I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal SSD is
getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down iMac to
replace the SSD.

The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3 port. The
drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent access.
For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to the cloud,
then down to the Mac.

I could spend £50 on:

https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46

Or £28 0n:

https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb

I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or experiences?

--
Cheers, Rob

On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:

> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal SSD is
> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down iMac to
> replace the SSD.
>
> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3 port. The
> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent access.
> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to the cloud,
> then down to the Mac.
>
> I could spend £50 on:
>
> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>
> Or £28 0n:
>
> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>
> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or experiences?

Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die at a
moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle data
around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare empty space
for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and keep an
eye on themselves for issues.

Cheers - Jaimie
--
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.

On 13/01/2022 12:44, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
> On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>
>> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal SSD is
>> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down iMac to
>> replace the SSD.
>>
>> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3 port. The
>> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent access.
>> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to the cloud,
>> then down to the Mac.
>>
>> I could spend £50 on:
>>
>> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>>
>> Or £28 0n:
>>
>> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>>
>> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or experiences?
>
> Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die at a
> moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle data
> around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare empty space
> for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and keep an
> eye on themselves for issues.
>
> Cheers - Jaimie

plus a USB 3.1 Gen 1 "hard disc caddy" to put said SSD into....

On 13/01/2022 13:08, SH wrote:
> On 13/01/2022 12:44, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal
>>> SSD is
>>> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down
>>> iMac to
>>> replace the SSD.
>>>
>>> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3
>>> port. The
>>> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent
>>> access.
>>> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to the
>>> cloud,
>>> then down to the Mac.
>>>
>>> I could spend £50 on:
>>>
>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>>>
>>>
>>> Or £28 0n:
>>>
>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>>>
>>>
>>> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or
>>> experiences?
>>
>> Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die at a
>> moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle data
>> around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare empty space
>> for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and keep an
>> eye on themselves for issues.
>>
>>      Cheers - Jaimie
>
>
> plus a USB 3.1 Gen 1 "hard disc caddy" to put said SSD into....

USB M2 external caddy.

Install M2 SSD in it.

On 13/01/2022 16:43, Raj Kundra wrote:
> On 13/01/2022 13:08, SH wrote:
>> On 13/01/2022 12:44, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
>>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal
>>>> SSD is
>>>> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down
>>>> iMac to
>>>> replace the SSD.
>>>>
>>>> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3
>>>> port. The
>>>> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent
>>>> access.
>>>> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to the
>>>> cloud,
>>>> then down to the Mac.
>>>>
>>>> I could spend £50 on:
>>>>
>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Or £28 0n:
>>>>
>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or
>>>> experiences?
>>>
>>> Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die at a
>>> moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle data
>>> around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare empty space
>>> for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and keep an
>>> eye on themselves for issues.
>>>
>>>      Cheers - Jaimie
>>
>>
>> plus a USB 3.1 Gen 1 "hard disc caddy" to put said SSD into....
>
> USB M2 external caddy.
>
> Install M2 SSD in it.
>

I happen to have some spare SATA SSDs floating about so was minded to
repurpose these rather than go to a brand new M2 NVME SSD.....

On 13 Jan 2022 at 18:30:37 GMT, "SH" <i.love.spam@spam.com> wrote:

> On 13/01/2022 16:43, Raj Kundra wrote:
>> On 13/01/2022 13:08, SH wrote:
>>> On 13/01/2022 12:44, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
>>>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal
>>>>> SSD is
>>>>> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down
>>>>> iMac to
>>>>> replace the SSD.
>>>>>
>>>>> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3
>>>>> port. The
>>>>> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent
>>>>> access.
>>>>> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to the
>>>>> cloud,
>>>>> then down to the Mac.
>>>>>
>>>>> I could spend £50 on:
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Or £28 0n:
>>>>>
>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or
>>>>> experiences?
>>>>
>>>> Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die at a
>>>> moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle data
>>>> around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare empty space
>>>> for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and keep an
>>>> eye on themselves for issues.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers - Jaimie
>>>
>>>
>>> plus a USB 3.1 Gen 1 "hard disc caddy" to put said SSD into....
>>
>> USB M2 external caddy.
>>
>> Install M2 SSD in it.
>>

Gotcha, thanks all, and while that route will involve trailing wires, it
wouldn't be that much more expensive than a decent thumb drive.

