I need extra storage for caches, renders, and asset files while working on projects in applications such as Blender and After Effects. My laptop's internal storage fills up quickly when I'm rendering or generating large caches, so cloud storage alone isn't practical. I already own a 4TB Samsung T9, but it contains personal files and photos that I want to keep safely as an archive rather than use constantly for work. It's about half full.
I'm considering a roughly 2TB portable drive, or buying an NVMe SSD and USB-C enclosure separately to reduce the cost. I'd like something reasonably fast, dependable, very small, and not excessively expensive. After having unreliable SD cards before, I'm unsure which SSDs and enclosures are trustworthy. I'm also open to using a hard drive for longer-term backup if that makes more sense.
4 Answers
For a cheaper DIY setup, look for a reputable NVMe SSD rather than an unknown budget model, then pair it with a USB-C NVMe enclosure from a recognizable manufacturer. A 1TB drive may cost roughly $170–$200 and a 500GB model around $100, while very small capacities often aren’t much cheaper and can be slower. Make sure the enclosure supports the SSD’s interface and has adequate heat dissipation, since sustained cache and render workloads can throttle a tiny drive.
I’d separate the two jobs: use the portable T9 for active project work, and buy a larger external hard disk for archival backups. A spinning hard drive will usually provide more capacity for less money and is better suited to being stored as a backup, while the SSD is faster and easier to carry around. Keep at least two copies of anything important, because neither an SSD nor a hard drive should be treated as permanently failure-proof.
That may be the most practical solution. My existing hard drive is an old 1TB model with obsolete connectors, so I’ll probably replace it with a larger modern drive and use the T9 for the portable working files.
The SanDisk E30 is a compact option, and the 2TB model is around $250 when discounted. For active project work, it should be much more convenient than a hard drive. Just remember that an SSD, especially one left unplugged for a long time, shouldn’t be your only archive or backup.
That price seems reasonable for 2TB, especially since I mainly need it for caches and assets. I’m still curious whether prices have changed dramatically, but I’d rather buy something dependable than gamble on a very cheap drive.
Be cautious about treating any SSD as a long-term offline archive. Flash storage can eventually lose data when left without power for extended periods, and drives can fail without warning. Periodically connect it, verify the files, and keep another backup—ideally on a separate hard drive or in another location. For your use case, a fast SSD for active caches plus a separate hard drive for backups is a better arrangement than trying to make one drive do both jobs.
It does need to be fairly fast because Blender and After Effects will be reading and writing to it while I work. I’m leaning toward 2TB if the price difference is reasonable, rather than saving a little with a slower or less durable drive.