Editing Openai/695d12de-8bb4-8008-aa2c-fc8e5d77b9e2 (section)

=== Assistant: For Mac mini M4, a standard M.2 NVMe SSD is only usable externally USB/Thunderbolt enclosure. ===
For Mac mini M4, a standard M.2 NVMe SSD is only usable externally (USB/Thunderbolt enclosure). You can’t drop a normal M.2 into the Mac mini as an internal replacement.

Since you said 10Gbps USB (USB 3.2 Gen 2):

===== What’s “most compatible” at 10Gbps =====

At 10Gbps you’re capped around ~900–1,050 MB/s, so the “best” SSD is the one that’s cool, low-power, and stable (because most real problems are enclosure chipset / sleep / hubs). Also: macOS generally doesn’t give you “full” TRIM/SMART behavior over plain USB the way Thunderbolt does. The Eclectic Light Company<ref>{{cite web|title=The Eclectic Light Company|url=https://eclecticlight.co/2023/04/14/will-your-new-ssd-support-trim-and-smart/|publisher=The Eclectic Light Company|date=2023-04-14|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>

===== My top SSD picks for 10Gbps USB (stability-first) =====

1) SK hynix Gold P31 (PCIe 3.0) – one of the best “external enclosure” drives because it’s very efficient / runs cool.
2) WD Blue SN570 / SN580 – good efficiency and widely used; great match for 10Gbps.
3) Samsung 970 EVO Plus – mature, reliable, and plenty fast for 10Gbps.

!SK hynix Gold P31 \(Gen3\)<ref>{{cite web|title=SK hynix Gold P31 \(Gen3\)|url=https://images.openai.com/thumbnails/url/zchmN3icDcltEkJAAADQEyETopmmSVs-SsnEbr8MS7uElV1Ndaju023q_X3fDxWi53NFKTs8vHpRFpLIu4lMuMhEhWXMWoVT1vdVR5b3xf_mq0NhOfiUruss9H07QmRP2bNUdcy6XB3ZKgYmomEEL2b9TpLR8eKwvGaGnVq0bR4SVHOjbXfc1RtRA0PybM1Hxu4WIw82gQvdg7YF7oZXDQRT8qAAJwQGY3qeDccfE4g9aA|publisher=SK hynix Gold P31 \(Gen3\)|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>
SK hynix Gold P31 (Gen3)€299.21•eBay - skytech_electronic!WD Blue SN580<ref>{{cite web|title=WD Blue SN580|url=https://images.openai.com/thumbnails/url/sSTDxXicDcnbEkJAAADQL3JnGmaaRnJJkyi18mJYlzWJ1S7ho_qf_qbO6_l-EKWYaBxXtPA1Y1rkDM1aka0ITWkNWdg9OYI6jOu22vTr_2m6l6s2DGL_rHjbcIUNXh1ay3GNHI0AiaSJ9CUm42V-gzgsYizbzu0gTdEpsh7-ERX8AlNw9QOhF5NOShoAyd72FiXz7joq6ymUdTKbjasuoI-M3WgwCMNBgGVjVj8x-D6l|publisher=WD Blue SN580|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>
WD Blue SN580€230.52•Skroutz.gr + others!WD Blue \(SN580 listing\)<ref>{{cite web|title=WD Blue \(SN580 listing\)|url=https://images.openai.com/thumbnails/url/gKHte3icDclZCoJAAADQE41mmaYQoRZjSQsSmf2IjbNkOYszgXWqrtNt6v2-74cZI3Vo25ij_iUNboC58pFFtanNDVlIdLZmQsobpws1_18Y7ZoAotwhTjlrdfygpeGVduEyrYBfequMs0rEyk9hN4jhYgJAWEE4GA5Jgsd5toUHvBn0-u7U9XX06mO3RaJo3QB7e63WPDrdCy_J34pEFEbPVohjqiZy4_pnNqU_maE-qA|publisher=WD Blue \(SN580 listing\)|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>
WD Blue (SN580 listing)€214.23•speedcomputers.biz!Samsung 970 EVO Plus<ref>{{cite web|title=Samsung 970 EVO Plus|url=https://images.openai.com/thumbnails/url/msR2THicDclJDoIwFADQEynRymRijENwQhRp1B2hrS1aWlr4ieKhvI-30bd9308JYNqx49w0bToDN9YDolFftFDAnfZprZy2rI25azG1k_-NZwkLVzRb40oAx2eSJMseQrqS8ompH4bPYWq8CKXLXZxb1wYdKSP-OgYMXMUL08xl_Bhd3vnZBie1bVKy4dnI5RdQXMiB2b8K7b_FVV0XB_bwjKh9XMU0Atiu9j8-KT77|publisher=Samsung 970 EVO Plus|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>
Samsung 970 EVO Plus€156.32•eBay - 5_bestcell!Samsung 980 \(Gen3\)<ref>{{cite web|title=Samsung 980 \(Gen3\)|url=https://images.openai.com/thumbnails/url/CkM_b3icDclJDoIwAADAF8mmopAYQ0wsihpAJcitlIIsdqG1BF7ld_yNznW-n6eUTLi6jgnqRyZxMZM5MbVKSChrpCH60sWTMlaTass3_3O9S-EAdNs5QVzxwuJOfFBHlQLWroZmlUCwT-ox6ss7rppliZv0ZPGW-uGCDpaaWsqMDNjTmPtmN8BMDMqzy3Vo4qVhMXlFBWjhGcLDOxGdTfwwcDDP-9x_LMxgTqIf9M4_pg|publisher=Samsung 980 \(Gen3\)|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>
Samsung 980 (Gen3)€265.66•eBay - 5_bestcell!SK hynix Platinum P41<ref>{{cite web|title=SK hynix Platinum P41|url=https://images.openai.com/thumbnails/url/26a6JnicDcnbEoFAAADQL6o00sWMMZVC2KaLRS9NbbSFattt6af8j7_hvJ7vBzPW0bkkXRvUjx27FgLLm6lYUpaxComofUoUt11XNeWSLP43N0FhrFEIM5sEqQ2M9-DcZYj91lqBKL9zZSMMlwylpyI8TxjaUMW1jg--izU9f9UEeqaq7QW5VjH1Hg4vXKh7qhETxwnothraGzsdRnzkloptEM0Sv4eJsIchAQ35AQ5mPbM|publisher=SK hynix Platinum P41|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>
SK hynix Platinum P41€234.85•eBay + others!Crucial T500<ref>{{cite web|title=Crucial T500|url=https://images.openai.com/thumbnails/url/GKa_LXicDclJDoIwAADAFwGCBloSY1AiSAigpopH9rIXWqTwGr_lb3Su8_1gxgjVJSnrknEhLEsFFneyWFAWsTIRk76VKO4JKbviMOz_pxteCq3karEhFOI82NT0omhPEK-Av1c42XgMK6M63VRixQ8TwhnIEOUTb_zJcVrb79XSn1_UPQItCjJP9WvuIqHi90XZemekmTsucwTaBjczLn7U2zk1|publisher=Crucial T500|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>
Crucial T500€297.00•OReol + others!WD Black SN850X<ref>{{cite web|title=WD Black SN850X|url=https://images.openai.com/thumbnails/url/CFdEoXicDcltD0JAAADgXxSVbLK1pjEp5PV0vhjnvCzOcTfyo_pB_Zt6vj7fT8M5ZaooYoKmlXJcbnhBtkLNeM5bJKChF1kzUNqS-jye_qdqbnk0kQ8hZpWJo3tlYTDE-9kvwlRHF3nJhmAXO9DOZk4dTcmvY6c1baKYoFwLjCPy1D1pcnJvfnmuDUA2Sb1F7F6WodEeokCSi2Z537p47FLLSKMcsoyHj2SsfyFFPsI|publisher=WD Black SN850X|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>
WD Black SN850X€288.99•Standesk SIA + others
(The last 3 are “overkill” because 10Gbps bottlenecks them anyway; they’re fine, just not necessary.)

