Mac mini M2 external hard drive installation system help: Can 10Gbps hard drive box + 1TB SSD be used?
by Poster
May 11, 2025
38
Hello everyone, after reading your mac mini m4 external hard drive, I plan to install an external system disk on the Mac mini m2 8 +256. I would like to ask you for your actual experience and suggestions.
My configuration and usage requirements are as follows:
Model: Mac mini M2 (Beggars Edition), currently 60GB of hard drive left.
External equipment: Prepare to buy a 10Gbps hard drive box with a 1TB SSD.
Usage scenario: Install macOS in an external hard disk and use it as the main system.
Usually mainly run: Office, open 10 daily apps, 2-3 CLion projects, and about 10 web pages at the same time
The main doubt is:
Can the 10Gbps external hard disk box stably support the running of external systems? Will there be obvious fever, stuck or speed drop? Is it possible that mac mini can't wake up after sleeping?
Are there any recommended cost-effective hard drive enclosure models and hard drive recommendations?
I think the 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 boxes are close to 500, which is a bit expensive, so I prefer the more cost-effective 10/20 Gbps hard disk boxes, but I'm afraid of running system instability or lag.
Thank you all!
Replies
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Anonymous3525 May 11, 2025@ Anonymous452 The same approach, the same external USB3.1 hard disk, m.2 nvme solid state, as smooth as the internal hard disk, most of it is a problem with your hard disk
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Anonymous3525 May 11, 2025@ Anonymous3526 speed of 10g is not much different from that of the internal hard disk, mainly because it does not heat up. 40g has a lot of calorific value, so consider it carefully. You can buy a 10g box first and use it. If it is not easy to use, then replace it with a 40g box. It is very convenient to replace
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Anonymous3525 May 11, 2025However, it is recommended not to install the system to an external hard disk, which is prone to bugs. Many people have problems when the system is installed. You can create a new administrator account and point the home directory of the account you want to use to the external hard drive in the settings
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Anonymous3525 May 11, 2025In your scenario, there is no problem with the 10g version, and there is no difference between it and the built-in version
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Anonymous3527 May 12, 2025Let me ask: How to partition the external hard disk? I hope to connect an external hard drive and undertake the following responsibilities: 1. If the built-in hard disk hangs up, it can be used to start the computer. 2. At the same time, it is used as the time machine backup disk of the built-in hard disk and large files such as clips. 3. Daily use of internal hard disk,
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Anonymous44 May 12, 2025Direct Taobao welding, why buy a hard disk box?
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Anonymous631 May 12, 2025Whether it is USB or Thunderbolt 4, it is recommended to buy one with a fan when plugged in 24 hours a day, which makes you feel much more at ease
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Anonymous1579 May 12, 2025@ Anonymous3528 mouser costs $30 on average for 250 pieces. The suggested retail price is not impossible, but it should meet their suggested order quantity. And not all manufacturers can get goods from the original agent. If pcb travels at such a high speed, it needs to be specially tested. The yield rate of production is not 100%. So there are many miscellaneous expenses and costs. Electronic products for non-mass consumption can't make money without 50% gross profit. Sell it for 1500 and make a small profit at most.
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Poster May 12, 2025@ Anonymous3525 Thanks for the guidance. Let me study how to point home to the external hard drive
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Poster May 12, 2025@ Anonymous44 m2 has only 8g of memory, which may be replaced in two years, and the external hard drive can be seamlessly switched to a new machine. If it had 16g like the m4, I would indeed give priority to replacing the hard drive.
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Anonymous3529 May 12, 2025Let me share the same M2 mac mini + plug-in 1T SSD: 1. At first, it was also a 10Gbps hard disk box, but I don't know where there was any compatibility problem, which caused the boot to get stuck for several minutes before entering the system. But after entering the system, all usage is quite smooth and has no impact. 2. Later, I replaced the hard disk box of Thunderbolt 3, and the boot problem was solved. Everything else was normal.
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Poster May 12, 2025@ Anonymous339 @ Anonymous2641 Thanks for the suggestion. After reading the comments of all the big dicks, I currently give priority to the 7440 box + usb radiator
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Anonymous2778 May 12, 2025@ Anonymous1579 Then your cost of getting goods is expensive. Why am I so clear? It's because I can't stand it anymore. I made a hard disk box based on the ASM2464PD solution myself..., my price comes from the agent, Intel suggested retail prices are all for users to see, but the actual price from the agent is lower. How can it cost 30 USD... You can just give me 28 USD. How much JHL9480 does it cost? Anyone who can publicly shout thunder and lightning has to pay certification fees to the intel lightning department. Whether the actual mass manufacturer does 100% full inspection or not depends entirely on the manufacturer's operation. As long as the board shielding is done and certified, you don't have to worry too much about the yield rate. The yield rate is a problem for PCB board manufacturers.
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Anonymous2778 May 12, 2025@ Poster recommends that you choose the ASM2464PD solution for the following reasons: First of all, the Thunderbolt JHL7440/8440 chip itself is not compatible with the USB3/2 protocol, so it needs to be plugged in an RTL9210/B or JSM583 for USB compatibility (that is, the chip of dozens of USB3.0 M.2 hard disk boxes), compatibility Well... Anyway, it actually generates more heat; Second, I actually tested the extreme speed of the JHL7440 (Thunderbolt 3!!!) + RTL9210B hard disk box, which is actually not as fast as that of the ASM2464PD; Furthermore, JHL7440 is a Thunderbolt 3 chip, which was launched in 2018. It is better to buy the related hard disk box of JHL8440 Thunderbolt 4 chip launched in 2020. For related public resources: https://www.asmedia.com.tw/zh-Hant/product/802zX91Yw3tsFgm4/C64ZX59yu4sY1GW5, https://www.intel.cn/content/www/cn/zh/products/sku/97401/intel-jhl7440-thunderbolt-3-controller/specifications.html https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/189982/intel-jhl8440-thunderbolt-4-controller/specifications.html
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Anonymous452 May 12, 2025@ Anonymous3525 # 21 Maybe it's a problem with the hard disk box. At that time, I blindly selected a Green Alliance usb3.2 hard disk box with my eyes closed. Later, when I replaced the tb4 hard disk box, I directly removed the ssd in the green link box, and it was quick to get up without any trouble.
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Anonymous2778 May 12, 2025https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1wE421w7oJ/ Very detailed, recommend taking a look
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Anonymous3530 May 28, 2025I would like to ask if there are any advantages to connecting an external system disk
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Poster Jun 5, 2025@ Anonymous3530 Cheaper hard drive expansion