OWC Categorical 4M2 evaluation: 4 SSDs are higher than one – Uplaza

Worth When Reviewed

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

Finest Costs In the present day: OWC Categorical 4M2 Thunderbolt NVMe enclosure

The OWC Categorical 4M2 is a quick Thunderbolt 3 enclosure that permits you to leverage as much as 4 NVMe SSDs for giant quantities of performance-oriented exterior storage. This may be as particular person drives/volumes, or amalgamated in RAID. (It’s worthwhile to provide your individual NVMe SSD modules.)

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

OWC Categorical 4M2: Options and specs

The Categorical 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 may set up, so in the mean time, you may possible stuff this factor to the tune of 32TB.

The enclosure measures simply shy of two.5 inches tall (rubber ft included), a bit over 4.5 inches deep, and virtually 5.4 inches large. There’s a quite massive fan that you will need to take away to put in SSDs (our take a look at unit was unpopulated), however it’s a straightforward deal, and mentioned fan could 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 Categorical 4M2 after the introduction of its a lot sooner, way more versatile (and pricier) Categorical 1M2 cousin. Because the Categorical 1M2 is USB 4, it’s a little bit of a complicated advertising and marketing message.

To function the Categorical 4M2 in RAID, you want software program. OWC offers a license for its useful cross-platform SoftRAID, although the Professional portion that permits you to 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 can even leverage macOS or Home windows RAID to the identical impact, although that kills any cross-platform use. Platform agnosticism is without doubt one of the causes I’m nonetheless a fan of {hardware} RAID.

OWC Categorical 4M2: Pace and performamce

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

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

We examined on a Mac Studio with Disk Pace Check and AmorphousDiskMark, however we additionally examined utilizing sister publication PCWorld’s take a look at 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 had been employed–every simply able to 5GBps reads and 4GB writes. The outcomes stunned us a bit.

It was the single-drive efficiency that basically 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 cut up evenly throughout the 4 slots, leaving solely 10Gbps to play with. That’s what the outcomes learn like.

Subsequent up are the PCWorld take a look at 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.

Notice that to get high efficiency below Home windows (examined for the charts), we needed to particularly set the Categorical 4M2’s properties/coverage (the SoftRAID software program warns you about this) to Finest efficiency or write velocity in each RAID modes was halved.

CrystalDiskMark 8 Learn efficiency was excellent in RAID 0, and incredible in RAID 1 + 0. RAID write efficiency was good, however as you may 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 sooner than a tough drive to make certain, however when you’re trying so as to add 4 separate volumes, you’ll be significantly better off with single-drive enclosures. Until after all, you’re out of ports–few single SSD enclosures provide pass-thru.

CrystalDiskMark 8 rated random efficiency nearly as good, and that is the one space the place the Categorical 4M2 in non-RAID mode stored 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 undecided why RAID 1 + 0 is so gradual writing as there are nonetheless two volumes to shotgun writes throughout, however needless to say that is software program RAID that’s on the mercy of your pc’s CPU. The RAID 0 450GB write time is sweet for an exterior drive. The RAID 1 + 0 and single drive occasions usually are not.

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

Caveat: RAID 0 provides 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 understand how a lot restoration for an SSD RAID setup would price, however it’s unlikely to be low-cost, even whether it is potential.

Do you have to purchase the OWC Categorical 4M2?

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