# Using a single 4TB portable SSD for all sample libraries



## cet34f (Jan 26, 2021)

I've been think about this and need your opinions:

I plan to use the new coming Macbook (M1X) as a Master and a PC as a slave.

If I use four 1TB SATA SSDs on the PC, I can save some money, but if I use one single 4TB portable SSD, I can take the Macbook and the SSD with me whenever needed, such as being quarantined in a hotel. That's a huge bonus in the Covid Era.

Having a single SSD means that I can't distribute the load, but a Thunderbolt 3 NVMe SSD is usually at 2.5GB/s, so I think the performance should be at least the same.

I've been searching for the right product and so far only found one: the Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q series.








Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q Thunderbolt 3 NVMe 8TB External SSD Review – Speechless - The SSD Review


Oh my. Having been involved in the flash industry since 2007, I can honestly say I never thought I




www.thessdreview.com




*Warning: it's QLC.

My questions are:
1. Am I missing anything? Is there any potential drawback with this approach?
2. Are there other suitable products? Recommendation for a separate enclosure is also welcome.

Thanks in advance.


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## swampskeleton (Jan 26, 2021)

Following this thread, I have a similar need. Btw, it looks like there is a https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BZ3986F/ref=twister_B08JHZ1HKW?_encoding=UTF8&th=1 (TLC version) for the 4tb. 

According to the question on the Amazon listing, the difference between TLC and QLC can be summarized as:

"QLC and TLC refer to the flash technology: quad-level cell and triple-level cell, respectively. Support for USB/Thunderbolt is in no way influenced by this flash technology.

The main takeaway is Single-level cell is fastest with quad-level cell being the slowest. But large volumes become uneconomical at lower cell levels, hence TLC and QLC.

These drives will likely have a SLC cache to buffer the first X seconds of transfer, but would then hit a wall and drop significantly in transfer speed.

tl;dr
It’s about the flash density. TLC will be faster, namely on sustained transfers. 

QLC works with both regular USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 (which looks like USB-C, but is connected to an ePCI port on your motherboard, so it’s much faster than regular USB-C).

TLC model only works with Thunderbolt 3. It’s not compatible with regular USB-C, even thought it looks like it uses the same port connection". 

TMYK.


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## cet34f (Jan 26, 2021)

Thanks! I did not know that the Sabrent Rocket XTRM has a non-Q version.

I also found two other 4TB NVMe TB3 portable SSDs:

OWC Envoy Pro EX 4TB Portable SSD





OWC Envoy Pro EX 4TB Portable SSD Review


OWC pushes the Envoy Pro EX portable SSD to 4TB. Join us as we take a close look at it.




www.tweaktown.com




*good luck finding a vendor

Atom Pro, External NVMe Solid State Drive (SSD), Thunderbolt 3 (4TB)
https://www.amazon.com/External-Solid-State-Drive-Thunderbolt/dp/B08MHSR9NM

Edit:
For the enclosure, I only found one that supports PCIEx4 and is Intel certified:

ACASIS Thunderbolt 3 NVME M.2 SSD Enclosure USB C with 40Gbps for Notebook Desktop Mobile External Enclosure PCI-e to M-Key Aluminum Case Only for 2280 M.2 NVME SSD Up to 4TB
https://www.amazon.com/Thunderbolt-Enclosure-Notebook-External-Aluminum/dp/B08NDJPJTX


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## Jeremy Spencer (Jan 26, 2021)

That drive is the same price as my latest i7 slave build Lol!

Personally, I think it’s a bad idea. I also have a Mac Book master, but I have a Samsung T5 and T6 just for that machine (as required). The slave has internal drives, along with duplicate samples and heavy hitters that would rarely get used on the Mac. My concern would be...what if that expensive portable craps out? Then you’re screwed.


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## emasters (Jan 26, 2021)

I have a 2019 MacBook Pro with an on-board 4TB SSD - no issues (fast drive). For other libraries that are very large (E.g., Spitfire, Sonokinetic), I have external Samsung T5 SSDs (1 and 2 GB) connected through standard 4-port 10Gbps (3.1 gen2) USB-C Hubs (nothing fancy here thus cost is reasonable). These work fine with no issues. Drive access/performance isn't an issue with this approach - I put my $ into the fastest i9 processor and 64GB of RAM. With this approach as you suggest, it's simple to take the entire system anywhere - and if power goes out, the system keeps going until the laptop battery needs charging.


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## rnb_2 (Jan 26, 2021)

You could assemble your own drive and save quite a bit - the OWC Envoy Express is a TB3 Certified enclosure for $79.99; 4TB NVMe drives on Newegg start at $499. I would protect against drive failure with a simple 4TB 2.5" USB drive - use SuperDuper! or CarbonCopyCloner to make a backup whenever you plug the backup drive in, and plug it in on a regular basis or whenever you add anything major to your SSD.


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## cet34f (Jan 27, 2021)

Thanks everyone. Some of your opinions are really giving me a second thought on this.


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## wayne_rowley (Jan 27, 2021)

Currently using a 2TB single SATA SSD in an external USB 3.1 enclosure with my Mac mini. Same principle, different size. So far no issues/limitations encountered.


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