Build your own for less money
Are you considering purchasing a new external SSD? We all seem to constantly need more storage, but I don’t recommend going straight for a pre-built external SSD.
Pre-built external SSDs come with compromises
Certainly, your typical external SSD offers a lot of convenience. A plug-and-play, “it just works” experience is typical. If that’s all you want, continue. However, there are downsides that you may not be aware of.
Let’s consider a popular choice for external drives: the SanDisk Extreme portable SSD. It’s sturdy and relatively affordable. What’s not to like, right?
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Sometimes it’s better to be smaller.
This may seem obvious, but the storage capacity you buy is the storage capacity you have. 1TB may seem like a lot right now, but what about when your music collection has grown or your photography business is booming? If your storage needs increase, there’s no way to expand them without buying a whole new external drive and copying your files over.
You’re also stuck at the same transfer speeds forever. Developments in data transmission have constantly improved the speed at which you can move files and made higher rates more affordable. The Extreme Portable’s maximum transfer speed of 1,050MB, while not unusable, is quite limited by today’s standards. If you buy one now, you’ll already be late.
Get an M.2 enclosure and an SSD or two in bulk
So how can you avoid these pitfalls? I bought an SSD enclosure from Sabrent a few years ago and I always get more out of it for what I put into it.
I had previously purchased a 1TB NVMe drive for a PC build I was working on. This version ultimately didn’t pan out, but I want to try to resell the SSD at a loss, then inevitably buy another one later when prices have increased. By grabbing the case, I was able to use the internal drive as an external backup solution.
This is where the advantage of an enclosure comes into its own: this backup solution is not limited to a single capacity, brand or speed.
Recently I decided that the case SSD was more useful to me inside my laptop. So by simply removing one pin, I removed the SSD and stuck it inside the laptop. Meanwhile, I had an extra SSD that I bought for a mini PC project but couldn’t use because it wasn’t the right size. Rather than return it, I simply filled the empty slot in the case (which can handle any M.2 size) and had a new external drive on my hands. Nothing was lost.
Don’t be intimidated by custom builds
While you may think that building your own external SSD is intimidating, it doesn’t require as much technical skill as you might think. Modern SSD enclosures often require no tools, meaning you don’t need the knowledge and hand tools that you would need to work on computers.
The instruction manual will show you how to do this. You can also search for the enclosure model you’re thinking of on YouTube to see other people installing SSDs in it. This will give you the confidence to start creating your own external SSD drives.
Either way, make sure you don’t bend any NVMe keys. Installation may involve putting the drive in place, but you should avoid putting excessive pressure on the drive body at all costs.
This enclosure turns NVMe SSDs into 64Gbps external USB drives
Maximize your PCIe Gen 4 SSD, with the power of USB 4 V2.
Just make sure the case has good transfer speeds
When choosing an enclosure, one of the most important aspects to consider is its maximum transfer speed. You don’t want to end up with an unnecessary bottleneck, so it’s best to make sure the SSD is capable of reaching faster speeds than any SSD you own or are thinking of purchasing soon.
I talked earlier about my Sabrent NVMe SSD enclosure, which has a maximum of 10 Gbps, which is faster than the read/write speeds of most internal drives you can buy. UGREEN’s tool-free enclosure, however, offers the same transfer speeds but includes more USB connectivity options at a cheaper price, so I’d probably invest in that if I bought again today.
Of course, if you don’t have a bulk SSD like me, you’ll want to make sure the one you buy is as fast and of the highest capacity you can afford.
- Storage capacity
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2 TB
- Hardware interface
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PCIEx4
- Brand
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Western digital
- TBW
-
7300 MB/s
- Dimensions
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3.15″L x 0.87″W x 0.09″thickness
- Compatible devices
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Laptop, motherboards
The WD_Black 2TB SSD is ideal for gaming. It offers read speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s and has an optional heatsink. The player includes wd_black dashboard software to monitor health and customize RGB lighting on compatible models.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with buying pre-built external drives if you’ve put some thought into the purchase and they will definitely satisfy your needs. In fact, depending on the price, it might even be worth it to buy and throw away an external hard drive.
