I know this video is old now. But I bought this dock off the back of this review and it's been absolutely faultless. Worth mentioning too I recently added an SSD to it but I didn't have the silicon pad and nut in the box. Emailed Minisopuru support and they sent them out immediately. So very good service from them as well. All in all had this hub for about a year and as you mentioned, it really does feel like it's part of the product. Could not imagine my iMac without it
Thanks for posting this. I finally decided to replace my early 2009 iMac with the new 24" model. the port layout did concern me but after seeing your video, I clicked your link, got the dock and the Samsung 1TB NVMe SSD with it and we are now good to go! This enclosure is definitely the way to go and your review is very clear to its benefits. Great idea on the double sided tape too. I don't plan on moving it but you never know. Thanks for the tips!
Thanks Richie. I appreciate the feedback. I look at a ton of products and just showcase them to show people the features they have. My channel doesn't do the classic review, but instead just shows people the products that are not that common. The reason I don't do full reviews is because I don't test them for years and also I'm only one person so it could work good for me but not for other's needs. I'm glad this one works well for you and it has been doing what you needed it to do. Thanks again for letting me know how it worked out for you. It's nice to hear that for sure.
Hi, just a quick question. I will be upgrading from a mid 2011 iMac. Did you use the migration process and how did it go? I am a little concerned due to the age of the computer. Thank you.
@@RAYZ1972 Mine was a 2009. I honestly can’t remember if I used the wireless or a cable. I want to say wireless but it was a while ago and this old brain isn’t sure. Sorry 😞
Thank you. I have been using it but sometimes my disk (I installed 1 TB SSD M.2 PCIe 4.0 KINGSTON NV2 (SNV2S/1000G) NVMe) but sometimes it get rejected. I have to reboot the iMac so to have it back. Do you ever see this ?
Bought new M3 IMac recently and saw this at Amazon. Purchased and installed 1 TB WD_Black 850X internal to enclosure. Works great and cleans up the peripherals. Only issue is it will only allow 2TB support which I believe has to do with the thickness of the SSD card.
Yes, some enclosures will have those types of limitations. I just did a Thunderbolt 4 enclosure by Satechi which can take up to a 16 TB M.2 (if you can find one) but really the cost of M.2 drives are too high beyond 4TB right now.
Great video. I recently purchased a base model iMac and this looks like it's just what I need. Seen just about every UA-cam video about the 24" iMac and its accessories but none with this product.
Thanks for posting and sharing. Yes, this one just came out and is a pretty cool product considering I think it's the only one of its kind. I'm sure it will be copied sooner or later.
Excellent review of a product I never would have found! Curious - do you like this more than the Satechi hub you reviewed later? Also, is the host connector on the back built into the device or is it just a standard cable that can be removed and replaced? Thinking about long-term wear...
It looks like it won't come out but it also could they way it's shaped. But I'm not going to pull on it as I think it's permanent. But, with that said it's very solid and you don't move this around so long term where is basically nothing.
I just got one and installed a 1 TB SSD card for my brand-new iMac 24 M3. It makes a great addition and provides some useful additional storage for my Garageband/Logic Pro X sound files and my plug-in music tools...
BUT, DOES IT LAST??? So many reviews say that the SSD disconnects after a short time, if it works at all. Maybe right away, maybe in 6 months. Maybe it'll crap out in the middle of a backup. Also several reports of the ports going dead. Does Minisopuru have a warranty? Do they have a fair replacement policy?
I think its a really cool dock love the hidden SSD enclosure, having an SD card reader is a plus. The only two things about it are the Type A ports wasting a bunch of space on the dock, and they don’t have purple on their website. All these USB C hubs fall down in the same area with the USB C issue. They aren’t giving you any more USB C ports. They all give you 2 or 3 legacy USB A ports instead of more type C ports. I don’t know if thats a technical issue with bus speeds or the controller on the M series chip, or if they think people are longing for these obsolete ports, but it isn’t what I’m looking for. I would rather have a blank space than have a USB A port on the side. I’ll just keep holding out for something that checks the boxes for me.
Yes, I hope one day they come out with a Thunderbolt version but I just think it would put this well over $200 at that point. But, it would be nice for the speed.
Thank you for this nice video ! My only concern is how I can plug an external monitor which has a HDMI output cable ? Using an HDMI to UDB-C cable adapter ? Thanks !
I don't have that adaptor but I would search the Amazon page for the questions and I'm sure it could be addressed there. I would need to test it myself first.
Recently bought a new iMac 24" to replace my aging iMac11,3 from 2010, but haven't even unboxed because it is missing the USB A connectors and SD memory card slot that I use all the time for printing and importing photos from my camera and such. As a devoted Mac fan for almost 40 years now, I love the slick design of this and even available in blue to match the iMac 24" I bought. Thanks so much for sharing and I will give this a try!
I also did a video on another option from Satechi so check that video out also. They both have a place for a built in M.2 drive so both could be good options if you can match your iMac's color.
