# External NVME Drive - Connection Questions



## Rob Burnley (May 22, 2020)

Hi I'm hoping for some technical help. I'm beginning to despise Apple as the connection issues for this one little thing seem to be so overly complicated.

I've got a Samsung 970EVO NVMEe M.2 and a Thunderbolt 3 enclosure. I only have thunderbolt 2 and was looking at the adapter but on further reading it might not work - can anyone with some experience help out please, it's driving me crazy!


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## easyrider (May 22, 2020)

Rob Burnley said:


> Hi I'm hoping for some technical help. I'm beginning to despise Apple as the connection issues for this one little thing seem to be so overly complicated.
> 
> I've got a Samsung 970EVO NVMEe M.2 and a Thunderbolt 3 enclosure. I only have thunderbolt 2 and was looking at the adapter but on further reading it might not work - can anyone with some experience help out please, it's driving me crazy!



*Thunderbolt 3* technology is *backwards compatible* with *Thunderbolt* 1 and 2, however adapters are required since *Thunderbolt 3* uses a different interface than the previous generations. Additionally, some features unique to *Thunderbolt 3* devices, such as charging capability, may not work when using adapters.


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## Wunderhorn (May 22, 2020)

Does your enclosure have its own power supply? That might be the culprit.


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## Rob Burnley (May 22, 2020)

It doesn't have a power supply but then I don't think it needs one running off Thunderbolt. Thanks for the info about charging, I'm hoping I can grab an adapter and get it running soon


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## Virtuoso (May 22, 2020)

That's the issue - Thunderbolt 2 does not support bus powered devices. Even with an adapter it won't work unless the enclosure has its own independent power supply.


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## Rob Burnley (May 25, 2020)

Thanks for all your help guys I've grabbed what I needed now. Coming from a PC background I didn't appreciate the problems I would have using Apple. My Thunderbolt sockets on my iMac are the fastest choice but come with lost of caveats. For anyone reading who has the same problem I used this pairing and it's working for me running the external SSD off USB instead:

Samsung 970EVO NVMEe M.2 1TB
ICY BOX M.2 NVMe Enclosure for M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD, USB 3.1 (Gen 2, 10 Gpbs), USB-C & USB-A


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## blue5 (May 27, 2020)

I had the same problem, thunderbolt 2 on mac pro and same enclosure. Don't buy apple adapter as it doesn't transfer the power via TB2. I've even tried to daisy chain trough other TB device with power without success. So far the only solution is using it over USB3 which sucks and doesn't run at optimal speed or investing in OWC Express 4M2


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## Rob Burnley (May 27, 2020)

I had given up by that point - I saw some further options but had had enough. I'm just glad I've got an M2 drive that I can use internally when I build a PC next year.


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## redlester (May 27, 2020)

There are a couple of good points made in this video!!


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## johjoh (Jun 2, 2020)

This is not an Apple problem, it's TB2 standard.

These Mac models have Thunderbolt 3 ports:


MacBook Pro introduced in 2016 or later
MacBook Air introduced in 2018 or later
iMac introduced in 2017 or later
iMac Pro (all models)
Mac mini introduced in 2018
Mac Pro introduced in 2019
You might think you're better off with PC's : you better check the motherboard even has a TB-header that supports TB3.
(believe me, i can't get TB3 on my workstation ...)


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## Rob Burnley (Jun 3, 2020)

> This is not an Apple problem, it's TB2 standard.



As the only ports I have are USB or TB2 with only costly workarounds for using the ports on an expensive computer I bought - it's a problem with Apple. This problem with built in obsolescence I was aware of, so more fool me I suppose.

The solution is there, and it's to buy a new iMac - thankyou for the TB3 system list 

Apple build their systems in this way to sell more systems. I could have been more clear - Thunderbolt 2 is doing exactly what it was designed for, I totally agree with you.

I will be better off with a PC because I would build one with enough M.2 lanes to mount the storage internally, and guess what I can just buy more and mount those too without any of this hassle - Thunderbolt has only entered the conversation because of the hardware I'm stuck with.

I grabbed the Apple stuff because I had a massive student discount and my laptop used as a mobile recording studio is still going strong. This iMac will be my last though.


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