OWC 2.0TB Envoy Pro FX Thunderbolt 3 + USB3.2 Gen 2 USB-C Portable NVMe SSD up to 2800MB/s

This OWC Envoy Pro FX 2TB Portable NVMe M.2 SSD [ASIN B08YMR64RT] design is unusual and almost unique— it can't be overstated. Having the current interface Thunderbolt speed and (TB/ USB-C) connector for a Mac Studio (M1 Max, 2022) running macOS 12.3.1 ("Monterey"), OR being also able to alternatively use USB 3.0's full speed (5Gbps) with a Mac mini (Late 2012) running macOS 10.13.6 ("High Sierra"), OR alternatively use USB 2 (480Mbps) with a 17" MacBook Pro (Mid 2010) running macOS 10.13.6 ("High Sierra"), OR USB 1 (12Mbps) on legacy G4 Macs, allows me to have one single 2TB fast, rugged, portable drive that I can use as my primary user account folder!Now, I don't have to waste time syncing files on various Macs, nor duplicating directory structure changes to enable syncing. The latter is especially significant. No matter how diligent I try to be, there are always spontaneous directory structure changes I make, which I don't have time or access to duplicate on other Macs—then syncing becomes a nightmare.Perforance of this OWC Envoy Pro FX 2TB Portable NVMe M.2 SSD is excellent. Using ChronoSync 10, I created a 1.61TB 1.85 million file bootable clone of a Mac mini (Late 2012) internal SSD via USB 3.0 (5Gbps) in 3 hours 33 minutes 20 seconds, with full verification. ChronoSync scans the source, copies the source file, writes the target file, then fully reads the target written file, compares with the source file, and then writes a detailed log file entry. The NET aggregate throughput achieved was 132MBps (1.03Gbps) (3 to 10 times faster than similar ChronoSync cloning operations to a WD 12TB My Book HDD). As a software and hardware engineer, I can't rigorously compute the isolated write speed without more research, but I suspect it is roughly at least double the above net aggregate measured.This OWC Envoy Pro FX 2TB Portable NVMe M.2 SSD is physically built like an armored tank—I seriously think I could run over it (slowly) with a large SUV without fracturing the solid aluminum case. (Do NOT try this at home! ;-)The $549 I paid for this OWC Envoy Pro FX 2TB Portable NVMe M.2 SSD is small compared with the value received. Being able to buy new Macs with base SSD capacity already has saved me the OWC's price, AND I don't have to wait for a BTO (built to order) model to be queued. A stock base model Mac Studio 512GB SSD was immediately available. I would have had to wait 4 – 10 weeks, and spend $600 (for 2TB SSD) to $2,400 (for 8TB) more had the OWC Envoy Pro FX 2TB Portable NVMe M.2 SSD not been available. (As you may have noticed, Macs are generally useful for a long time. 10 – 20 years isn't extraordinary—for a Mac, that is. My 2003 Xserve G4 is still hosting Internet services.) Now that most new Macs generally do not have user upgradable drives, nor RAM, I would tend to max both. So $549 OWC likely saved me $2,400.I would definitely buy this OWC Envoy Pro FX 2TB Portable NVMe M.2 SSD again, and recommend others purchase as well.

I needed to upgrade my 2019 Retina 5K 27" Intel iMac because the Fusion Drive had developed file directory hash errors that couldn't be resolved with Disk Utility First Aid, even after running First Aid for several days.I eventually backed up (externally and offsite) and reformatted the Fusion Drive and reinstalled MacOS to remedy the disk errors. But the disk errors seemed like a harbinger of a potential impending hardware failure, and time to consider replacing the aging Fusion Drive with newer, faster solid state drive technology. SSDs have come way down in price since I purchased my iMac.There are three good options for upgrading the 2019 iMac drive:1.) Add a Thunderbolt external drive and make it the boot drive2.) Add an internal SSD mounted in place of the existing SATA drive inside the iMac3.) Replace the NVME drive connected to the PCIe bus behind the iMacs mainboard. This small NVME drive is part of the Fusion Drive and acts as a sort of drive cache. But since it connects to the PCIe bus on the mainboard, it has the potential to be the fastest upgrade option by far.Installing these options increase in complexity in the order listed above. But the internal SATA replacement is actually slower than the external Thunderbolt option. The PCIe NVME option #3 is the fastest option, but the hardest to do. It requires almost completely disassembling and removing the innards of the iMac to access the backside of the mainboard. And due to the technical depth of the task, it's pretty easy to screw things up.I opted for the easy upgrade, Option #1.The OWC Envoy Pro FX ($300) was $60 more expensive than a SanDisk alternative (SanDisk Pro 2TB Pro-G40 at $240). At first I ordered the SanDisk to save money. But after reading about very many user complaints about failed SanDisk external SSD, I cancelled my order and ordered the OWC Envoy Pro. I'm glad I did.The Envoy Pro FX drive has incredible build quality. The enclosure is beefy, machined anodized aluminum. Very thick and massive as a heat sink. I didn't appreciate this until I held it in my hands and felt the weight and solid construction. Nice job OWC!BlackMagic disk speed test now shows Write speeds exceeding 1518 MB/s and Read speeds of 2664 MB/s on the external Thunderbolt drive. That's almost 3 times faster than the internal Fusion Drive.I recommend the OWC Envoy Pro FX drive. And I am no longer a fan of SanDisk due to the controversy about lost data. I already have a 4TB SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD. But due to the stories online, there's little confidence in SanDisk reliability today.

I'm using the 2TB drive on my Windows 11 computer and it's very fast indeed. It's small, very well made and runs very cool. In short I love it. I ran the provided utility to format it for NTFS in about 15 seconds and it was of to the races. Large photo files load quickly as though they're on my solid state drive on my computer. Completely satisfied.

I bought an M1 Mac Mini to use for Lightroom, and with several hundred thousand images in my catalog, I was tight on space for the catalog/previews on my internal 256G drive. I did not want to compromise speed and I'm not able to upgrade the internal drive. I bought this OWC Envoy Pro FX based on positive reviews and prior experience with OWC. It came quickly and the only glitch I had was the built in OWC utility would not run for some reason, but its totally unneeded. No worries, as its simple to format the drive with the Disk Utility. I quickly ran a speed test with Black Magic and very happy with the results. My internal drive averages 2,200-2,400MB speed and the Envoy Pro FX is averages 1,800-2,100 with highs and lows with the two overlapping sometimes. This completely meets my needs for extending my internal storage. It came with a TB3 USB-C cable. The drive is well made and feels like a solid block of aluminum. I highly recommend this if you need a fast drive for your Mac.

Pros: Fast. Solid. Gets many positive reviews on youtube.Cons: The usb c connection cable wobbles a little in the device's connection slot. Gets pretty hot at times.