Would this by any chance fit the base of a 27” Apple Studio display? Do any of the ports offer USB C charging capability? How’s the cars readers performance? Thanks.
It won't fit that only the 24". I didn't test exact stats on the ports but others have on the Amazon page under questions. It works great for what it is and I have been using mine for 2 years now. Pretty solid.
Will it work with the older style iMacs too? It looks like it could just sit on top of the base of the older ones which would still look almost as good?
It's just a standard hub so I assume it could work with the older macs also (maybe even Windows). Not sure it's worth the premium over a normal hub though but that would be up to the user for sure. Thanks for watching.
Just now seeing this vid because I just got the M3 iMac, so my question is which SSD you recommend ? I have a headache seen all those out there available but not knowing which one would be the best for me. The only reason Id need extra storage in this case is for photography editing. TYIA
You can see the SSD in the video I used which is the Intel one. But that is really the only one I tested. Maybe check out the Amazon page and see what others are using in there to see what could be some other good options.
They won't fit in the base of the 27" so they won't work like a stand. If you plug it in then it could work but it won't be a stand so I would not get this for a 27". Thank you.
@@craigneidel ! Thank you Craig. I did research and didn’t realize Apple discontinued the 27” monitor. Wish you would do a video how to improve performance of IMac while running Lightroom classic. I had 24g of RAM at time of purchase. Apple checked my computer and did not find issues. Thank you
SSD Speed test would be useful to compare this agains other Thunderbolt SSD enclosures. Is this speed limited because of the Hub or because of the SSD itself?
With same SSD I was getting about 800 if you watch video I made on rugged nvme enclosure a few weeks ago. So this is little slower but totally acceptable in the mid 600s to do almost anything with the storage. Device like this have overhead but I feel it's good enough to even 4k edit off so good enough for most things.
I'm assuming the "thermal pad" is for the NVME slot. The video mentioned the pad but didn't show where it goes or talk about its effectivenss. Thanks for the video.
Do you know if the usb ports on this hub are capable of powering external drives? The usb hub I have doesn't provide enough power to run my external cd/dvd player/burner and I would buy this in a hot second if I knew for certain it would do that.
It can run an external SSD for sure from it, but I don't know the power draw of an external DVD etc. (and don't have one to test), so I can't test that one but maybe check out the Amazon questions.
I haven't tested multiple SSDs but can report back. I have tested the internal SSD which is the M.2 NVME drive running as a storage device and then I was using other ports for other things. I would say it's not for performance but really for the convenience of having a sleek design with an SSD and a few extra ports. Works well but not Thunderbolt etc. so limited in running a ton of things all at once if they will be super heavy loads.
Looks great ! Can you advise if I can connect 2 external hdd at the same time ? I ordered a product similar to this one from Minisopuru and upon connecting the 2 hdd, the hub didn't have enough power for them.
Craig, I'm thinking about buying a new 24" iMac M1. Problem is, there's not a lot of storage on the HD which I'm guessing is strictly an SSD. Am I correct in assuming that despite having external SSDs for storage, apps MUST be installed on the internal SSD of the iMac itself? If that is true, an entry or mid level with 256 GB of storage severely limits how many apps I can have plus empty disc space for cache for said apps. I know I can allocate additional cache on other drives in Adobe apps, but what if other apps don't give you the ability? My current 27" came with a 1TB fusion drive. It's like the new stuff is a step backwards. So confused on what to do. If I end up buying one I will wait for the M3 rumored to be out soon.
Get one on the refurbished Apple store, they are basically new, and you can get one with 512 GB for about $1,299 I think. I do thin you can load some apps on an external SSD or at least you could before. I have a video on that so search for it on my channel. I just have not tested doing that with M1 systems but on older Intel Macs you could run most of your apps on the external ssd, just not the core ones.
That's a clever device, I wish I had thought of it first too. 😁 I think the double-sided tape is a good idea as it will increase stability and make the iMac less likely to tip out of the hub.
Whoa! This is cool thank you for this video. I currently have the iMac Pro. I've been trying to wait for the next gen iMac with a bigger screen but this make getting the 24 inch iMac pretty compelling.
Thanks for the feedback. This is a nice device for sure but the new 24" iMac will be nice too. But, I don't think that will come out until later in the year.
Would this also work with legacy iMac's? I'm wondering if it would work as an external SSD boot drive for iMac's with a Fusion drive for instance. Thoughts?
It might work but if using for a boot drive on an older Mac I'm not sure it's the best option. There are going to be faster enclosures and cost less for that if that is the reason for it.
@@craigneidel Understood. Asking as I'm trying to conserve Thunderbolt / USB-C ports, currently using one for an external dock, and the other for a 2nd monitor. Have 2 ports, need 3. Thought a dock/boot combo might be an elegant solution (as it would utilize only 1 port). My iMac is otherwise maxed-out: late 2017 27" Retina, 64gig of memory, 4.2G i7, but with a 3TB Fusion drive...
my one question is does it work? i have tried 4 different hubs for my imac 24 inch including the cal digit sold on apples website and external hard drives wont mount. what makes this one work that the others wont
I just bought this hub and 1 TB ssd crucial.... but my iMac became slower after that.... is that normal ? and how can I have an easy access to the external disc ?
