OWC Express 1M2 Portable SSD NVMe Thunderbolt Enclousure 40Gbps USB-C USB4 Ultra Fast up to 3836MB/s real-world performance External SSD Drive with Aluminum Heat Sink - Works with PC & Mac

I was going to buy an M4 Mac Mini dock but I have all the plugs I need so went for just an SSD enclosure. Fitted with a Samsung 990 Pro that is faster than the OWC supports but the SSD was on offer so went for it as it was less costly than a slower alternative. The enclosure is a doddle to set up and use and I now have all my key programmes - MS Office and Photoshop, Acrobat and Lightroom plus Chrome and Firefox running from it. Fast? Seems to be. Stable? Yes. Fast file transfers? Extremely quick. Does it run hot? Gets warm under load, hence sitting on heavy alloy billet which really helps reduce the running temperatures. Not a problem without but in hot weather is could be. Older and slower SSDs run cool. Fast ones are clearly using a lot more power and do run warm. If the Mac is left to sleep the external drive is warm to the touch in the morning. This is normal I am told. Would I run this with a 'laptop'? If the laptop is plugged into the mains, yes. But I think these powerful SSDs and enclosures eat power so be aware if you want to use battery power for an extended period. Would a cheaper alternative be as good? No idea. I buy something that has a good warranty from a trusted supplier. Do I trust my data to an SSD? No. I have multiple back-ups and always save pictures from my SD card to at least three external drives. Two Samsung SSDs have died on me but they were lower capacity and worked really hard. Can I plug in the drive and use it with another computer? If it is a Mac with an M1 to M4 chip and fitted with USB 3/4 or Thunderbolt yes. Works seamlessly. Would I recommend? If you rely on an external drive, yes. Would I fit a slower SSD? Yes, a Gen 3 will be just as fast as the Gen 4 SSD I bought. Do I need my 'home made' heat sink? No but have used this system for a long time and it works.

I recently purchased the OWC Express 1M2 NVMe Thunderbolt External Drive, and I am beyond impressed! This drive is a game-changer for anyone who needs fast, reliable external storage. The speed is mind-blowing — I'm consistently getting read and write speeds that far surpass anything I’ve experienced with other external drives.The Thunderbolt connectivity ensures lightning-fast data transfer, whether I'm editing large video files or working with heavy datasets. It's perfect for video editors, photographers, or anyone who needs high-performance storage for demanding tasks.The compact design is sleek and portable, making it easy to take with me on the go. I also appreciate the sturdy build quality, which gives me confidence that it's built to last.Setting it up was a breeze, and I had no issues with compatibility on my MacBook Pro and Mac Mini M4. It also stays cool even during extended use, with no noticeable slowdowns or overheating.Overall, this external drive is a fantastic investment. If you're looking for fast, reliable storage with excellent performance, I highly recommend the OWC Express 1M2!

Just adding my two cents' worth to the other 5-star reviews. This enclosure is gorgeous to look at, sufficiently heavy to be stable on your desk, and just blows away the competition. I compared it with a slightly cheaper enclosure (also a well-known brand) and this enclosure gives me higher speeds from my 2TB WD Black NVMe SSD. I am getting consistent speeds of 3000+ which is much faster than my Mac Mini M4's internal drive. The enclosure barely gets warm in normal use. It was delivered in just 2 days despite the advertised delivery time being longer, so kudos to the supplier. If you want the coolest, best-looking, fastest enclosure around, spend the extra few quid and get this.

It was quick and easy to add the SSD to the enclosure, had it connected within 5 mins.I also liked that It's solid and reassuring feels weighty. Aesthetically it looks great next to the dark/grey monitor, MacBook and Thunderbolt hub.

Combined with the Crucial T500 2TB SSD PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 Internal Gaming SSD - it provides a powerful combination. Great transfer speed and hasnt missed a beat so far. Bought 1 month ago. Good quality build.

I have recently upgraded to a new M4 Pro Mac Mini from an aging iMac, and I needed a couple of enclosures to hold NVMe SSD’s to replace the external hard disks I used. I tried Ugreen enclosures first, but while the speed was perfectly fine the whine from the cooling fans did get annoying. After living with the sound of the fans in the iMac and external drives for so long I was going for a silent setup. I found a listing for these OWC enclosure’s and after a little wait for them to arrive I am delighted with the performance. Totally silent and the heat dissipation is great. The speeds max out the drive capacity. Very happy with this purchase.

Purchased for mac mini M4. It does not get hot at all with crucial p3plus. No disconnections after sleep.Heavy and stable.

Very nicely designed and made, but unfortunately I had to return it as it did not work reliably with my 2024 M4 Mac Mini with the 40Gbps ports on the Mac. It did work at 10 and 20 Gbps, and with other host devices, but at 40 Gbps on the M4 Mini it repeatedly disconnects whenever a high bandwidth operation is undertaken. I can't be sure the fault is with this SSD enclosure and not with the Mac itself, but the Mac works reliably with other SSDs. The problem I've had seems specific to all three 40 Gbps ports being used simultaneously on the non-Pro M4 mini.