Best Thunderbolt 5 SSDs for Mac mini M4 – Max out Thunderbolt 5’s 80 Gbps!
Finding the perfect SSD for your Mac Mini M4 can feel like a high-stakes balancing act. Although small enough to fit in one hand, it’s an understated monster of a production-ready computer. Between 10 and 12 cores, built-in ray tracing, hardware accelerated pretty much everything, and built to simultaneously drive three displays without a single rendering hiccup, the latest and greatest M4 series doesn’t lack for raw under-its-tiny-hood media processing muscle.
Picture the scene. Without a next-gen SSD, the production editor of a photography studio sits waiting while gazing into an Apple Studio Display. A Mac Mini M4 is pushing the Thunderbolt 4 data transfer ceiling, reaching a respectable 40Gbps. A full minute to transfer 8K video footage, that’s not slow, but it’s not as fast as the technology permits either. In anticipation of this need for speed, Apple has added the Apple Mac Mini M4 Pro. If the regular M4 is fast, the Pro model is blisteringly quick. It’s the kind of fast that makes high-end creative workflows effortless. However, the popular SSD for Mac Mini M4 market is still playing catchup. There’s just not that many 80Gbps (the standard transfer rate of Thunderbolt 5) SSDs out there, at least not yet.
Which brings us to the real challenge, that of finding storage fast enough to keep pace. The Mac Mini M4 Pro’s Thunderbolt 5 ports are ready to move data at that blistering 80 Gbps. Pair it with an TB4 drive, though, and you’re stuck in the slow lane. Not that 40Gbps is slow, but it’s half the speed of Thunderbolt 5, which is why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to hunt down this rarefied breed and bring you the results, a short list of the very fastest 80 Gbps Thunderbolt 5 SSDs, solid state drives built to keep up with a Mac Mini M4 Pro’s data moving capabilities.
Top 3 Best Thunderbolt 5 SSDs for Mac mini M4 Right Now!
LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 Thunderbolt 5 Capable
- Unmatched speed
- Rugged protection
- Seamless editing
- Versatile compatibility
- 5-year limited warranty
It’s expensive, but we can’t imagine doing much better than the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 in a hostile environment that treats electronics as expendable. Video professionals engaged in field work can drop the drive in a backpack and forget it’s tucked in a loose pocket while they focus on a tough 8K shoot. The IP68 protected deep blue rubberized material covers a rigid metal chassis, explaining its reputation for shrugging off drops from 3 meters. In fact, the marketing blurb says the tough little portable Thunderbolt 5 SSD can survive being driven over by a 2-ton vehicle. That’s not a boast you hear every day.
There’s also the waterproofing, taking the device down underwater by up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. It sounds like James Bond or Jason Bourne is doing the testing, diving and rolling away from heavy vehicles, but we’re not here to judge. The point is this thing can take punishment, dust or dirt, water or desert sand, and keep right on reading data, reliably, at a mind-numbing 6700 MB/s. Write speeds are a match, sending data to the little SSD at 5300 MB/s. By the way, for those confused by the numbers, the 80 Gbps theoretical limit assigned to Thunderbolt 5 works out to 10000 MB/s. The LaCie Rugged Pro5 doesn’t quite hit that limit, but it’s definitely in that accelerated region.
By the numbers: The test unit we called in was a 4TB model. There’s also a 2TB version available, but we wanted to really push the largest capacity drive to its theoretical limits. The speeds we recorded stayed consistently in the advertised 6700 and 5300 MB/s read and write zones we’d expected. The tiny 2.5-inch drive inside the rugged housing performed perfectly. Even though we didn’t have a 2-ton vehicle on hand to drive over it, a series of drop tests confirmed its shock-resistant credentials. A 28 minute dip in water did absolutely no harm either.
Backed by a 5-year warranty, the designers of this tough-as-nails Thunderbolt 5 SSD clearly have confidence in their product. We plugged it into our office Mac Mini M4 Pro, after tests that would kill a lesser drive, only to see it pop up in only to see it pop up in Finder, ready to work. No stutters, no drive-repair prompts, just a clean mount and ultra-fast 8K video transfers. Weighs 150 grams.
OWC Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 Capable
Although it isn’t mentioned in the title, the OWC Envoy Ultra is another crushproof SSD. It’s made of aluminum, but this isn’t the shoddy, thin aluminum found on budget enclosures. Those weedy housings dent if you look at them wrong. This is something else, a solid, unibody chassis milled thick enough to resist real-world compression forces. It’s also sealed, earning its IP67 rating. It’ll survive dust storms and sandy environments without complaining. Inside, the 2.5-inch form factor conceals a Thunderbolt 5 interface, so expect 6000 MB/s reads and write operations to a TB5 equipped Mac Mini M4 Pro.
