Everything Apple (the Mac heads thread)

Which exact SSDs are you looking to use?

Thunderbolt 3/4 both use 4-lane PCIe3.0 links in PCIe tunnelling mode, giving ~2.8GB/s effective bandwidth for read and write when used with a suitable NVMe SSD inside a suitable Thunderbolt external chassis.

I have several drives set up like this; a couple using 2TB Samsung 980 Pro M.2, and one using a 2TB WD SN850. All three achieve 2.8GB/s sequential read/write speeds via TB, which is limited by the TB interface.

I used to buy Jeyi/Yottamaster branded TB-NVMe chassis off Ali Express, but they’re on Amazon now also. They all use the same Intel controllers. Last one I assembled, I used an Acasis TBU405 enclosure, which supports dual-mode Thunderbolt and USB4, so works with any USB port as well, not just Thunderbolt.

have been doing some research via wirecutter, and was set on trying to find some cheap (ebay) crucial p5 plus', or samsung 980 pro's or wd black sn750 se then the pcie 4 vs 3 came up, so was going to swap to samsung 980s, or crucial p3's.

Previously I've used these enclosures
https://uk.ugreen.com/collections/computer-accessory/products/ugreen-10gbps-m-2-nvme-ssd-hard-drive-enclosure-with-2-cables

but as these are going to be for shoot drives (moving big video files on location) I'm looking to get them to move data as fast as possible, hence the pcie 3 vs 4 vs tb vs usb - c questions.
Know they'll probably be faster than the 2.5" sata ssd's in usb c enclosures I've currently got but want to make sure they're as fast as they can be without spending on future specifications that I won't currently be getting the most out of..

As per my last post, TB3/4 both use PCIe3.0 x4, so a PCIe4.0 drive will fall back to 3.0 when run via TB PCIe tunnelling.

Max effective bandwidth is ~2.8GB/s.

If you want best sequential speeds, don't bother with USB-only, of any version. Refer to my previous post for enclosure & drive recommendations.

Don't use shit low/mid-range consumer SSDs; these have tiny caches beyond which write speeds fall off a cliff, and terrible write endurance.

I read your last post and alot of it went over my head, apart from enclosures and ssd’s you’re using, I’ll take that info and see what falls into my price range and whether it’s worth making up my own or buying the ready made one..

The correct type of enclosure is ~£120 from Amazon, or ~£80 from Ali Express.

Prosumer 2TB bare NVMe drive such as Samsung 980 Pro can be had for ~£150.

A ready-rolled 2TB Thunderbolt drive, such as a Sandisk Pro-G40, with shitter write endurance & sustained write speeds than a prosumer bare NVMe drive, goes for ~£350.

I still want this despite the haterz:

https://www.megamac.com/products/owc-32tb-thunderblade-thunderbolt-external-nvme-ssd-storage-solution-owctb3tbv4t32

was going to ask this question in the film thread, but brought it here instead.. Should have known there was anm overpriced, overpowered solution for my needs

I've wanted that thing for about 4 years but @ectoplasmosis has advised against it many times so I feel it must be for a reason. But it's such a nice thing... Only drawback from my perspective is barrel DC in. I'd prefer something lockable for starters and ideally that could run from v-mount (which I suspect could be adapted as long as you had a few cued up on hot swap).

yeah don't need anything that big or requiring that much power. Just want a couple of 1 or 2tb mini boxes which I can pull out for a shoot, drop footage on really quickly whilst on location, then put away in a box again until their needed for the next shoot.

Just grabbing the ones on my desk...

I think the g-tech ones on the left are all 1TB, the sandsisks are 2tb or 4tb, got 8*4, 12*2. So basically have probably already spent the same as that stupid thunderblade thing already. If you want the g-techs (r-series) I'm not really using them... Would have to check whatever is on them is safely in all the backups but I haven't used them for probably 18 months so imagine all good. I may have more g-techs somewhere but not sure. I was using their g-studio ev cartridges before that so think I only got a handful of r-series before moving to SanDisk. (I know people shit on the sandsisks for being allegedly prone to failure but I've never had a single issue with 20 drives in regular use so will keep using those for now).

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Serious wank bank.

I needed to archive your reddit post history.

I use the Sandisk Ssd's for film stuff and they are rapid for dumping footage. Mostly from Sony CF express cards or their fast SD cards.

Transferring files to between them is good

MacBook Pro or MacBook Air?

Yes!

Quite a big difference in portability, depending on what size you need. If you're not a pro user (video, 3d, photos, music, etc) I'd go Air every day

^
This.
Air is plenty for most people's uses.

MacBook Pro is significantly more bulky now.
I have an old 15MBP and it’s quite svelte compared to a 16MBP.

Air. Had a personal M2 air and it sailed through work stuff.

They made me get a work 14” MBP and it’s a fucking lump.

I’ve got a 13” air m1 for a client and it never struggles. Base spec and a few years old, sails through even the heaviest stuff I’m doing. Tempted to replace my 16” MBP with a new air…

Did what I was told.

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Necessitated by the fact my mbp is in purgatory at Terminal 8 JFK

(Along with my Remarkable)

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Confiscated?

No forgotten at security

Oh, too bad, sorry!