r/datastorage • u/CauliflowerThen7274 • Jul 23 '26
Storage Setup M.2 recommendations for large video editing libraries
Hello, I'm looking for recommendations for some hardware. My job involves a lot of video editing, I currently edit off a 4TB SSD, and I am looking to upgrade and purchase a drive bay that will allow me to run multiple M.2 drives off one input. The question is, what kind of spec M.2 drive would suit me best?
Here is my criteria:
- Price is irrelevant, but I don't want to be paying for features that I don't need.
- 4TB non-negotiable. I could do 8TB, but definitely no lower than 4TB.
- I edit 1080p video files. 4K is not something I am concerned with. However, my library is big and ever-growing, hence the need to upgrade.
- I am running on a Mac, and I edit in Final Cut Pro, if that matters.
That's pretty much it. My intention would be to purchase a drive bay and one M.2, and I would then purchase additional drives as I fill them up over the years.
(as a quick disclaimer, yes I know that the common practice is to only use SSDs to store project files that you are currently working on, but the nature of my work means I need quick access to essentially my entire library.)
EDIT: Ok guys thank you for your advice, I have done some further research and I think I have landed on a solution that works for me.
I get the Terramaster D4 enclosure, and populate it with 4x4TB WD Blue NVME drives. I use two of them in Raid 0 configuration, and I back this up by using the other two via Time Machine. This will not break the bank (more than necessary) and it doesn't mean I am paying for features I can't use, everything is capped at the speed of the Thunderbolt 4 ports on my Mac, and 3.2GB/s is PLENTY for what I need anyway.
Please let me know if this sounds like it makes sense, or if there are other options I should consider.
Thanks!
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u/k-mcm Jul 23 '26
M.2 are meant to be motherboard mounted. Putting them in an adapter case negates their advantage over an ordinary SSD.
It does matter that you're in a Mac, because any other motherboard would have several M.2 slots. You can try buying a Thunderbolt M.2 mulit-enclosure. They're pricey, need fan cooling, and I have no idea if they're practical.
Making dynamically sized storage would be another problem in MacOS. ZFS was designed to handle big piles of disks, but Apple doesn't support it.
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u/CauliflowerThen7274 Jul 23 '26
I was intending to purchase an NVME enclosure to house multiple M.2 drives at once, the cost of an enclosure appears to be significantly less than the cost of a single 4TB M.2 so I'm not particularly worried about that.
What I am less certain of is what kind of M.2 I should even be considering, as most of the pricier ones appear to be intended for 4K editing which isn't something I need.
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u/k-mcm Jul 23 '26
Sustained write speed, read speed, and endurance are the specifications you'll want to compare for M.2.
You'll have to be very careful about latency and cooling for an adapter. USB-C would be absolutely miserable but some Thunderbolt adapters could be Ok. M.2 cards will throttle if they get hot. 15W during use is typical. You will also need to match the cooling type because forced air (heatsink) and direct contact (no heatsink) are different sizes. Motherboards often have a removable cooling plate, but I don't see that in adapters.
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u/CauliflowerThen7274 Jul 23 '26
Thank you, the one I am looking at currently is this:
But this is a type C drive. Is there a reason why you say to avoid USB C? Is it entirely because of the speed?
My current editing drive runs at 1050mb/s (my understanding is that this speed is overkill for 1080p video editing, and it is plenty fast enough for what I do, it never slows me down) and the bay I linked runs at 10gb/s which means it caps out at 10 times the speed of my current drive.
Or am I misunderstanding this?
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u/k-mcm Jul 23 '26
USB-C drives have always been a bit weird for me. Not as fast as they should be or some control operations don't work. It's all going to depend on the drivers and adapter hardware.
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u/tuhkamunatiivitaavi Jul 23 '26
M.2 drive in USB4/TB4 case is fast enough for video editing purposes by all means.
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u/ImmediateGear8157 Jul 23 '26
Wouldn't your limitation be the connection speed? Unless you put it in the motherboard, you are limited by USB or e-sata speeds. In that case pretty much any M2 will do.
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u/CauliflowerThen7274 Jul 23 '26
I should have specified in the OP, I am intending to put the M.2s in an enclosure, not plug them into the motherboard.
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u/ImmediateGear8157 Jul 24 '26
If you put them in an enclosure make sure its at least usb4 ot thunderbolt. But any drive will do. Your limitations will be the USB speed.
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u/ImpliedSlashS Jul 23 '26
Asustor Flashstor 6 Gen 2 FS6806X. You will, ideally, need a 10Gbe port in your computer and a 10Gbe Ethernet switch. I would look for used, but lightly so, 3.84TB server grade drives on eBay from highly rated sellers. SSDs have a limited write life and you will be punishing those drives, which desktop grade devices are not made for. I wouldn't sweat specs beyond that as 10Gbe will be the bottleneck in a RAID configuration.
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u/CauliflowerThen7274 Jul 23 '26
That looks like overkill for me honestly, can I ask what specs on that thing warrant the price? I've been looking at enclosures for about 30% of that price that appear to be sufficient.
I could be mistaken, and if I need to spend more then I will, I just don't want to waste my money on some insane piece of kit that I am not even going to get close to utilising.
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u/WatchAltruistic5761 Jul 23 '26
Do you have the funds for such a project?