I recently came across an interesting external SSD option that uses an integrated USB4/SSD controller from Phison. This design contrasts with the more conventional approach of utilizing a TB3/USB4/TB4/TB5 bridge in combination with an NVMe SSD. While the integrated option may offer some efficiency benefits, it also means that the enclosure is not reusable.
In the event of a failure, moving the SSD to a different enclosure would not be possible, which is something to consider for prospective buyers. Performance reports for this SSD vary, with some users describing speeds as good to very good. However, one potential drawback of this new controller is that it may not be as widely proven, particularly for Mac users.
Reviews specifically from the Mac community seem limited. Some users have noted issues related to the drive, such as the need to ‘Eject disk before disconnecting’ after waking the device from sleep mode. Today, I received the Corsair EX400U external SSD, which boasts impressive data speeds—up to 4,000MB/sec for sequential reads and 3,600MB/sec for sequential writes.
I opted for the 1TB model since I don’t require extensive storage. On my MacBook Pro M4 Pro 14, I formatted the drive to APFS. It’s worth noting that some users on forums have indicated that the sleep/wake issue appears to be limited to this specific drive.
There is a discussion suggesting that the problem may stem from macOS itself, which has experienced related issues across various versions. Additionally, the drive features a relatively low TeraBytes Written (TBW) rating of 250 TBW per terabyte of capacity. Although it is unlikely to reach that limit within three years of typical use, I view this as a measure of overall quality.
Nowadays, I prefer drives that offer a five-year warranty and at least 600 TBW/TB, with 1,000 TBW becoming increasingly rare. So far, I don’t have personal experience with this drive or other off-the-shelf alternatives, and it seems that others in the community are in a similar situation.
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