .That might be something you could do a video on sometime. It would be cool to hear your thoughts about creating super long-term backups because my understanding is SSD drives fail overtime. I had no idea until just recently that that happened. Anyway, thanks again for everything you do Craig.
Thanks for watching and the info you provided. I might do a video on very long storage options. The truth is that SSDs can fail like most forms of media, but they are getting much better and that failure time can be a very long time in most cases. Yes, if you need to save things for 100 years or something like that, then there are specific ways to do that and SSDs are not one of them. But, the key with any backup plan is to have a few copies and to have a yearly or bi-yearly plan to test to confirm everything works fine. Then if you ever do get a failure you can create a new copy from your stored copies and make sure you never lose any data. So the maintenance, which can be very easy, is the key part of any plan and if you do that then you can use most types of media including SSDs. Thanks again for watching.
Thanks for the great video. Is it possible to connect the hub via the Mac Mini's USB A port instead of the Thunderbolt port? I would hate to give up one of the rear Thunderbolt ports, as I use both of them for my dual monitor setup.
I don't think that is possible with this hub. Thanks for watching and the nice words.
nice
Thanks
Great video Craig! Which would you go with ultimately between the Satechi or this model?
Again, it's hard to know as I'm not doing a total review on these. I don't test them long enough. The Qwiizlab has more features and even costs a bit less but will it last as long as the Satechi? That is the question as Satechi makes quality stuff. I would just pick the one that has the features you need and if you need 2 drives then it's an easy pick. Thanks for watching.
@@craigneidel Thanks Craig!
Thanks.
is it ok to keep the ssd always on and attached to your mac mini through external enclosures or hubs? quite concerned about the heat. Great Video as always!
It's fine but yes depending on the SSD you use you need to make sure it's cooled correctly using very good thermal pads etc. Just like any M.2 NVMe drives etc. they can heat up a bit.
Thanks for this review! The model you are reviewing appears to be a different one from the model being sold on Amazon. I have sent a question about that to Quiizlab, but they haven’t responded. Can you tell me the difference?
I have a link to the one I reviewed in the video description. I should be the correct one.
Hi Craig<
am about to buy one of these, either the Quizlab or the Satechi, but wanted to ask, which one would you buy please? thank you
I would choose the one that has the features you need. I really didn't test them long term and only did a showcase so it's hard to choose but both worked well.
looks great! better then the Satechi one. Maybe you need to leave it open underneath and as you say, use a heat pad on the M.2SSD.
Yes, the heating up of all NVMe enclosures is the main issue and coming up with a good cooling solution is always the key.
Nice
Thanks for watching
@@craigneidel no prob👍🫡
recently i was thinking but i think i might aswell just ask, in my area there are alot of power cuts, how does imac handle that? and if i should get a power supply to deny sudden power shut downs
Yes, I would always hook up the iMacs to a power supply that can handle surges. It has worked well for me.
Is it needed to put a heatsink on the nvme drive when you install it inside the hub or will you be fine without it ?
It depends on the drive and hard hard you push it. Also, many heatsinks may not fit so you need to be careful. I actually sometimes just use Sata M.2 drives for basic storage because they don't heat up at all. Slower but if you don't need super fast storage it's fast enough.
What’s the best dock if I want just one single lightning fast SSD? Can you suggest the dock and the exact SSD you’d suggest? Been having trouble finding!
I made a video on the Acasis Thunderbolt 4 enclosure. Search for that video. That is basically close to 3000 MB/s but isn't really a hub and just an enclosure.
I have the Hagibis Variant (seems this device is badge manufactured) and I have found it, when powered from the M2 Mac Mini, somewhat wanting with the M.2 SSD frequently unmounting during data transfer. This is really quite frustrating and it means that only one of the SSD slots can be used at a time. I will try out, plugging directly into a powered USB Hub and to a separate 5V/2.1A wall wart to see if it makes any difference. (Thanks for the tip.)
Yes, it should be powered with multiple SSDs. Sometimes you can get away without that but it will depend on the drives you have in there etc. For example if you put a spinning drive in there it would consume way more power.
@@craigneidel Understood. Thanks for the reply. fwiw, I gave it separate power, and did a large file transfer which resulted in the disk unmounting, again. reduced the file load down to sub-100Mb which was ok, but the big file wouldn't tranfser (500Gb+) until everything else was deleted. I think the problem is either with the hardware or with the ssd card, however, that said,I had similar problems with different brand ssd's in the same unit which makes me think its an issue with the hub. No money to replace it but. 🤦♂
Thanks for the update. I'm not seeing that but that doesn't mean it's not an issue. Thanks again for sharing.
