OWC Specific 4M2 evaluation: 4 SSDs are higher than one

Worth When Reviewed

$250 with out SSDs and RAID software program; $380 with SoftRAID software program and no SSDs

Greatest Costs At the moment: OWC Specific 4M2 Thunderbolt NVMe enclosure

$249.99

$249.99

The OWC Specific 4M2 is a quick Thunderbolt 3 enclosure that lets you leverage as much as 4 NVMe SSDs for big quantities of performance-oriented exterior storage. This may be as particular person drives/volumes, or amalgamated in RAID. (You’ll want to provide your personal NVMe SSD modules.)

That’s properly versatile, however RAID is what you should purchase the Specific 4M2 for. Its non-RAID, single-SSD efficiency was disappointing, nevertheless.

OWC Specific 4M2: Options and specs

The Specific 4M2 is a Thunderbolt 3 enclosure with two Thunderbolt 3 ports in addition to a full-sized DisplayPort port. That’s a little bit of a giveaway to the unit’s older design. Inside, there are 4 M.2 slots supporting PCIe 3.0–one other giveaway.

OWC’s web site doesn’t cite any limitations on the capability of the SSDs you’ll be able to set up, so in the meanwhile, you’ll be able to probably stuff this factor to the tune of 32TB.

The enclosure measures simply shy of two.5 inches tall (rubber toes included), a little bit over 4.5 inches deep, and virtually 5.4 inches extensive. There’s a somewhat giant fan that you will need to take away to put in SSDs (our check unit was unpopulated), nevertheless it’s a straightforward deal, and mentioned fan may be very quiet.

As you may guess, an AC adapter is required to energy 4 SSDs. On this case, a hefty 6-amp, 12-volt unit with a coax connector on the drive finish, and a detachable three-prong cable on the opposite.

OWC may’ve been higher off renaming the Specific 4M2 after the introduction of its a lot quicker, way more versatile (and pricier) Specific 1M2 cousin. Because the Specific 1M2 is USB 4, it’s a little bit of a complicated advertising message.

To function the Specific 4M2 in RAID, you want software program. OWC supplies a license for its helpful cross-platform SoftRAID, although the Professional portion that lets you create volumes expires three years from the date of buy. SoftRAID stays purposeful–together with the power to rebuild in case of drive failure–perpetually.

You too can leverage macOS or Home windows RAID to the identical impact, although that kills any cross-platform use. Platform agnosticism is among the causes I’m nonetheless a fan of {hardware} RAID.

OWC Specific 4M2: Pace and performamce

As I’ve already said, the Specific 4M2’s efficiency varies by drive configuration, however all advised, it’s a really quick reader and a quick author–relying on what you evaluate it to.

It’s not quick in comparison with the Specific 1M2, which proved quick throughout each bus we tried (5Gbps USB to 40Gbps USB 4/Thunderbolt). We included the 1M2 outcomes to indicate you simply how a lot you’re lacking.

We examined on a Mac Studio with Disk Pace Take a look at and AmorphousDiskMark, however we additionally examined utilizing sister publication PCWorld’s check mattress and suite. On each platforms, we examined the unit as 4 single 2TB SSDs (testing one), a single 8TB quantity in striped RAID 0, and a single 4TB quantity in RAID 1 + 0.

4 2TB, PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs have been employed–every simply able to 5GBps reads and 4GB writes. The outcomes shocked us a bit.

It was the single-drive efficiency that actually shocked us. It is a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD which is well able to outpacing 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3. I can’t say for certain, however the bandwidth is probably going break up evenly throughout the 4 slots, leaving solely 10Gbps to play with. That’s what the outcomes learn like.

Subsequent up are the PCWorld check outcomes, which largely agree with the macOS testing–quick in RAID 0, quick with slower writing in RAID 1 + 0, and below-average efficiency in non-RAID mode.

Be aware that to get prime efficiency below Home windows (examined for the charts), we needed to particularly set the Specific 4M2’s properties/coverage (the SoftRAID software program warns you about this) to Greatest efficiency or write pace in each RAID modes was halved.

CrystalDiskMark 8 Learn efficiency was excellent in RAID 0, and implausible in RAID 1 + 0. RAID write efficiency was good, however as you’ll be able to see from the 1M2 and Sandisk Professional-G40, hardly excellent.

Once more, the very weak efficiency utilizing solely a single SSD signifies a partial bandwidth allotment. It’s quicker than a tough drive to make sure, however when you’re trying so as to add 4 separate volumes, you’ll be a lot better off with single-drive enclosures. Except after all, you’re out of ports–few single SSD enclosures provide pass-thru.

CrystalDiskMark 8 rated random efficiency pretty much as good, and that is the one space the place the Specific 4M2 in non-RAID mode saved up.

Our real-world 48GB transfers mimic the CrystalDiskMark 8 conclusion. RAID 0 is finest, RAID 1 + 0 subsequent, and single SSD mode the worst.

We’re unsure why RAID 1 + 0 is so gradual writing as there are nonetheless two volumes to shotgun writes throughout, however remember that that is software program RAID that’s on the mercy of your laptop’s CPU. The RAID 0 450GB write time is nice for an exterior drive. The RAID 1 + 0 and single drive occasions aren’t.

In whole, we discovered the Specific 4M2 delivered the learn and write speeds you’re searching for in RAID 0, the learn pace in RAID 0 + 1, however somewhat weak studying and writing in single drive mode. Moreover, the 4M2 ran very cool in our testing–plenty of inner air and the fan noticed to that.

Caveat: RAID 0 affords no fault tolerance. As dependable as trendy NVMe SSDs have confirmed, if one goes unhealthy, you’ll lose all of your information. We don’t know the way a lot restoration for an SSD RAID setup would value, nevertheless it’s unlikely to be low cost, even whether it is doable.

Must you purchase the OWC Specific 4M2?

In case you plan to totally populate the Specific 4M2 in RAID 0, go for it. The efficiency will largely stay as much as expectations. Different modes, not a lot. Once more, you may be higher off with a number of single drives equivalent to OWC’s excellent, quick, and tremendous versatile Specific 1M2.