Not sure why it would become slower and have not heard of that. Did you do any OS upgrades like to Ventura etc. during that time as that is most likely the cause of a little slowdown and not the hub.
I just purchased the iMac24. 8C 8GB 256GB, and the minisopuru that you suggested. After I inserted the ssd card, my iMac indicates that it's not compatible. The ssd card was a ranxiana Pro NVMe M.2 512GB, could this be the incorrect ssd card? Thank you-Peggy
You may need to format the SD card. The slot would not be the issue. I'm not familiar with that card but I'm guessing it was formatted for Windows. There is a ton of info on how to format drives and cards on UA-cam if you need it.
Just do the math to figure that out based on speed you are getting. If you get 900 MB/s then 10,000 MB roughly = 11.1 to about 12 seconds would be my guess.
i may consider it in febroary since in ianuary i get my first imac on green colour idk if i need those ports but for looks alone and utility it seems worth having pots on side and not on back and damn usb support also? this helps me alot 100% ill get it if still available.
@@craigneidel i just ordered it early since it was about to run out of stock, but damn amazon prices sky rocket about 20$ just fees on top of 90 euro price, ill still test it in febroary but i decided to get it since stock was low.
Of course it is and is used for mice, keyboards, flash sticks, and stuff many people still have. You can also just buy a USB-A to USB-C converter if you want to also for those ports.
Great idea, maybe if the connection to IMAC was Thunderbolt 4 and there was a gigabit LAN socket it would be great but the price would be at least double. I saw that it is still not available in Italy. Greetings
My 1TB Samsung 980 pro ssd gives 900mb/s thru this hub, and with an Acasis enclosure I get 3135 mb/s. So I got a cheaper ssd for storage in the hub and using the Samsung and enclosure for video editing.
Yes, that is a good speed for a 10 Gbps hub and that is fast enough for most things. If you need a faster external storage system the Thunderbolt enclosures are nice.
I'm not sure what you are dividing there as that is not how it works. The acasis is a 40 Gbps enclosure and divide that by 8 (bits and bytes) and then you can get up to 5,000 MB/s but with overhead and other things normally 3,000 MB/s is as fast as a thunderbolt 4 enclosures is.
I think they (Apple), with their attention to (keep things minimalistic) screwed up regarding these 'simple' ports and this 'fantastic' upgrade! I even think i makes the unit look better🎉
Very cool. Too bad they don't have my color. Even if Apple thought of this I doubt they would've added this. For one it would drive up the cost to add this and 2 the fact that the fan blows down on the stand. That wouldn't be the smartest place to put it. True that most people won't get their machines to blow the fans hard, but I find as a software engineer my fan blows a lot. Although nothing like intel chips 😂 not saying it's a bad design from this company because if you are in that situation with this product you can just remove it from under without unplugging it
Thanks for the input and watching. So far the way I use it the hub has worked really well. I just do some backups and editing to this device and no issues so far. Also the SD Card reader works good.
It does have a USB-C at 10 Gbps and one USB-A at 10 Gbps. If this had a thunderbolt port it would cost 2 to 3 times as much but yes having a more expensive option might be nice.
Yeah this is useless if the ssd only gets 10 gb ps. At that point I’m wasting a usb c or thunderbolt slot. I just keep my 20 ssd enclosure and look for something else.
Two USB 2.0 ports!? No ethernet...1 USB-C port...it takes 1 port to plug it in so if you're getting the base model that only comes with 2 ports to begin with at the end of the day you still only have 2 type C ports....why on earth is USB 2.0 on any dongle in 2022?
It's more for additional storage. USB 2 is for flash drives to that only do up to 80 Mbs anyhow or mice / keyboards. Yes maybe version 2.0 will have another USB-c plus Ethernet.
No ethernet is the dealbreaker for me with these. Shame on you, Apple. The price of this hub/case is good. Apple should have put these ports on the damn computer! The 24" is unstable with bad balance? Apple has really fallen.
Yes, they should add the ports for sure but I think most people don't even use Ethernet any longer and you can get a dongle if you do need it every once in a while. But, I agree that an iMac with more ports in what should have been made.
I’ve literally own the 24 inch iMac since it came out. And it has never moved and left top heavy or unstable. You had me till you started bullshitting me. You don’t have to bullshit ppl to show the benefit of a product.
Nice response. I'm not sure if you have watched my channel but I'm the last person to do that. Plus, the iMacs are light and can slide around too and I could do a video on that to show you. I'm not sure why it matters that much as it's just something I noticed. I love the iMacs. I also have a desk in the middle of the room and not on a wall. So easy to nudge a desk and make it move etc. and it would be better with better non-friction rubber on bottom. I'm not sure why you think I'm bullshitting anybody as my channel is all about showcasing unknown products etc. and just helping people. Don't jump to conclusions on people until you have watched a bunch of videos and know them. I do training videos to help people and have hundreds of those too.