>
> I happen to have some spare SATA SSDs floating about so was minded to
> repurpose these rather than go to a brand new M2 NVME SSD.....

Actually, that's an option for me too.

--
Cheers, Rob

On 13/01/2022 22:39, RJH wrote:
> On 13 Jan 2022 at 18:30:37 GMT, "SH" <i.love.spam@spam.com> wrote:
>
>> On 13/01/2022 16:43, Raj Kundra wrote:
>>> On 13/01/2022 13:08, SH wrote:
>>>> On 13/01/2022 12:44, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
>>>>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal
>>>>>> SSD is
>>>>>> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down
>>>>>> iMac to
>>>>>> replace the SSD.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3
>>>>>> port. The
>>>>>> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent
>>>>>> access.
>>>>>> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to the
>>>>>> cloud,
>>>>>> then down to the Mac.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I could spend £50 on:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Or £28 0n:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or
>>>>>> experiences?
>>>>>
>>>>> Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die at a
>>>>> moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle data
>>>>> around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare empty space
>>>>> for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and keep an
>>>>> eye on themselves for issues.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers - Jaimie
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> plus a USB 3.1 Gen 1 "hard disc caddy" to put said SSD into....
>>>
>>> USB M2 external caddy.
>>>
>>> Install M2 SSD in it.
>>>
>
> Gotcha, thanks all, and while that route will involve trailing wires, it
> wouldn't be that much more expensive than a decent thumb drive.
>
>>
>> I happen to have some spare SATA SSDs floating about so was minded to
>> repurpose these rather than go to a brand new M2 NVME SSD.....
>
> Actually, that's an option for me too.
>

Indeed...... be mindful that the write speed is often not as high as the
read speed.....

I use Atto for benchmarking my SSDs.

I bought a pair of Corsair 60GB SATA3 drives quite a while ago, and
these had write speed and write speeds that more or less saturated the
speed of the SATA3 bus at 600 MB/s.

The M2 NVMW I now use is a Samsung 970 EVO + and this attains speeds of
3.5 GB/s read and 2.5 GB/s write.

S.

On 13/01/2022 23:12, SH wrote:
> On 13/01/2022 22:39, RJH wrote:
>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 18:30:37 GMT, "SH" <i.love.spam@spam.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 13/01/2022 16:43, Raj Kundra wrote:
>>>> On 13/01/2022 13:08, SH wrote:
>>>>> On 13/01/2022 12:44, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
>>>>>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal
>>>>>>> SSD is
>>>>>>> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down
>>>>>>> iMac to
>>>>>>> replace the SSD.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3
>>>>>>> port. The
>>>>>>> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent
>>>>>>> access.
>>>>>>> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to the
>>>>>>> cloud,
>>>>>>> then down to the Mac.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I could spend £50 on:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Or £28 0n:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or
>>>>>>> experiences?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die at a
>>>>>> moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle data
>>>>>> around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare empty
>>>>>> space
>>>>>> for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and keep an
>>>>>> eye on themselves for issues.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>       Cheers - Jaimie
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> plus a USB 3.1 Gen 1 "hard disc caddy" to put said SSD into....
>>>>
>>>> USB M2 external caddy.
>>>>
>>>> Install M2 SSD in it.
>>>>
>>
>> Gotcha, thanks all, and while that route will involve trailing wires, it
>> wouldn't be that much more expensive than a decent thumb drive.
>>
>>>
>>> I happen to have some spare SATA SSDs floating about so was minded to
>>> repurpose these rather than go to a brand new M2 NVME SSD.....
>>
>> Actually, that's an option for me too.
>>
>
> Indeed...... be mindful that the write speed is often not as high as the
> read speed.....
>
> I use Atto for benchmarking my SSDs.
>
>
> I bought a pair of Corsair 60GB SATA3 drives quite a while ago, and
> these had write speed and write speeds that more or less saturated the
> speed of the SATA3 bus at 600 MB/s.
>
> The M2 NVMW I now use is a Samsung 970 EVO + and this attains speeds of
> 3.5 GB/s read and 2.5 GB/s write.
>
> S.
>

