Satechi Stand & Hub for Mac mini with NVMe SSD Enclosure overview

Value When Reviewed

$99.99

Greatest Costs At present: Satechi Stand & Hub for Mac Mini with NVMe SSD Enclosure

$99.99

Suitable with: Mac mini M2 & M2 Professional 2023; Mac mini M1 2020; Mac Studio

Dimension: 7.8 x 7.8 x 0.9 inches

Ports:

• 1x USB-C (10Gbps)
• 3x USB-A (10Gbps)
• SD card reader (UHS-I, 104MBps)
• microSD card reader (UHS-I, 104MBps)
• 3.5mm audio jack
• Inner SSD enclosure

Whereas Apple’s Mac mini is a tiny powerhouse of a pc blessed with a variety of ports on its again, its entrance face is unhelpfully naked, devoid of even one useful port or slot. There’s nothing however a bit gentle to point out that it’s on. Apple definitely put the “mini” in “minimal” when it got here to the head-on seems of its diminutive desktop pc.

The Mac Studio has the identical width and depth because the Mac mini however is taller. The Mac Studio additionally boasts two 10Gbps USB-C ports (Thunderbolt 4 on the M1 Extremely mannequin) and an SD card reader on its entrance. On the again, the Mac Studio and M2 Professional Mac mini ports are the identical, whereas the entry-level M2 Mac mini has two fewer Thunderbolt 4 ports.

The Satechi Stand & Hub for Mac mini fixes the mini’s naked entrance face by including 4 USB ports, each SD and microSD card reader slots, and three.5mm audio jack port. The inclusion of the cardboard readers is vital for the reason that mini lacks this entry level for cheap transportable storage. The cardboard readers are rated at UHS-I (104MBps)–312MBps UHS-II would have provided speedier transfers, however most customers received’t discover the distinction. A 512GB microSD card prices about $60/£50 on-line–a super-cheap method of including storage.

Satechi has up to date this stand/hub with sooner connections, and most significantly help for each sooner NVMe M.2 SSDs in addition to SATA M.2 SSDs.

The USB ports at the moment are rated at 10Gbps for knowledge switch—up from 5Gbps however nonetheless not as speedy because the Mac mini’s 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 connections. The Satechi’s rival Mac mini hub, the OWC miniStack STX, does supply 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 however is available in 2.5x the value for the privilege. 10Gbps needs to be ample for many non-pro primary data-transfer wants.

Satechi says that the Stand & Hub’s USB ports are knowledge solely and aren’t able to charging, though in our assessments we had been in a position to cost an Apple Watch and iPhone fairly rapidly utilizing the Stand & Hub’s USB ports.

The Stand & Hub additionally fixes one other main Mac mini limitation: the non-user-upgradeable inner storage. in order for you greater than the bottom 512GB storage within the Mac mini, Apple makes you pay handsomely on the time of buy (upgrading to 1TB prices $200/£200) after which doesn’t allow you to later improve the storage your self.

Inside this mini accent is an enclosure the place you’ll be able to set up an SSD inner storage board. It’s cheaper compared to Apple’s build-to-order choices–a 1TB inner SSD prices round $50/£50.

Foundry

The hub sits completely below the Mac mini, so making the mixed pair of units seem like a slim Mac Studio however with extra useful frontal ports. It connects to the pc by way of an built-in USB-C cable in the back of the hub. The ports are USB relatively than Thunderbolt and rated at 10Gbps (gigabits per second) in comparison with Thunderbolt’s 40Gbps.

Whereas the unique model lacked help for NVMe M.2 SSDs, the newest model permits you to select your SSD normal. NVMe M.2 SSDs (with theoretical switch speeds of as much as 20Gbps) are extra performance-driven than SATA M.2 SSDs (max 6Gbps). Nevertheless, that max 6Gbps restrict implies that the hub’s 10Gbps USB bandwidth is okay and there’s no USB bottleneck. Many individuals don’t want blistering storage speeds and may hold any information that want low-latency quick efficiency on the Mac mini’s personal speedy inner SSD and transfer extra archival storage on the enclosure’s SSD.

Foundry

NVMe SSD boards are extra widespread than SATA M.2 SSDs nowadays. Putting in the SSD contained in the Stand & Hub is straightforward, and the correct-sized screwdriver and screw are included.

This stand hub additionally suits below Apple’s Mac Studio, so it’s a cheap method so as to add quick storage to Apple’s latest pro-level desktop, too.

For those who don’t want the additional cupboard space, Satechi additionally provides its Stand & Hub for Mac mini in a mannequin with out an SSD enclosure for $20 much less. We’d advocate spending the additional for the Stand & Hub for Mac mini with SSD Enclosure as it’s possible you’ll end up needing the additional cupboard space later down the road.

The Satechi Stand & Hub for Mac mini with NVMe SSD Enclosure is out there in Silver colour solely, like the newest fashions of Mac mini itself. The mannequin with out the enclosure can be out there in a Area Grey colour, so will match the 2018 Mac mini mannequin, with which it’s appropriate–the mannequin with the SSD enclosure just isn’t appropriate with the older Mac mini.

For extra Mac mini accent choices, learn our characteristic on Tips on how to improve the M2 and M2 Professional Mac mini.

Backside line

The Satechi Stand & Hub for Mac mini with NVMe SSD Enclosure provides a cheap repair to 2 of the Mac mini’s limitations: no front-facing ports and stuck, non-upgradeable inner storage. Including a terabyte or two by way of the SSD bay will prevent tons of in comparison with shopping for from Apple.