===== Don’t ignore the enclosure (this is where many Mac issues come from) =====

If you’re seeing random disconnects/ejects, it’s often:
* Hubs/docks + sleep/wake (direct-connection is usually more stable). Apple Support Community<ref>{{cite web|title=Apple Support Community|url=https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256139072|publisher=Apple Support Community|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>
* Certain bridge chipsets / firmware (JMicron JMS583 gets blamed a lot; many people specifically recommend ASM2362 instead on Macs). Ask Different<ref>{{cite web|title=Ask Different|url=https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/395540/external-nvme-sabrent-ssd-not-recognised-by-catalina-macbook-pro-16-over-usb-c|publisher=Ask Different|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>
* Some Realtek RTL9210B setups can be stable, but there are also reports of dropouts after macOS updates—especially through hubs—and firmware updates exist for RTL9210. Apple Support Community<ref>{{cite web|title=Apple Support Community|url=https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256139072|publisher=Apple Support Community|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>

===== Quick settings that reduce USB SSD dropouts on macOS =====
* System Settings → Energy (or similar) → disable “Put hard disks to sleep when possible” (wording may vary).
* Use a short, good USB-C cable, and connect directly to the Mac mini (avoid hubs while testing). Apple Support Community<ref>{{cite web|title=Apple Support Community|url=https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256139072|publisher=Apple Support Community|access-date=2026-01-07}}</ref>

If you tell me the capacity you want (1TB/2TB/4TB) and the exact enclosure model/chipset you’re using (RTL9210B / JMS583 / ASM2362), I’ll pick one SSD that best matches it and flag any known-bad combos.