I know this video is old now. But I bought this dock off the back of this review and it's been absolutely faultless. Worth mentioning too I recently added an SSD to it but I didn't have the silicon pad and nut in the box. Emailed Minisopuru support and they sent them out immediately. So very good service from them as well. All in all had this hub for about a year and as you mentioned, it really does feel like it's part of the product. Could not imagine my iMac without it
PS. I believe they ended up making all the colour variants too
Thanks for the post about the hub. Appreciate that as it helps others.
Thanks for the info.
Dude, thanks! I had no idea these things existed, bought one right after seeing your video. Works great, looks great!
Glad it worked out. I use mine all the time and love it. Thanks for comment.
Dude, your videos are great, stop "begging" people to not leave. Remember most people are stooooopid! keep up the good work!
Thanks, for watching the channel and for posting. Appreciate that.
I just bought an m1 base iMac from Best Buy because it was 400 off and I’m so glad I ran into this video. This seems helpful
Thanks. M1 are still great machines for sure.
Thanks for posting this. I finally decided to replace my early 2009 iMac with the new 24" model. the port layout did concern me but after seeing your video, I clicked your link, got the dock and the Samsung 1TB NVMe SSD with it and we are now good to go! This enclosure is definitely the way to go and your review is very clear to its benefits.
Great idea on the double sided tape too. I don't plan on moving it but you never know.
Thanks for the tips!
Thanks Richie. I appreciate the feedback. I look at a ton of products and just showcase them to show people the features they have. My channel doesn't do the classic review, but instead just shows people the products that are not that common. The reason I don't do full reviews is because I don't test them for years and also I'm only one person so it could work good for me but not for other's needs. I'm glad this one works well for you and it has been doing what you needed it to do. Thanks again for letting me know how it worked out for you. It's nice to hear that for sure.
Thanks for mentioning which SSD you got - I got this dock but have been obsessing over what SSD was the right one. On we go....
Hi, just a quick question. I will be upgrading from a mid 2011 iMac. Did you use the migration process and how did it go? I am a little concerned due to the age of the computer. Thank you.
@@RAYZ1972
Mine was a 2009. I honestly can’t remember if I used the wireless or a cable. I want to say wireless but it was a while ago and this old brain isn’t sure.
Sorry 😞
@@richiehimes7990 Lol. Okay thanks for responding
Thank you. I have been using it but sometimes my disk (I installed 1 TB SSD M.2 PCIe 4.0 KINGSTON NV2 (SNV2S/1000G) NVMe) but sometimes it get rejected. I have to reboot the iMac so to have it back. Do you ever see this ?
Thanks for sharing. I have not experienced that at all but only used the Intel SSD in the video. If others have seen this post here
Bought new M3 IMac recently and saw this at Amazon. Purchased and installed 1 TB WD_Black 850X internal to enclosure. Works great and cleans up the peripherals. Only issue is it will only allow 2TB support which I believe has to do with the thickness of the SSD card.
Yes, some enclosures will have those types of limitations. I just did a Thunderbolt 4 enclosure by Satechi which can take up to a 16 TB M.2 (if you can find one) but really the cost of M.2 drives are too high beyond 4TB right now.
Great product! Ordered right away. Many thanks for doing this presentation!
Thanks for watching the video.
omg this product fits iMac so well...also thanks for your video!
Yes, it works well and is nice to look at. So far it's been great. Thanks for watching.
could i use the SSD drive for a time machine drive?
for sure.
Great video. I recently purchased a base model iMac and this looks like it's just what I need. Seen just about every UA-cam video about the 24" iMac and its accessories but none with this product.
Thanks for posting and sharing. Yes, this one just came out and is a pretty cool product considering I think it's the only one of its kind. I'm sure it will be copied sooner or later.
Excellent review of a product I never would have found! Curious - do you like this more than the Satechi hub you reviewed later? Also, is the host connector on the back built into the device or is it just a standard cable that can be removed and replaced? Thinking about long-term wear...
It looks like it won't come out but it also could they way it's shaped. But I'm not going to pull on it as I think it's permanent. But, with that said it's very solid and you don't move this around so long term where is basically nothing.
I just got one and installed a 1 TB SSD card for my brand-new iMac 24 M3. It makes a great addition and provides some useful additional storage for my Garageband/Logic Pro X sound files and my plug-in music tools...
Yes, they are nice little hubs and mine has been working for close to 2 years now.
What color is your IMAC?
Thanks for this video! I just got a new iMac 24 16GB 256SSD. Adding this with a 1TB M2 drive was simple. Works flawlessly!
Thanks for sharing and watching. Appreciate it.