Do i need to buy 2 drives to run the HUB or can i just buy one SATA 2.5" 4TB drive? What is the purpose of the second drive port? Thanks!
You can use just 1 fine or you can use both. It just let's you run multiple SSDs if you need them.
I have bought a few versions of these units. They are ok with one drive but under powered with both. After a break period they will start to disconnect drives when moving large data files or doing your Time Machine backups.
I have not had that issue but it might depend on the power the drives are pushing etc. and therefore could be possible. Thanks for the info and sharing.
@@craigneidel Happy to share. I have the same unit you demoed currently on my system for about 8 months. I started with the Mac Mini providing the power and then had to move to a Mac power module. When that stopped working on the unit, I moved the m.2 stick out and everything works fine. It started ok, but this is the second unit from them in which the power management decreased over time. It could be their hardware degrading due to temp over time. Again, great video.
Thanks again for the info. I have not had any issues like this but it will keep my eyes open if anything arises like this.
Which brand would you recommend James? I have issues with my Qwiiz one unmounting drives and I'm worried about disk corruption.
Qwiiz haven't been very helpful tbh. They did advise me to buy a power adaptor for the hub which I got, but still it's happening.
Qwiiz ended up refunding me for the hub and not requesting it back, which would be a result if I wasn't living in fear of disk corruption due to the almost daily issue.
The comments I read on another video made me think about putting it on top of the Mac Mini rather than underneath it, in case it's an overheating issue, did you experience this by any chance?
It's the elephant in the room that is rarely talked about - random disconnects, not necessarily under stress either. I have a similar unit which generally disconnects once every month, which isn't bad. If I keep Docker idle but active overnight the disk will almost certainly disconnect, since my docker stuff lives on that external drive.
Can you run the two drives in Raid1, assuming you get drives of the same size?
I have not tested that but maybe using disk utility. I would search the Amazon questions to see if that topic came up.
I have a 2 TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD drive I was originally going to use to upgrade my late 2013 iMac, but I’m now getting the Mac mini with the m2 pro chip. Would it be compatible with this hub?
I don't see why not since it uses USB-C. The M2 mac minis are nice systems for sure especially with the M2 Pro chips.
stupid question but plugging the power cable in would that help with disc speed
If it's struggling with power maybe but I have not tested that. I'll let you know if I find anything out.
Question from the floor! Does using one of these plus a Mac mini mean I can use my 2013 iMac 27 as a display? ✌️🇦🇺
If a newer M1 mac mini or later it won't work as this comes from google "On apple's official site it says the late 2013 iMac supports target display mode, but that it only works if the source Mac is from 2019 or older.".
But you can use something like Luna Display although it won't be a perfect experience but you can read about all that online to research if that would work good for you.
Grate!! But there is any way o other hub for Mac Mini 2014? Thank you and congratulations!
I would just see what ports you have on that system and then see if this or another hub like this is compatible. I'm sure there are a few out there but just haven't covered any yet. Thanks again for watching.
USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 2. Thank you! @@craigneidel
Thanks, Yes search for them on Amazon and see if they match your ports. Thanks.
Interesting, will i be able to use two monitors with this hub on my mac mini m2 2023?
I only tested one. I think if you use the second USB cable and plug into extra power you should be able to. I would just search the Amazon questions as I'm sure it will be right in there with exactly how they did it. Thanks again for watching.
mac mini doesn’t support 2 monitors off a single TB port. You have to use the HDMI port for one and Tb port for the other.
Almost. Maybe I can buy two of them and do a raid of each set of MVme or/and SSD. I think it would more fantastic if both interface is MVme….
It is what it is but fore cheap storage space not bad.
Craig, greetings from Ukraine! Thank you for your videos. Could you please share your experience on how best to store family photos and videos? I have a family subscription to Microsoft where each member gets 1 terabyte of storage, but I don't really like paying $100 every year. Are there any more favorable options? For example, NAS storage with an HDD and an uninterruptible power supply?
It seems like a great topic for a new video ;) Thanks again!
Hello and stay safe. I just use my own storage devices and keep them in different locations like my mothers house or a safety deposit box. I really don't use too many cloud services as I don't trust them. For example on some if you don't update them for 2 years they remove items or if I was to get sick and miss a payment then all my photos could be gone. So I really just try and store them on external SSDS since they are so cheap now and then have a master collection on a spinning drive (like 4 TB). I always have 2 or 3 copies.
@@craigneidel SSDs are said to be less reliable than HDDs in terms of long-term data storage. Don't you think so?
@@craigneidel What HDDs would you recommend?
@@ihorvorobiov It used to be true but I think SSDs are catching up and are more reliable then ever if you store longer term data on them without powering them on. But, HDDS might still have a slight edge. I work in a datacenter though and most clients are now using SSDs for data storage even longer term storage.
