Knowledgeable’s Ranking
Execs
- Simple to populate and use
- As much as 32TB (8TB SSDs) of exterior storage
- Good efficiency in single (20GBps) or RAID 0 (40Gbps)
Cons
- Paltry paper documentation
- RAID solely by way of software program
Our Verdict
If you wish to add gobs of quick storage to your Mac, there’s hardly a greater approach than TerraMaster’s four-slot USB4 D4 SSD. You present the NVMe SSDs, however you get almost 4GBps transfers from them in RAID 0 and 1.8GBps individually.
Worth When Reviewed
This worth will present the geolocated pricing textual content for product undefined
Greatest Pricing Right this moment
Greatest Costs Right this moment: TerraMaster D4 SSD
$299.99
With Apple’s relatively expensive after which some inside storage upgrades, you will get much more bang (capability) to your buck with exterior options. Not that the 4-drive TerraMaster D4 SSD is affordable at $300 sans drives, however even after you add SSDs, it’s lots cheaper per GB than what Apple costs you. Quite a bit. It’s additionally a properly designed unit with good efficiency.
What are the TerraMaster D4 SSD’s options?
The TerraMaster D4 SSD is a 4-slot (M.2/NVMe) exterior enclosure using the 40Gbps USB4 protocol. That’s mainly Thunderbolt 4 however with higher compatibility than USB3.2×2. You possibly can see the inside within the picture beneath.
The D4 SSD measures 5.5 inches deep and tall, by about 2.35 inches vast. Comparatively talking, it’s a featherweight for a desktop drive, weighing in at roughly 14.5 ounces, together with SSDs. I’d go away it on its facet if it’s to be positioned in any location the place people may inadvertently knock it about.
Observe the extra screw holes within the picture above. They’re there so you’ll be able to match shorter NVMe SSDs if you’d like.
I used to be not in love with the documentation that shipped with the D4, primarily as a result of all they present you is an image of screwing a 2280 NVMe drive into one thing which may or may not be the D4. Then there are scan codes for apps, and so on.
I favor to not use my cellphone in any approach form or kind to arrange or entry storage units. And I didn’t. Organising the D4 SSD isn’t rocket science. Eradicating a single thumb screw permits entry to the inside and from there it’s merely the standard M.2 set up process.
TerraMaster completely didn’t need the D4 overheating as you’ll be able to inform from the 2 giant followers on the underside of the unit.
My solely qualms in regards to the D4 SSD are that it’s a bit straightforward to knock over in its desired vertical orientation. In any other case, good job Terrmaster.
How a lot is the TerraMaster D4 SSD?
I already gave away the $300 unpopulated price ticket, however factoring in present cut price NVMe SSD costs the D4 SSD with 4TB might be round $600, with 8TB round $800 – $850, with 16TB round $1300, and with 32TB roughly $2900.
Okay, that appears a bit expensive once I checked final, an inside 8TB SSD in a Max 4 Studio was $2400. Ahem.
How briskly is the TerraMaster D4 SSD?
The pace of the D4 SSD varies with how you employ the SSDs inside. When you use them as particular person storage units, you’ll get roughly 1.6 – 1.7GBps . When you use macOS’s RAID and mix them in a RAID 0 array, you’ll get effectively upwards of 3GB per second.
Observe that whereas I’ve by no means been a fan of working onerous drives in pure RAID 0, I don’t have the identical trepidation with much more dependable SSDs.
I examined the D4 SSD on a M4 Mac Studio each utilizing macOS’s software program RAID in striped mode 0 and individually. The outcomes have been strikingly related on PCWorld’s check mattress, although I haven’t listed these outcomes due to that very redundancy.
As regular, Disk Velocity Check was much more conservative on its estimation of write pace than AmorphousDiskMark and ATTO. 2.2GBps writing, and three.3GBps studying.
AmorphousDiskMark measured the D4 SSD in RAID 0 at 3.85GBps studying and almost 3.1GBps writing.
ATTO had learn speeds maxing out at round 3.75GBps and write speeds are 2.9GBps.
All of the artificial benchmarks agreed on round 1.5-1.6GBps studying and writing when the SSDs contained in the D4 SSD are used individually.
This time AmorphousDiskMark agrees with Disk Velocity Check.
And so does ATTO. Round 1.5GBps with giant recordsdata.
All in all we have been more than pleased with the D4 SSD’s efficiency.
Must you purchase the TerraMaster D4 SSD?
Although I’d prefer it to be a bit of extra reasonably priced, the D4 SSD continues to be a good way so as to add a ton of quick NVMe storage to your system. I’m sanguine about SSD longevity, so I gained’t even say run it in mirrored mode for safekeeping. That apart, at all times again up your important knowledge.
