SSDs - page 3

The holiday season is fast-unfolding, and Christmas will be here before Hermey the elf from the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer can say “Well, sir, someday I’d like to be a dentist.”

So it’s time to act fast if you want to get a gadget-y gift for the techie or geek in your life in time for deliveries by December 25. Check out some cool ideas below.

They’re all small enough to fit in a stocking; prices range from a cheap $20 to a few hundred bucks (for those very special stockings). And there’s plenty more good stuff in the Cult of Mac Store.

Just ahead the holidays, Sabrent offered a new set of solid state drives (SSD) that could be a perfect little gift for any techie on your list — the updated Sabrent Rocket Nano V2.

The redesigned version, no larger than a “fun-sized” candy bar, supports fast data transfer speeds and can store up to 4TB. And they can fit in someone’s pocket.

The OWC Envoy Pro mini is a small external SSD with both USB-C and USB-A connectors so it works with Mac and iPad but also Windows, Android and more. It’s rugged, fast and comes with up to 1TB of storage.

I ran the tiny drive through a battery of tests. It passed with flying colors.

The Satechi USB-C Aluminum Tool-Free Enclosure allows M.2 PCIe NVMe and SATA solid state drives to be easily added to a Mac or iPad. The rugged enclosure includes a USB-C port for wide compatibility.

I installed an SSD into Satechi’s enclosure and tested it in my home office. It was as simple as one could hope.

The Satechi USB-C Aluminum Tool-Free Enclosure allows M.2 PCIe NVMe and SATA solid state drives to be easily added to a Mac. Place the SSD in the rugged enclosure and it’s ready to plug into a laptop or desktop’s USB-C port.

The accessory launched Tuesday and is available to purchase now.

The OWC Envoy Pro FX is a very rugged external SSD that previously topped out at 2TB, but is now available with 4TB of storage capacity.

The solid state drive is dustproof, drop-proof, and waterproof. It’s compatible with Mac, iPad, and many other devices. Plus, it supports Thunderbolt as well as USB connections.

Satechi’s USB-C Slim Dock sits on the stand for the 24-inch iMac and adds six frequently-used ports. It also sports an enclosure for user-installed SSDs.

It launched Friday, and is available now for 20% off the usual price.

There are cases for MacBooks. And there are USB-C hubs. And external hard drives, too. Case X is all three of these. It clips to the top of the laptop, adding six extra ports and up to 4TB of additional storage.

Byrdbyte Creations’ product is still at the crowdfunding stage, though.

The Kingston IronKey Vault Privacy 80 External SSD includes a touchscreen and hardware encryption to protect user data. Unlock the XTS-AES 256-bit encryption by tapping in a password or numeric passcode onto the touchscreen.

It’s available in capacities up to 1920 GB.

The Samsung T7 Shield is a a credit-card size external SSD intended for outdoor content creators or travelers. It’s drop, water and dust resistant, and offers up to 2TB of capacity.

This new rugged version joins other SSDs in the Samsung T7 line.

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The OWC Mercury Pro U.2 Dual can handle up to eight U.2 SSDs. And it can be pre-configured with up to 64TB. That’s a lot of storage capacity. Or put in your own SSDs. And the external drive enclosure uses Thunderbolt for high-speed connections to your Mac. Plus there’s RAID support.

I put the drive holder through testing. Here’s what I found.

The OWC Envoy Pro SX uses Thunderbolt to provide the super fast data transfers that professionals need. And it’s drop-proof and waterproof so it can stand up to real life.

I put the 2 terabyte external SSD through testing. I’m impressed.

The new OWC miniStack STX hub stacks seamlessly with a Mac mini, adding storage capacity and a trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports. But it can be used to expand connectivity and add storage space to any Mac or iPad.

Memory and storage provider OWC rolled out its new Accelsior 8M2 PCIe solid state drive (SSD), calling it the “world’s fastest and highest capacity” storage system of its kind for your 2019 Mac Pro, or any Windows, Linux or PCIe expansion system.

If you have a MacBook Pro of a certain age, you probably know what it’s like to run out of storage. These days, apps, macOS updates and big media files like videos require more space than ever before. But memory and storage provider OWC has your 2016-2017 13-inch MacBook Pro covered with its new Aura Pro NT NVMe solid state drive (SSD).

Because you can never have too much storage or too many ports, the just-launched Satechi USB-C Hybrid Multiport Adapter includes an SSD storage compartment as well as four additional ports.

The multiuse Mac or iPad accessory launched Friday.

Storage provider LaCie has rolled out two new portable solid state drives (SSDs), including one model offered exclusively at the Apple Store in space gray to match Apple gear. Apple will offer it later this month.

No matter how hard you are on your gear, you aren‘t going to destroy the OWC Envoy Pro FX. The 2 terabyte SSD is waterproof and offers military-level drop toughness. Plus the USB-C accessory supports Thunderbolt 3 so data transfers are super fast.

I put the solid state drive through testing. Here’s how it stood up.

OWC built Thunderbolt into the new Envoy Pro SX to make the portable drive fast and reliable. And don’t worry if you spill coffee on the SSD — it can take the punishment.

It’s available with up to 2TB of storage, isn’t bulky, and requires no fan.

The headline should probably read, “Got data? And money?” Storage device-maker Apricorn released on Thursday what it bills as the largest-ever portable encrypted solid state drive. It holds 20TB of data and costs $12,999.

But don’t worry, you can get a much smaller one for as little as $239.

Satechi’s stylish Mac mini stand includes an array of front-facing ports. A new version adds space for a sold-state drive to further increase the macOS desktop’s storage capacity.

The Satechi Type-C Stand & Hub for Mac Mini with SSD Enclosure launched Wednesday. And it’s currently on sale.

Linedock 16” is for anyone who’s ever thought, “I wish my MacBook had more ports and a longer battery life. And more storage!” The docking station fits under your notebook and adds ten ports, a 99.9Wh battery and up to 2TB of storage.

I tested the version of Linedock for 16-inch MacBooks. It totally blew my socks off.

The Envoy Pro FX is a 2 terabyte SSD that’s “built like a tank” according to OWC, its maker. The solid state drive is compatible with Mac, iPad, and many other devices. Plus, it can transfer data at up to 2800 MB/s.

Monday is the kickoff of CES 2021, so OWC also took the wraps off an updated version of its travel USB-C multi-port adapter.

Minix Neo Storage Plus handles two jobs. It’s a multiport USB-C adapter, adding USB-A, HDMI and Ethernet to Mac or iPad. And this accessory is also an SSD, bringing 480GB of storage.

We tested all the features of this multifunction hub. Here’s how it stands up to real-world use.

Even in a world where everything can be stored in the cloud, there’s still a role for an external drive. Especially if it’s high-performance, and can go anywhere. Western Digital’s new solid state drive is slim and light, but also rugged. And the WD My Passport SSD holds up to 2 TB of data, and is far faster than a traditional hard drive.

Here’s how this newly-released peripheral stands up to real-world use with a range of computers.