Hubs are cool, but I'd take more type C ports over Typa A
Yes, it would be nice if it had more USB-C for sure. I'm sure they will update in sooner or later.
Maybe to it being connected to a TB3/4 port it provides enough power to no use the extra power port.
Yes, I guess it could depend on the types of drives used etc. But it has the cable just in case. Thanks for the post.
Do you need a heat sink for the m.2 ssd
I would recommend one if you are going to be using the SSD hard. But in my case with some simple storage from time to time I didn't need one.
Hello Craig, nice video. I have a question. I'm about to purchase a the Mac Mini M2 pro with the 12 core cpu,19 core gpu 16 core neural engine. Also with 32gb unified memory and 1tb ssd storage.I'd like to purchase this hub to add more storage for my music production work. my question is can the hub handle storage larger than 2tb of files?
Thanks for watching Ivan. I think it says it's up to 2 TB per slot but I am not able to test it since I don't have any drives that were available to me over 2 TB when I did the video. I would look on the Amazon comments as there are hundreds and I'm sure somebody will mention that they tried that and also search the question area. I think I saw something on that a long while ago but not sure. Thanks again.
@@craigneidel thanks for your reply.
@@ivanvelez7668 thanks
@@craigneidel hey another question here. If i purchased the qwiizlab usb c hub that has the ability to install 2 ssd's, what would be the best 2tb ssd to i should get?
It comes down to cost and what you need. It can take both a M.2 and 2.5" SSD so you have to buy two types. I would just look for best deals from companies like WD or Samsung or if you want to get less expensive drives then maybe Inland or Leven etc.
Can you use these for the 18?
Yes, but review the ports etc. and they should work as long as you have the right port. Also, go onto the Amazon page and search the comments / questions and I'm sure it will be in there as well. Thanks again for watching and good luck with everything.
I have the setechi and i order samsung sad m.2 nvme will these work or no?
The satechi in my video only takes SATA m.2 and not nvme so no. But check Amazon listing for satechi hub you got as they could have other models.
@@craigneidel i just purchase the hagibis usb-c hub mc25pro hopefully that will work
Good luck with everything.
I want to grab a Black Friday deal. Can i use a 2TB 5000Mbps. Does this enclosure has speed limitations and also do I have to buy a Good high speed cable for optimum speed
Crucial P3 Plus 2TB PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD, up to 5000MB/s - CT2000P3PSSD8
The 10 Gbps limitation on the enclosure will mean you can only get around the 850 MB/S at best (divide bytes and bits). So changing the cable won't really do much. So no need to get a super fast deal and just get best deal on the SSD.
@@craigneidel will the below or similar NVME SSD will use its full speed in this enclosure.
“P3 Plus 2TB PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD, up to 5000MB/s - CT2000P3PSSD8
No, it's a 10 Gbps enclosure - divide by 8 - = 1250 at most MB/s but in reality there is overhead so maybe 800 to 900 MB/s. So just get a drive like 1,500 to 2,000 read and writes and your fine but they are all the same price so if you can get that for about the same cost just get that one.
@@craigneidel excellent that’s what I wanted .. I missed a 88$ price but 98$ still is a steal for me
Thanks and good luck.
My question is, if read & write speed are around 800 then why do you put on heat tape, when ssd is rated for 3500? Just to be safe,
They will all get warm when performing longer tasks (NVMe) so it helps cool down the drives so they also last longer.
@@craigneidel I watch you video on a old LaCie were you disabled and reassembled that drive with a newer SSD 2.5 SATA Drive, so can have you ever taken or know if someone has taken a GDrive 1tb apart and upgrade with a new SSD for faster speed because right now it is only 130MB/s With I bought 4 years ago? Thank You
@@williameverets2736 I have not seen that but maybe search youtube to see if it was done. I actually never used the GDrive so don't have a ton of experience with those but it could be possible just not sure.
Any limits on TB’s? Can it take 4 or 8 TB?
tHANKS!
I only tested it up to 2 TB drives but it should maybe say on the Amazon page. If I can test with a larger drive I'll let you know.
@@craigneidel Appreciate your prompt response… I have an 8 TB Samsung 2.5 & 4TB WD Black, for my music to be played on the Mac mini M2 Pro. Before I waste my money, please let me know, appreciate all the assistance you may be able to provide!!!
I would look at the website or the Amazon link. I don't have a drive to test it on. Thank you.
Umm this unit uses both thunderbolt ports on the Mac mini. Meaning you can't then connect two monitors to the Mac mini. With the satechi using only one thunderbolt port you can still hook up two monitors
Mine has one cable so not sure what you have.