BUT, DOES IT LAST??? So many reviews say that the SSD disconnects after a short time, if it works at all. Maybe right away, maybe in 6 months. Maybe it'll crap out in the middle of a backup. Also several reports of the ports going dead. Does Minisopuru have a warranty? Do they have a fair replacement policy?
Been working great and I have been using for well over a year. Zero issues with mine.
Just found out about this, definitely gonna be picking one up. Great video 👍
Thanks for watching hope you can sub.
Very interesting, does the external hard drive in the device act like the built in HHD on the iMac to run more software?
You can run software on it if you install on the drive. I also move my editing to run off this drive and it works fine.
I bought one a month ago for an old iMac and it works great!
Yes, they are very nice for basic connectivity and for the storage.
I think its a really cool dock love the hidden SSD enclosure, having an SD card reader is a plus. The only two things about it are the Type A ports wasting a bunch of space on the dock, and they don’t have purple on their website.
All these USB C hubs fall down in the same area with the USB C issue. They aren’t giving you any more USB C ports. They all give you 2 or 3 legacy USB A ports instead of more type C ports. I don’t know if thats a technical issue with bus speeds or the controller on the M series chip, or if they think people are longing for these obsolete ports, but it isn’t what I’m looking for. I would rather have a blank space than have a USB A port on the side. I’ll just keep holding out for something that checks the boxes for me.
Yes, I hope one day they come out with a Thunderbolt version but I just think it would put this well over $200 at that point. But, it would be nice for the speed.
Thx so much. Does this unit have a separate power supply?
No it just plugs into the iMac. Thanks.
what product do you recommend to add RAM on my weak linked M1 IMAC with just 8mg of ram?
Ram? You can't add ram to an M1 iMac...
Thank you for this nice video ! My only concern is how I can plug an external monitor which has a HDMI output cable ? Using an HDMI to UDB-C cable adapter ? Thanks !
I don't have that adaptor but I would search the Amazon page for the questions and I'm sure it could be addressed there. I would need to test it myself first.
Recently bought a new iMac 24" to replace my aging iMac11,3 from 2010, but haven't even unboxed because it is missing the USB A connectors and SD memory card slot that I use all the time for printing and importing photos from my camera and such. As a devoted Mac fan for almost 40 years now, I love the slick design of this and even available in blue to match the iMac 24" I bought. Thanks so much for sharing and I will give this a try!
I also did a video on another option from Satechi so check that video out also. They both have a place for a built in M.2 drive so both could be good options if you can match your iMac's color.
Would this by any chance fit the base of a 27” Apple Studio display? Do any of the ports offer USB C charging capability? How’s the cars readers performance?
Thanks.
It won't fit that only the 24". I didn't test exact stats on the ports but others have on the Amazon page under questions. It works great for what it is and I have been using mine for 2 years now. Pretty solid.
Will it work with the older style iMacs too? It looks like it could just sit on top of the base of the older ones which would still look almost as good?
It's just a standard hub so I assume it could work with the older macs also (maybe even Windows). Not sure it's worth the premium over a normal hub though but that would be up to the user for sure. Thanks for watching.
Does this hub work without an ssd card installed?
Yes for sure
Hai ,Thank you . Is this product availble on india stores.. i check it on amazon, can't place order..
I'm not sure since I'm in us.
Thanks for posting this video. I just set mine up.
Welcome and wish you the best. Thanks for watching.
Just now seeing this vid because I just got the M3 iMac, so my question is which SSD you recommend ? I have a headache seen all those out there available but not knowing which one would be the best for me. The only reason Id need extra storage in this case is for photography editing. TYIA
You can see the SSD in the video I used which is the Intel one. But that is really the only one I tested. Maybe check out the Amazon page and see what others are using in there to see what could be some other good options.
Craig great video. Will these work on a 27” IMac ? If so I’ll be ordering one. Thanks
They won't fit in the base of the 27" so they won't work like a stand. If you plug it in then it could work but it won't be a stand so I would not get this for a 27". Thank you.
@@craigneidel ! Thank you Craig. I did research and didn’t realize Apple discontinued the 27” monitor. Wish you would do a video how to improve performance of IMac while running Lightroom classic. I had 24g of RAM at time of purchase. Apple checked my computer and did not find issues. Thank you
Ok, thanks for this info.
would this fit on the base of the Studio Display? -- they seem to be so much alike.
I don't think they are the same and only the imac.
@@craigneidel lemme see, they really look the same to me... I might need to go to an Apple Store :)
SSD Speed test would be useful to compare this agains other Thunderbolt SSD enclosures. Is this speed limited because of the Hub or because of the SSD itself?
With same SSD I was getting about 800 if you watch video I made on rugged nvme enclosure a few weeks ago. So this is little slower but totally acceptable in the mid 600s to do almost anything with the storage. Device like this have overhead but I feel it's good enough to even 4k edit off so good enough for most things.
Nice to mention that apeel2008!👍
I'm assuming the "thermal pad" is for the NVME slot. The video mentioned the pad but didn't show where it goes or talk about its effectivenss. Thanks for the video.
