How To Make Your Own Budget External SSD Drive!

A Mac is already very expensive, so most people can't or won't upgrade the internal storage for increased capacity. The 2TB storage upgrade option from Apple costs $800 USD! What if I told you that you could create your OWN external storage device with the same storage capacity (but not quite as fast) for just 1/3 the cost?

In this video I explore the world of external NVMe m.2 SSD drives and enclosures, and put one together with my own parts and test it's performance on my M1 MacBook Pro (with a 256GB internal SSD).

Here are the parts for the NVMe External Drive featured in this video:

🔥 EXCLUSIVE YOUTUBE VIEWER DEALS:

⌨️ MAC ACCESSORIES I USE:

⚡ SOCIAL MEDIA + OTHER LINKS:

00:00 Introduction
03:09 Unboxing and Building the External Drive
05:28 Comparing to other External Drives
08:39 Read and Write Speeds
10:09 Negatives of this Drive
11:21 Transferring Test Files
13:34 Conclusion

#m1mac #macbook #createdtech
--
Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliate links, and I may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) if you make a purchase. These are all products I have personally tested and highly recommend. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

[CreatedTech]

Here are the parts for the NVMe External Drive featured in this video:

Mac software I use:
(use code CREATED10 for 10% off software)

[yubeist]

Other Youtubers: You can buy a macbook pro 16 for just 2499$ etc.
CT: Many people can barely afford the base model Macbook Air and have to save up for months just to be able to buy one.

This is a real human, real Youtuber.

[mtiphotography]

I would also note that USB-C cables are not created equal. To maximize transfer speed, make sure your cables support HI-Speed 40gb/s transfer speeds.

[mgelevli]

I have a 15” MacBook Pro with an SD card reader on board. I have purchased a microSD card adapter that fits into the card reader so that there is no protrusion. I use it with a Samsung 256 GB microSD card. I have migrated my Photos folder onto the card, freeing up 100 GB of disc space. I also use the Horos DICOM software, and have selected the microSD card as the default database folder for my patients’ cineangiograms.

[atharvparlikar]

me: ooh I think I need this
also me: used 6.1% of the total space

[NomadicDmitry]

Did this for my M1 Mac. No need to overpay Apple for the storage. Plus... portability is life ;)

[johnnyhaynes]

I just got my MacBook so thanks for the storage plan.

[dennisud]

I got a 5 TB external on my old iMac so I'm already migrating all my files and apps to it from my 1 TB internal SSD!

[AWidgetIHaveNot]

Thanks that was so useful. A person can never have too much storage. Excellent content as always.

[_brushie]

If you got a smaller M.2 SSD, this would make for a really nice Time Machine drive for backups given how tiny it is.

[Resist]

The Crucial and Plugable prices have increased substantially since you made this video, they're now $230.99 and $49.95. I was going to buy them until I saw the increased prices.

[Leo_Vulkan]

Very nice video, lovin' this channel lately. Ps: for those people who need that extra speed (depending on the nvme ssd you buy it could be even faster than the included on the mac) there are Thunderbolt cases. I have one from Orico and with a Silicon Power nvme ssd and it performs outstanding.

[NeilSnapePhotography]

I'd say get a Thunderbolt enclosure. Yes more expensive yet the RW speeds are close to the main Mac speeds. I will try to do a review on this WAVLINK TB3 around 120€ in Europe tax included. I put in a Crucial as you did and read speeds are around 2300 write around 1800. The thermal pads will help a lot.

[snakey]

You can buy Thunderbolt 3 external enclosures which you can use with the same M.2 drives you mentioned and then you have the same transfer speed as with internal drives.

[moodyenchilada]

Awesome videos bro, I’m getting a new Mac book soon and I know exactly what to expect from your videos. Such great content for a relatively small (50k is a s*** ton but you know what I mean) channel. Can’t wait to see you up there with the top channels mate. Keep it up 👌🏽👌🏽

[ctlspl]

Swapped the internal SSD in my MacBook and now I know what to do with the old one. Thanks for the tip.

[nikoeven]

PCIe Gen3 SSD's do not really need cooling when used with USB 3.2 Gen2 connections, so what case you use should not matter in terms of cooling.

However, if you are running them in Thunderbolt, with larger file transfers, you will want to use some thermal pads in whatever enclosure you have that drive inside.

[alexbridge]

Thank you so much for this video!
Are you still gonna make that video about testing different types of enclosures?
I would be really interested in that

[medleysa]

MKe sure you buy the right size enclosure for your M.2 SSD. You can buy drives in 2240, 2260, 2280, etc. Those numbers dictate the length of the drive. Just make sure your enclosure matches those numbers.

[ChrisdeCastro]

There are also Thunderbolt enclosures that will go to 1800-2200mbps if you need speeds closer to the internal ssd. I’m using one from TekQ that gives real-time playback with 4k raw.