Something unrelated, I spotted Samsung's viewfinity S9 has appeared on their site with no pricing or delivery though.
Thanks for the update. I saw that too but no pricing yet. I sure hope it comes soon and I'll be keeping an eye open. Thanks again for the heads up.
Would love to see this updated with a thunderbolt connection for a fast NVMe M.2 SSD. I guess it would also need to have some better heat management for that.
Yes, better head management plus a much larger cost. But overall it would be nice for sure.
Ok. So I'm not too smart, but why cant the hub facilitate the product specs for the NVMe drive?
10 Gbps interface. Divide by 8 for bytes and bits conversion and you get 1250 MB/s max. Add overhead and 800 to 900 is all 10 Gbps enclosures get. You need to get 40 Gbps enclosure for faster speeds.
Thank you for quick response. I very much appreciate it. @@craigneidel
@@Rahyse welcome.. thanks for watching
How do you format it??
Format as APFS. Or exfat if you ever want to connect to win pc also. There are hundreds of examples on Google just search for formac SSD drive on Mac.
This hub is currently $67 on Amazon with two clickable coupons on the listing.
Nice deal
Bought a Qwiizlab hub after seeing these review videos, but I do have an issue with it unmounting the installed drives.
I'm worried about disk (and file) corruption if this keeps happening, and Qwiiz haven't been very helpful tbh. They did advise me to buy a power adaptor for the hub which I got, but still it's happening. Qwiiz ended up refunding me for the hub and not requesting it back, which would be a result if I wasn't living in fear of disk corruption due to the almost daily issue.
The comments I read on another video made me think about putting it on top of the Mac Mini rather than underneath it, in case it's an overheating issue, but any other ideas from anyone in a similar position?
I have not seen this with my device so I'm not sure I can help much. Yes, a power adaptor could help if it's pushing more power than the device can handle or maybe try a different SSD to see if that helps. Sometimes changing up the SSD can make the difference in devices like this.
@@craigneidel Hi Craig, the disks do sometimes unmount when I plug the scanner in to the USB 3.1 port on the hub, so that does indeed sound like it is power related (even though I do now have a power adaptor for the hub as advised after I'd bought it), but it's most often random.
Thanks for suggesting it could be the SSD, I'll keep an eye on that and maybe take it out for a test few days. I only have the SSD there as a disk cache / scratch disk so can test easily enough without it being in there. My other installed drive, the NvMe has all my archived design files on it (which I sometimes call upon), I hope I've organised my drives the correct way, any advice on that?
I've had two days of NOT unmounting drives now that I have switched the hub to be on top of the Mac Mini, so it could possibly have been a heat issue - it has been pretty warm here in the UK this week, will report back.
After your last post I do think it would be the scanner causing it. Those use a ton of power and I'm not sure if too many hubs would be able to handle that. It's only a guess but after you said scanner I thought that could also be it.
Yes I have come to realise that big power drains are gonna cause issues, I guess I'll have to disconnect the hub each time i want to use the scanner to avoid it unmounting disks. Not ideal, kind of defies the point of the hub to be honest.
I do have an update though, I have unmounted the SSD for now as a trial as I only have that installed to be a cache/scratch disk and have has no issues for a week now. The NvMe drive is still working fine, although occasionally reads files slower than I'd like (beach ball curse). Maybe I don't need the SSD after all?
@@craigneidel
i also got a refund, mine didn’t provided power to any of the front port, even with a 65W power charger. So, it’s useless, you can only use it as an NVME enclosure.
El problema es que te compras un disco duro de 1000 pesos y una extension con conectores de 400 pesos y te sale 1400 y si compras este producto te sale en 4 pesos y hacen el mismo servicio
You can add more storage to this if you want to for the money.
maybe designed to be hooked up if using HDD instead of SDD
I'm not sure what you are saying?
I’d like to understand why they have two different HDD in this.
Just for more storage and choice.
This wins over the satechi because of nvme
Yes, there are pros and cons to both. Keep in mind that for basic storage using a SATA drive is nice because you have no heat issues and things run much cooler also.
So sad of Apple, they sell premium machines AND give you nothing but Thunderbolt ports, so you have to buy all these dongles and crap to carry just to get basic connectivity for all the stuff one needs. And to make it worse in the case of the mac mini and iMac etc, the limited amount of ports they give you, they hide it all in the back of the machine, so you gotta plug by feel. Apple gives you super fast TB4 ports, but no one makes a good all around bootable M.2 nvme in TB4 AND with USB ports / ethernet / display port etc.. Now you have to carry around at least 2 dongles and a power brick to power a half decent TB4.
Yes, that is one of the disadvantages to Macs for sure. Thanks for watching the video.