Yes, its for the NVME slot. As far as effectiveness it depends on the SSD you put in ect. and use so I didn't do a huge test on that.
I just got this and looks beautiful. Very solid. Thanx for the vid.
Thanks, yes they are nice for the money and mine has worked quite well for me.
Thank so much 🤩😍this is just what I have been looking for ! Ordered 👍🏽
Thanks for watching.
Do you know if the usb ports on this hub are capable of powering external drives? The usb hub I have doesn't provide enough power to run my external cd/dvd player/burner and I would buy this in a hot second if I knew for certain it would do that.
It can run an external SSD for sure from it, but I don't know the power draw of an external DVD etc. (and don't have one to test), so I can't test that one but maybe check out the Amazon questions.
Would this fit the Studio Display?
I don't think so. Just 24 inch iMac.
Can you run all the ports in 1 go with 2 or 3 external HDD connected to the USB A?
I haven't tested multiple SSDs but can report back. I have tested the internal SSD which is the M.2 NVME drive running as a storage device and then I was using other ports for other things. I would say it's not for performance but really for the convenience of having a sleek design with an SSD and a few extra ports. Works well but not Thunderbolt etc. so limited in running a ton of things all at once if they will be super heavy loads.
Looks great ! Can you advise if I can connect 2 external hdd at the same time ? I ordered a product similar to this one from Minisopuru and upon connecting the 2 hdd, the hub didn't have enough power for them.
if SSDs and lower power you should have not issues.
Craig, I'm thinking about buying a new 24" iMac M1. Problem is, there's not a lot of storage on the HD which I'm guessing is strictly an SSD. Am I correct in assuming that despite having external SSDs for storage, apps MUST be installed on the internal SSD of the iMac itself? If that is true, an entry or mid level with 256 GB of storage severely limits how many apps I can have plus empty disc space for cache for said apps. I know I can allocate additional cache on other drives in Adobe apps, but what if other apps don't give you the ability? My current 27" came with a 1TB fusion drive. It's like the new stuff is a step backwards. So confused on what to do. If I end up buying one I will wait for the M3 rumored to be out soon.
Get one on the refurbished Apple store, they are basically new, and you can get one with 512 GB for about $1,299 I think. I do thin you can load some apps on an external SSD or at least you could before. I have a video on that so search for it on my channel. I just have not tested doing that with M1 systems but on older Intel Macs you could run most of your apps on the external ssd, just not the core ones.
That's a clever device, I wish I had thought of it first too. 😁
I think the double-sided tape is a good idea as it will increase stability and make the iMac less likely to tip out of the hub.
Yes it's a perfect idea. If apple would have integrated the cord into the stand it would have been the best way to implement it.
Silicone shower sealant is better and it will come off when you sell it.
Whoa! This is cool thank you for this video. I currently have the iMac Pro. I've been trying to wait for the next gen iMac with a bigger screen but this make getting the 24 inch iMac pretty compelling.
Thanks for the feedback. This is a nice device for sure but the new 24" iMac will be nice too. But, I don't think that will come out until later in the year.
perfect if you want to use the SSD for Time Machine without having a hard drive hanging at the back or on the desk
Yes, it's nice. The only thing that would be better is if Apple made the iMacs like this with the cord on the inside.
Would this also work with legacy iMac's? I'm wondering if it would work as an external SSD boot drive for iMac's with a Fusion drive for instance. Thoughts?
It might work but if using for a boot drive on an older Mac I'm not sure it's the best option. There are going to be faster enclosures and cost less for that if that is the reason for it.
@@craigneidel Understood. Asking as I'm trying to conserve Thunderbolt / USB-C ports, currently using one for an external dock, and the other for a 2nd monitor. Have 2 ports, need 3. Thought a dock/boot combo might be an elegant solution (as it would utilize only 1 port). My iMac is otherwise maxed-out: late 2017 27" Retina, 64gig of memory, 4.2G i7, but with a 3TB Fusion drive...
my one question is does it work? i have tried 4 different hubs for my imac 24 inch including the cal digit sold on apples website and external hard drives wont mount. what makes this one work that the others wont
It works fine. Just format the drive as APFS.
Hi. I’m thinking to buy this hub, but I need to install a 4tb ssd and it says 2tb is the limit. Do you know if the hub will see a 4tb ssd?
I only tested up to 2 tb. I would review Amazon notes from users or email manufacturer. I think it should but not sure but it might enforce a limit.
Can I use this with a headphone dac amp if I plug usb into it
To be honest, I don't have a dac right now to check that out, but I would just search on Amazon the comments and I'm sure somebody will list it there.
@@craigneidelthanks man I actually plugged it into the hub and it works great on my iMac! I’m glad you can use sources like that with this hub.
@@colingordon0986 thanks for the update.
Does it have a Ethernet port?
No, not this hub. Thanks for watching.