The OP mentioned a Thunderbird 3 port. Is that preferable in some way to
USB 3.1?

On 14/01/2022 11:25, GB wrote:
> On 13/01/2022 23:12, SH wrote:
>> On 13/01/2022 22:39, RJH wrote:
>>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 18:30:37 GMT, "SH" <i.love.spam@spam.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 13/01/2022 16:43, Raj Kundra wrote:
>>>>> On 13/01/2022 13:08, SH wrote:
>>>>>> On 13/01/2022 12:44, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
>>>>>>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal
>>>>>>>> SSD is
>>>>>>>> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down
>>>>>>>> iMac to
>>>>>>>> replace the SSD.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3
>>>>>>>> port. The
>>>>>>>> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent
>>>>>>>> access.
>>>>>>>> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to
>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>> cloud,
>>>>>>>> then down to the Mac.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I could spend £50 on:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Or £28 0n:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or
>>>>>>>> experiences?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die
>>>>>>> at a
>>>>>>> moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle data
>>>>>>> around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare
>>>>>>> empty space
>>>>>>> for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and
>>>>>>> keep an
>>>>>>> eye on themselves for issues.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>       Cheers - Jaimie
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> plus a USB 3.1 Gen 1 "hard disc caddy" to put said SSD into....
>>>>>
>>>>> USB M2 external caddy.
>>>>>
>>>>> Install M2 SSD in it.
>>>>>
>>>
>>> Gotcha, thanks all, and while that route will involve trailing wires, it
>>> wouldn't be that much more expensive than a decent thumb drive.
>>>
>>>>
>>>> I happen to have some spare SATA SSDs floating about so was minded to
>>>> repurpose these rather than go to a brand new M2 NVME SSD.....
>>>
>>> Actually, that's an option for me too.
>>>
>>
>> Indeed...... be mindful that the write speed is often not as high as
>> the read speed.....
>>
>> I use Atto for benchmarking my SSDs.
>>
>>
>> I bought a pair of Corsair 60GB SATA3 drives quite a while ago, and
>> these had write speed and write speeds that more or less saturated the
>> speed of the SATA3 bus at 600 MB/s.
>>
>> The M2 NVMW I now use is a Samsung 970 EVO + and this attains speeds
>> of 3.5 GB/s read and 2.5 GB/s write.
>>
>> S.
>>
>
>
> The OP mentioned a Thunderbird 3 port. Is that preferable in some way to
> USB 3.1?

well yes, Thunderbolt is faster than USB 3.1 but that also depends on
the speed of the device being attached....

Bear in mind that not every device has Thunderbolt sockets (and it has
the same connector type as USB Type C) ports but USB 3.1 type A are far
more common.

(USB-C and USB Type are two very different connectors.)

So having a USB 3.1 type A connector means more connectivity
opportunities compared to USB-C or thunderbolt.