It’s worth noting, just like the previous product, backward compatibility is inbuilt, so users can plug in to a non-pro Mac with confidence, knowing it’ll shift data at Thunderbolt 4 speeds. Not everyone can afford the Pro version of Apple’s Mac Mini range, so it’s good to know that they’ve been considerate enough to keep the data transfer protocol compatible with the previous generation. Moving on, the aluminum housing felt cool to the touch, and the 2.0 x 13 x 7.5 cm (H x L x W) case easily fitted into a smaller palm. Even though it’s shock-resistant, we had no intention of dropping our investment.
By the numbers: The normal 2TB and 4TB product capacities were advertised, plenty big enough to store our 4K and 8K video project files. We could see the drive pocketed in a camera bag alongside our 50.1MP Sony Alpha 1 II, acting as a workstation when our CFexpress memory cards filled up in the field. Back at the Mac Mini M4, the files would transfer in a flash while an editor loaded up Adobe Premiere. The drive was also remarkably silent, fanless, as noticed when moving files in our soundproof editing room.
Another 5-year warranty, more confidence in portable Thunderbolt 5 performance was in evidence. We did notice a weight jump occur across the two models. Our opener, the LaCie Pro5 weighed in at 0.150 grams, we saw the OWC Envoy Ultra jump up to a heftier 341 grams, which is what you’d expect in an aluminum encased, bus-driven portable SSD. Also waterproof to around 1 meter.
Sabrent Rocket XTRM 5 Thunderbolt 5 Capable
A trend is definitely emerging as we progress. Check it out, the 2TB and 4TB editions of the Sabrent Rocket XTRM 5 shadow the previous two Thunderbolt 5 models we reviewed. Better still, this is yet another rugged product. The design philosophy is apparently, hey, if there’s 4TB of data moving lightning fast into a Mac Mini M4 Pro, then those fast read/write operations should also be physically secure as well. Kudos should be awarded to Sabrent for incorporating that sleek, all-aluminum enclosure. There’s also a protective silicone sleeve that adds drop and scuff resistance without sacrificing style.
The Sabrent Rocket XTRM 5 is an 80Gbps portable SSD with excellent enclosure design. The aluminum is protective, serving double duty as an efficient cooling surface. It’s an extremely new product, though, so reviews are only now coming in, meaning there’s not a lot of information available. As a result, there’s no mention of IP (Ingress Protection) certification, only engineer provided info on how “durable” the hardened aluminum housing is as a drop protection feature. The inclusion of that silicone sleeve is comforting, deflecting scrapes, but we’d have preferred mention of fall or waterproofing certification.
By the numbers: The Thunderbolt 5 transfers between the Sabrent Rocket XTRM 5 and a Mac Mini M4, Pro or otherwise, are quoted at 80Gbps and 64Gbps for rapid file transfer, but that’s not an exact figure. Again, we put this down to the newness of the SSD. Reports have started trickling in, stating a 6000 MB/s transfer rate, and we see no reason to question this respectable figure. It falls in line with what the device manufacturers have quoted for the TB5 drive, after all.
Fallback mode and backward compatibility are both incorporated, so non-pro machine owners won’t be left out in the cold. As for the durability factor, Sabrent has a reputation for producing high-end storage devices, every one of which can stand the test of time, and shock impacts. Aside from all that, it’s an affordable SSD. Users can probably even get away with buying the 2TB model, but we’d suggest going up to the 4TB edition if raw 8K media is being stored.
Final Word on Fast Mac Mini Companion Drives
As we can see, there’s not a lot out there just yet. The reason is simple enough, the regular Mac Mini M4 doesn’t support Thunderbolt 5. To get the full 80Gbps performance you’re looking for, you’ll need to skip over this machine and purchase a Mac Mini M4 Pro. That’s not to say these Solid State Drives won’t work on your existing machine. They will, but transfer rates will top out at 40Gbps. Assuming you do have access to a pro model, whether at work or at home, any of these drives will deliver spectacular workload improvements. Stick with the LaCie Pro5 if you’re expecting hostile conditions, including dust and lots of water. It won’t let you down.
For those who are budgeting, the OWC Envoy and Sabrent Rocket XTRM 5 are both worthy candidates, with the former unit delivering an IP67 rating that’ll keep your peace of mind intact while on an assignment deep in the field. We’d also like to submit this final option, not found on the short list above. The Acasis 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure. Why isn’t it on the list? Simple enough, it’s empty, there’s no SSD inside. It gets its deserved mention only because of its 80Gbps interface.
In any case, enclosures aside, whatever you go for, all three use 2.5-inch form factors and need no extra power cables. They’re ready to move your projects to your Mac Mini M4, preferably the Pro, wherever your workflow takes you.
