The Ultimate Guide to External SSDs for Your Mac (2025)

Written By Adam

If you're a Mac user, you know the internal storage can fill up fast—and upgrading it is impossible. That's why a high-quality external SSD is one of the most essential accessories you can buy. But with a dizzying array of options, speeds, and acronyms like USB4, Thunderbolt 5, and NVMe, how do you choose the right one?

In this guide, I'll break down everything you need to know about external SSDs for your Mac. We'll cover the different types, the real-world speeds you can expect, and I'll give you my top recommendations based on your specific needs and workflow.

The First Choice: Pre-Built vs. DIY Enclosures

Before we even talk about speed, you have a fundamental choice to make. Do you buy a drive that's ready to go out of the box, or do you build your own?

  • Pre-Built Drives: These are all-in-one units like the Samsung T7 or the SanDisk Professional Pro G40. The manufacturer has paired an SSD with a controller and an enclosure for optimized performance and reliability. For most users, this is the way to go. It's simple, plug-and-play, and comes with a single warranty.

  • DIY Enclosures: This involves buying a separate enclosure (like those from Satechi or Acasis) and an NVMe SSD to install yourself. While it's easy to do, you can run into issues with heat buildup or compatibility between the drive and the enclosure. The main benefits are flexibility and the ability to upgrade your NVMe drive down the road.

Now, let's get into the most important factor: speed.

Understanding the Speed Tiers for Mac

External drives for Mac generally fall into three main performance categories. It's crucial to understand these, as paying for a speed your Mac can't even use is a common mistake.

Tier 1: The Daily Driver (USB 3 - approx. 1,000 MB/s)

These drives are the most common and affordable. They offer speeds around 950 MB/s, which is more than enough for everyday tasks, storing files, editing photos, and even light-to-moderate video editing.

  • Recommended Drives: Crucial X9 Pro and Samsung T7.

  • Best For: Backups, photo libraries, offloading completed projects, and light creative work.

  • Keep in Mind: Under heavy, sustained video editing, these drives can slow down due to heat.

Tier 2: The Professional Workhorse (Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 - approx. 3,000 MB/s)

This is the sweet spot for most creative professionals. Using the power of Thunderbolt or USB4, these drives deliver speeds around 2,800 - 3,200 MB/s. They are specifically designed with better cooling to handle sustained workloads, making them perfect for editing large video files directly from the drive.

  • Recommended Drives: SanDisk Professional Pro G40 and Oyen U34 Bolt.

  • Best For: Serious video editing, music production with large sample libraries, and anyone who needs consistent high-speed performance.

  • My Pick: I use the Oyen U34 Bolt as my main daily editing drive. It's incredibly fast and reliable. While the SanDisk is a bit slimmer and more rugged, the Oyen is slightly faster and available in capacities up to a massive 8TB.

Tier 3: The Bleeding Edge (Thunderbolt 5 - up to 6,000 MB/s)

Welcome to the future. With the launch of Apple's M4 Pro and M4 Max chips, we now have computers that support the insane speeds of Thunderbolt 5 and USB4 v2. These drives can reach astonishing speeds of over 6,000 MB/s.

  • Recommended Drives: OWC Envoy Ultra (pre-built) or the Acasis TB501Pro (enclosure).

  • Best For: Users with the very latest M4 Pro/Max Macs who need the absolute fastest transfer speeds possible for high-end video workflows.

  • Important Note: To get these speeds, you must have a compatible computer (currently M4 Pro/Max and newer). On any other Mac, these drives will default to the slower, but still very fast, Thunderbolt 4 speeds. I tested the Acasis enclosure with a Samsung 990 Pro and hit over 6,300 MB/s write speeds—it's truly incredible.

A Quick Warning: The USB 3.2 2x2 Trap
You might see drives like the Crucial X10 Pro or Samsung T9 advertising speeds of 2,000 MB/s. Avoid paying extra for these if you're a Mac user.Macs do not support the USB 3.2 2x2 protocol required for those speeds, so they will perform the same as a standard Tier 1 drive.

How to Choose the Right SSD for YOU

So, which drive should you buy? Ask yourself these two simple questions.

1. How much storage do you need?

  • 1TB: A great starting point for expanding your storage and basic backups.

  • 2TB: The ideal capacity for most users, offering plenty of room for photos, music, and moderate video work.

  • 4TB or more: A must-have for professional video editors or anyone working with massive files.

2. What is your primary workload?

  • General Use & Photo Editing: A Crucial X9 Pro or Samsung T7 is perfect. You'll get great performance without overspending.

  • Heavy Video Editing & Music Production: Step up to a SanDisk Pro G40 or Oyen U34 Bolt. The sustained performance is worth the investment and will dramatically improve your workflow.

  • Future-Proofing with a New Mac: If you have an M4 Pro/Max Mac and want the absolute best, an enclosure like the Acasis TB501Pro will give you speeds that are hard to believe.

Final Thoughts

Choosing an external SSD doesn't have to be complicated. By understanding your capacity needs and matching your workflow to the right speed tier, you can find the perfect drive to supercharge your Mac setup. For the best balance of price, performance, and longevity, a professional-grade Thunderbolt 4 drive is my top recommendation for most creative users today.

You can find links to all the drives and enclosures mentioned in this guide below. These are affiliate links that help support the channel at no extra cost to you!

Adam https://adamtalks.tech
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