I just bought this hub and 1 TB ssd crucial....
but my iMac became slower after that.... is that normal ?
and how can I have an easy access to the external disc ?
Not sure why it would become slower and have not heard of that. Did you do any OS upgrades like to Ventura etc. during that time as that is most likely the cause of a little slowdown and not the hub.
@@craigneidel Its okay now.... I upgrade it to ventura...
Ok, thanks.
I just purchased the iMac24. 8C 8GB 256GB, and the minisopuru that you suggested. After I inserted the ssd card, my iMac indicates that it's not compatible. The ssd card was a ranxiana Pro NVMe M.2 512GB, could this be the incorrect ssd card? Thank you-Peggy
You may need to format the SD card. The slot would not be the issue. I'm not familiar with that card but I'm guessing it was formatted for Windows. There is a ton of info on how to format drives and cards on UA-cam if you need it.
I ordered one looks good
They are pretty nice. Try it out and if it doesn't work good for you just return it. Thanks for watching.
Does it charge your iPhone or iPad?
You can off the USB ports.
Would 2017 I make fit in that?
They don't fit the 2017 models.
Just picked one up, the dongle dangling on the side of my iMac was starting to become an eyesore.
I still use mine every day.
Hi! How many seconds if let say i transfer a 10gig file?
Just do the math to figure that out based on speed you are getting. If you get 900 MB/s then 10,000 MB roughly = 11.1 to about 12 seconds would be my guess.
@@craigneidel Thank you soooo much!
Welcome
Does it have their companies logo on it?
Mine doesn't but some could so I would ask before you buy. Mine has no logo.
smart that ports are named by version. usb3.2 for example.
yes, it's a nice little hub for sure.
Additional ssd slot is a fkin steal. I get iMac for 16gb, 256 or 512, and get 2tb ssd later
Yes, adding the space is a great feature.
i may consider it in febroary since in ianuary i get my first imac on green colour idk if i need those ports but for looks alone and utility it seems worth having pots on side and not on back and damn usb support also? this helps me alot 100% ill get it if still available.
They work very good if you can find the right color. Thanks for sharing.
@@craigneidel i just ordered it early since it was about to run out of stock, but damn amazon prices sky rocket about 20$ just fees on top of 90 euro price, ill still test it in febroary but i decided to get it since stock was low.
Hey man. is "usb a" still in use?
Of course it is and is used for mice, keyboards, flash sticks, and stuff many people still have. You can also just buy a USB-A to USB-C converter if you want to also for those ports.
Use silicone bath sealant to glue it to the base it will come off when you come to sell it.
Thanks for the good tip on attaching it to the Mac.
Thanks!
No thank you
I’d love a thunderbolt version. But I like it.
Thanks for watching and feedback.
Perfect!
They are pretty nice. Wish they were Thunderbolt is all.
Ugh it doesn't come in purple thoughhhh
Yeah, not all the colors but maybe reach out to them to see their plans.
good product only it does not have an HDMI port
Yes, it doesn't have that and hopefully they will make another one soon with Thunderbolt and the HDMI.
Great idea, maybe if the connection to IMAC was Thunderbolt 4 and there was a gigabit LAN socket it would be great but the price would be at least double. I saw that it is still not available in Italy. Greetings
Thanks for watching and yes it would be better with Thunderbolt but still is a great idea for about $80.
The most important output is missing in this hub, is a Thunderbolt 4.
But the design is perfect match with an iMac 24"
My 1TB Samsung 980 pro ssd gives 900mb/s thru this hub, and with an Acasis enclosure I get 3135 mb/s.
So I got a cheaper ssd for storage in the hub and using the Samsung and enclosure for video editing.
Yes, that is a good speed for a 10 Gbps hub and that is fast enough for most things. If you need a faster external storage system the Thunderbolt enclosures are nice.
yes. 900MB/s divided by 125 = 7.2Gb/s. My Acasis has the cooling fan built in, that's what sold me.
I'm not sure what you are dividing there as that is not how it works. The acasis is a 40 Gbps enclosure and divide that by 8 (bits and bytes) and then you can get up to 5,000 MB/s but with overhead and other things normally 3,000 MB/s is as fast as a thunderbolt 4 enclosures is.
1 Megabyte/sec is equal to (8 × Gigabit/sec)/1000.
1 Gigabit/s = 125 Megabytes/sec. 5000MB/s divided by 125 = 40Gb/s.
There is always overhead on these connections as bandwidth is reserved for other things like video etc.
I think this should work with the new M3 iMac.
Yes, it would work fine.
I think they (Apple), with their attention to (keep things minimalistic) screwed up regarding these 'simple' ports and this 'fantastic' upgrade! I even think i makes the unit look better🎉
Yes, this is a hub that Apple should have built into the iMac. It works perfect for what it is.
An integrated iMac stand is very innovative but this 24" iMac debuted with USB4, so surprising the hub doesn't offer it.
It could be a version 2 of it in the future but right now it doesn't offer that.