On 13/01/2022 22:39, RJH wrote:
> On 13 Jan 2022 at 18:30:37 GMT, "SH" <i.love.spam@spam.com> wrote:
>
>> On 13/01/2022 16:43, Raj Kundra wrote:
>>> On 13/01/2022 13:08, SH wrote:
>>>> On 13/01/2022 12:44, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
>>>>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal
>>>>>> SSD is
>>>>>> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down
>>>>>> iMac to
>>>>>> replace the SSD.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3
>>>>>> port. The
>>>>>> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent
>>>>>> access.
>>>>>> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to the
>>>>>> cloud,
>>>>>> then down to the Mac.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I could spend £50 on:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Or £28 0n:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or
>>>>>> experiences?
>>>>> Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die at a
>>>>> moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle data
>>>>> around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare empty space
>>>>> for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and keep an
>>>>> eye on themselves for issues.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers - Jaimie
>>>>
>>>> plus a USB 3.1 Gen 1 "hard disc caddy" to put said SSD into....
>>> USB M2 external caddy.
>>>
>>> Install M2 SSD in it.
>>>
> Gotcha, thanks all, and while that route will involve trailing wires, it
> wouldn't be that much more expensive than a decent thumb drive.
>
>> I happen to have some spare SATA SSDs floating about so was minded to
>> repurpose these rather than go to a brand new M2 NVME SSD.....
> Actually, that's an option for me too.
>
I got 3-4 which got 128GB M2 in them and I use them to write images to
Laptop and Macbooks, pretty fast.

On 15/01/2022 07:23, Raj Kundra wrote:
> On 13/01/2022 22:39, RJH wrote:
>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 18:30:37 GMT, "SH" <i.love.spam@spam.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On 13/01/2022 16:43, Raj Kundra wrote:
>>>> On 13/01/2022 13:08, SH wrote:
>>>>> On 13/01/2022 12:44, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
>>>>>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal
>>>>>>> SSD is
>>>>>>> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down
>>>>>>> iMac to
>>>>>>> replace the SSD.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3
>>>>>>> port. The
>>>>>>> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent
>>>>>>> access.
>>>>>>> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to the
>>>>>>> cloud,
>>>>>>> then down to the Mac.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I could spend £50 on:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Or £28 0n:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or
>>>>>>> experiences?
>>>>>> Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die at a
>>>>>> moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle data
>>>>>> around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare empty
>>>>>> space
>>>>>> for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and keep an
>>>>>> eye on themselves for issues.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>       Cheers - Jaimie
>>>>>
>>>>> plus a USB 3.1 Gen 1 "hard disc caddy" to put said SSD into....
>>>> USB M2 external caddy.
>>>>
>>>> Install M2 SSD in it.
>>>>
>> Gotcha, thanks all, and while that route will involve trailing wires, it
>> wouldn't be that much more expensive than a decent thumb drive.
>>
>>> I happen to have some spare SATA SSDs floating about so was minded to
>>> repurpose these rather than go to a brand new M2 NVME SSD.....
>> Actually, that's an option for me too.
>>

I have actually ordered this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XLAZODE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

this is suitable for 2.5 inch laptop drices and SSDs.

However, if you have a 3.5 inch spinning rust drive, you need a slightly
different one with an external power unti due to USB not being able to
supply enough power:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01EK9LRLM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Both ate USB 3.1 and there are USB-c versions avaiable.

