I recently purchased an internal SSD but ran into some issues connecting it to my PC. I'm considering whether to go for a SATA to USB enclosure, which is cheaper, or invest in a full external SSD. Are there any significant downsides to using the enclosure that I might not be aware of? For example, would the performance be noticeably lower?
5 Answers
I grabbed a 1TB USB 3.1 SSD recently, and it’s been fantastic! It often outperforms my SATA drives. So, if you’re looking for something portable plus speedy, that could be worth exploring instead of the traditional enclosure option!
Why didn’t the SSD work directly with your PC? If it’s a power connection issue, that might explain things. Consider checking that your PSU’s SATA power cables are connected correctly. But honestly, if you're set on getting an external drive because of this hassle, just go for an external SSD. You really won’t notice much of a difference in performance at the end of the day!
One thing to keep in mind is that some portable external drives come with features like file recovery, which enclosures typically don’t offer. That said, if you choose a reliable brand for your SATA enclosure, you shouldn’t face any major downsides. Just make sure the SSD you pick is of good quality to avoid slow transfer speeds. Older enclosures might perform poorly, but modern ones are typically pretty fast!
Thanks for that insight! Sounds like a decent enclosure could do the trick.
Keep in mind that there’s no real ‘native’ external SSD. It’s essentially just an SSD inside an enclosure. So, it really boils down to the quality of both the SSD and the enclosure. Plenty of users have had good experiences using solid SSDs with decent enclosures, so you should be alright either way!
Based on my experience, it works just fine! I run all my systems with NVMe drives in USB C enclosures, and they boot up perfectly. So if your setup is solid, you shouldn’t have any issues!
I had a similar issue before. Sometimes it’s just a little finicky with those connections.