Satechi’s High-Speed SSD Enclosure Can Expand Storage On Apple’s Mac Mini M4

Satechi’s USB4 Slim NVMe SSD Enclosure sits on top of the Mac mini M4 and matches the finish perfectly.

Satechi

If you’ve bought yourself a new Mac mini M4, congratulations on choosing Apple’s best value Mac. It’s packed with technology and is the most affordable way of switching from Windows to macOS. Even the base machine offers great value and powerful… except for one thing: storage.

Save Money On Apple Mac Mini Storage

Apple may have priced the Mac mini M4 to sell, but as soon as you add any extra storage beyond the impossibly stingy 256GB base specification, you will start to feel your eyes water. Each step up the storage scale will cost around $200, which is painful when you consider that SSDs are now super affordable.

One way around this problem is to add your own storage. Satechi’s USB4 Slim NVMe SSD Enclosure sits on top of the Mac mini M4 and matches the finish perfectly. The enclosure doesn’t include an SSD; that’s something you must supply and fit yourself. However, if you consider that a 2TB NVMe SSD can be bought on Amazon for £140, it’s a big saving over Apple’s offering.

One drawback in using external storage is the speed. Fortunately, the Satechi USB4 Slim NVMe SSD Enclosure has a 40Gbps USB4 port, which means you can get speeds approaching those of the SSDs inside the M4, especially the 256GB and 512GB modules that Apple uses. The larger SSDs that Apple fits tend to be faster.

Fitting an SSD inside the Satechi USB4 Slim NVMe SSD Enclosure is simple. Satechi provides a mini screwdriver and taking the back off the enclosure just requires a click and turn. The enclosure will accept SSDs in sizes ranging from 2280 to 2230. The different sizes can easily fit inside and are secured with a small screw.

Speeds Up To 40Gbps

A high-speed USB4 cable that supports data transfer speeds up to 40Gbps is stowed inside the enclosure and you can keep it there when not in use. With the best high-speed SSDs fitted inside the enclosure, you can expect write speeds up to 2,800Mbps and read speeds of 3,100Mbps. That’s around the sort of speeds you can expect from Apple’s factory-fitted SSD modules, so it’s more than fast enough for editing 4K videos and other data-intensive projects.

It’s important to note that the speeds of the enclosure will depend on the quality of the SSD you fit. There’s no active cooling inside, but Satechi provides a silicone heat pad, which should be laid on top of the SSD to help dissipate any heat built up. Some SSDs seem to run hotter than others.

There are no ports or other features that come with the Satechi USB4 Slim NVMe SSD Enclosure, so if you think you might want some extra ports as well as storage, then Satechi and other brands make docking stations for the Mac mini M4 that offer expansion possibilities, such as the Satechi Mac Mini M4 Stand & Hub with SSD Enclosure.

Pricing and Availability:

The USB4 Slim NVMe SSD Enclosure is available now from the Satechi online store and Amazon. The price is $119.99.

Tech Specs:

• Model: ST-EU4SNSS.
• USB4 port speed: Up to 40Gbps.
• Storage slot: 1 x M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure.
• Maximum capacity: 8TB.
• Supported M.2 NVMe sizes: 2280, 2260, 2242, 2230.
• Dimensions (L x W x H): 127 x 127 x 16mm.
• Weight: 207.5g.