On 16/01/2022 19:56, SH wrote:
> On 15/01/2022 07:23, Raj Kundra wrote:
>> On 13/01/2022 22:39, RJH wrote:
>>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 18:30:37 GMT, "SH" <i.love.spam@spam.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 13/01/2022 16:43, Raj Kundra wrote:
>>>>> On 13/01/2022 13:08, SH wrote:
>>>>>> On 13/01/2022 12:44, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
>>>>>>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal
>>>>>>>> SSD is
>>>>>>>> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued
>>>>>>>> down
>>>>>>>> iMac to
>>>>>>>> replace the SSD.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3
>>>>>>>> port. The
>>>>>>>> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly
>>>>>>>> frequent
>>>>>>>> access.
>>>>>>>> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up
>>>>>>>> to the
>>>>>>>> cloud,
>>>>>>>> then down to the Mac.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I could spend £50 on:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Or £28 0n:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or
>>>>>>>> experiences?
>>>>>>> Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die
>>>>>>> at a
>>>>>>> moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle
>>>>>>> data
>>>>>>> around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare
>>>>>>> empty space
>>>>>>> for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and
>>>>>>> keep an
>>>>>>> eye on themselves for issues.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>       Cheers - Jaimie
>>>>>>
>>>>>> plus a USB 3.1 Gen 1 "hard disc caddy" to put said SSD into....
>>>>> USB M2 external caddy.
>>>>>
>>>>> Install M2 SSD in it.
>>>>>
>>> Gotcha, thanks all, and while that route will involve trailing
>>> wires, it
>>> wouldn't be that much more expensive than a decent thumb drive.
>>>
>>>> I happen to have some spare SATA SSDs floating about so was minded to
>>>> repurpose these rather than go to a brand new M2 NVME SSD.....
>>> Actually, that's an option for me too.
>>>
>
> I have actually ordered this:
>
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XLAZODE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
>
>
> this is suitable for 2.5 inch laptop drices and SSDs.
>
> However, if you have a 3.5 inch spinning rust drive, you need a
> slightly different one with an external power unti due to USB not
> being able to supply enough power:
>
> https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01EK9LRLM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
>
>
>
> Both ate USB 3.1 and there are USB-c versions avaiable.

The cable ones are about £5 on E bay, I use them all the time and they
work fine with 2.5" SSD or HDD

On 13/01/2022 22:39, RJH wrote:
> On 13 Jan 2022 at 18:30:37 GMT, "SH" <i.love.spam@spam.com> wrote:
>
>> On 13/01/2022 16:43, Raj Kundra wrote:
>>> On 13/01/2022 13:08, SH wrote:
>>>> On 13/01/2022 12:44, Jaimie Vandenbergh wrote:
>>>>> On 13 Jan 2022 at 11:07:29 GMT, "RJH" <patchmoney@gmx.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm after 250GB external storage for my iMac - the 500GB internal
>>>>>> SSD is
>>>>>> getting fuller. I'd rather not hack about opening up the glued down
>>>>>> iMac to
>>>>>> replace the SSD.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The iMac has a spare USB-A port (3.1 I think) and a Thunderbolt 3
>>>>>> port. The
>>>>>> drive would host photos, which on my Mac would need fairly frequent
>>>>>> access.
>>>>>> For example, whenever I take a photo on my phone, it zooms up to the
>>>>>> cloud,
>>>>>> then down to the Mac.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I could spend £50 on:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/862753-sandisk-256gb-ultra-fit-usb-3-1-flash-drive-sdcz430-256g-g46
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Or £28 0n:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> https://www.ebuyer.com/1134099-kingston-256gb-usb3-2-datatraveler-exodia-pen-drive-dtx-256gb
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'd like to keep it cableless and solid state - any advice or
>>>>>> experiences?
>>>>>
>>>>> Yes - get an SSD instead. Flash drives are dumb devices that die at a
>>>>> moment's notice. SSDs have intelligent controllers that shuffle data
>>>>> around to make sure wear across the storage is even, prepare empty space
>>>>> for writing when there's nothing more important going on, and keep an
>>>>> eye on themselves for issues.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers - Jaimie
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> plus a USB 3.1 Gen 1 "hard disc caddy" to put said SSD into....
>>>
>>> USB M2 external caddy.
>>>
>>> Install M2 SSD in it.
>>>
>
> Gotcha, thanks all, and while that route will involve trailing wires, it
> wouldn't be that much more expensive than a decent thumb drive.
>
>>
>> I happen to have some spare SATA SSDs floating about so was minded to
>> repurpose these rather than go to a brand new M2 NVME SSD.....
>
> Actually, that's an option for me too.
>

Just taken deliverry of a Startech USB 3.1 USB to SATA 3 adapter....
(SATA 3 is capable of supporting up to 600 MB/s data transfer rate)

I have a Corsair Force 60 GB SATA 3 SSD... so plugged it in and tested
on Atto Benchmark

Results are here: https://ibb.co/LNf1T9p

S.