Too expensive to make usb 4 so far and not many people need it, but if you need usb 4 pocket I can show you one good option
Mine keeps ejecting the SSD I installed in it. Sending it back.
I have not heard of that before. I have Intel 670 in mine and has been working solid. Thanks for info.
Still working well sir?
So far so good. I know I'm only one person so take that for what it's worth. Thanks for watching.
@@craigneidel 🍻 TY
@@FletchDoesIt Thanks for watching.
Would be great if the hubs ( stacking two or more ) were stackable to add screen height to the iMacs.
Yes, it only adds a little over an inch to the height and there is no way to really stack them. Thanks for commenting.
i wish they made yellow
contact them to see if it's in their plans. Thanks.
YEAH, KOOL!...... BUT NO HDMi PORT, SO i SAY "NO THX". APPRECiATE THE REViEW THOUGH
Yes, if you need that this isn't the right one for you.
Needs an HDMI port
Maybe but it's still a great hub.
If Minisopura wants me to buy this item they will have to offer in my iMac color (orange)...or no deal...
For sure, you need the correct color or it would not look right.
End Of Financial Year here in australia
i will be buying this so i can claim it on my tax
Thank You - rachel
Nice way to do it. Thanks.
The problem with all hubs is the lack of multiple USB-C ports. I don’t need more USB-A. What gives?
It's for things like mice etc. Still gives USB c and a at 10 Gbps so not too bad
I think it may be a licensing issue. I still have several USB-A devices so this hub would meet my needs (which are different for all of us).
Noodle eats BUGS!!!
He does I saw him when I was young
£120 on Amazon UK (Dec 22) is too much even at £80 probably still.
Yes, in USA they are about $79.00 which is a good price for this one. They are nice but you need to justify the cost depending on need.
Very cool. Too bad they don't have my color. Even if Apple thought of this I doubt they would've added this. For one it would drive up the cost to add this and 2 the fact that the fan blows down on the stand. That wouldn't be the smartest place to put it. True that most people won't get their machines to blow the fans hard, but I find as a software engineer my fan blows a lot. Although nothing like intel chips 😂 not saying it's a bad design from this company because if you are in that situation with this product you can just remove it from under without unplugging it
Thanks for the input and watching. So far the way I use it the hub has worked really well. I just do some backups and editing to this device and no issues so far. Also the SD Card reader works good.
Nice concept, but USBA 2.0 ports in 2023. Really??? Deal breaker for me.
It does have a USB-C at 10 Gbps and one USB-A at 10 Gbps. If this had a thunderbolt port it would cost 2 to 3 times as much but yes having a more expensive option might be nice.
Yeah this is useless if the ssd only gets 10 gb ps. At that point I’m wasting a usb c or thunderbolt slot. I just keep my 20 ssd enclosure and look for something else.
That's fine. They don't make a 40 Gbps yet.
I wish I bought this one instead of the one that best buy had but alas I needed ethernet
Works great but no Ethernet. But you can get small hub with Ethernet for under 20 bucks if needed.
Two USB 2.0 ports!? No ethernet...1 USB-C port...it takes 1 port to plug it in so if you're getting the base model that only comes with 2 ports to begin with at the end of the day you still only have 2 type C ports....why on earth is USB 2.0 on any dongle in 2022?
It's more for additional storage. USB 2 is for flash drives to that only do up to 80 Mbs anyhow or mice / keyboards. Yes maybe version 2.0 will have another USB-c plus Ethernet.
No ethernet is the dealbreaker for me with these. Shame on you, Apple. The price of this hub/case is good. Apple should have put these ports on the damn computer! The 24" is unstable with bad balance? Apple has really fallen.
Yes, they should add the ports for sure but I think most people don't even use Ethernet any longer and you can get a dongle if you do need it every once in a while. But, I agree that an iMac with more ports in what should have been made.
I wish they put Ethernet on this dongle! Or apple sold the brick with the Ethernet on their store
I’ve literally own the 24 inch iMac since it came out. And it has never moved and left top heavy or unstable. You had me till you started bullshitting me. You don’t have to bullshit ppl to show the benefit of a product.
Nice response. I'm not sure if you have watched my channel but I'm the last person to do that. Plus, the iMacs are light and can slide around too and I could do a video on that to show you. I'm not sure why it matters that much as it's just something I noticed. I love the iMacs. I also have a desk in the middle of the room and not on a wall. So easy to nudge a desk and make it move etc. and it would be better with better non-friction rubber on bottom. I'm not sure why you think I'm bullshitting anybody as my channel is all about showcasing unknown products etc. and just helping people. Don't jump to conclusions on people until you have watched a bunch of videos and know them. I do training videos to help people and have hundreds of those too.
@craigneidel
6 mesi fa
Thanks . does he work for M3 - 8?
I should work on M3.
@@craigneidel He also works perfectly with Crucial SSD M.2. I am really happy with this purchase
Ok, thanks for the update.