At a look
Professional’s Score
Professionals
- Enclosures for HDD and SSD
- Provides extra ports to Mac Studio and M1/M2 Mac mini
- 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5
- Apple aesthetics
Cons
- No entrance ports
- M4 Mac mini too small for stacking
Our Verdict
Free your self from Apple’s exorbitant storage costs with the twin person upgradable drive bays of the OWC StudioStack. Not solely will you save a bunch of cash for extra versatile storage choices over the lifetime of your setup but additionally achieve a bunch of helpful storage and show ports, all with out taking over an additional inch of your desktop because it completely suits the Mac Studio and older M1/M2 Mac mini.
Value When Reviewed
This worth will present the geolocated pricing textual content for product undefined
Finest Pricing Right this moment
Finest Costs Right this moment: OWC StudioStack
$329.99
Shopping for your Mac’s storage direct from Apple is notoriously costly. As every Mac’s RAM and SSD are fastened and never person upgradable, you get one probability to set these important Mac statistics at buy. In the event you want further storage you’ll have so as to add it externally, by way of an exterior onerous drive (HDD), sooner strong state drive (SSD), community assisted storage (NAS) or tiny transportable SD Card.
Elsewhere we suggest the greatest onerous drives for Mac, greatest Mac SSD, and greatest NAS drives for Mac, however there’s a neater various for homeowners of Apple’s top-end Mac Studio.
The OWC StudioStack is identical 7.7-inch (19.7cm) width and depth because the Mac Studio (all variations) and in addition the older M2 model of the Mac mini. It’s noticeably bigger than the newer M4 Mac mini—though it could actually nonetheless work with the brand new mini, Apple laptop must sit on prime.
Foundry
As its identify suggests, the StudioStack’s audience are Mac Studio customers—principally artistic professionals working in demanding photograph/video/audio manufacturing—however it would additionally match the older M1 and M2 Mac mini fashions.
The M4 Mac mini is notably smaller: 5-inch (12.7cm) width and depth vs 7.7-inch (19.7cm). This new Mac mini model will work with the OWC StudioStack, but it surely won’t match as handsomely. The M4 Mac mini kind issue is so small that it doesn’t enable sufficient inner house to accommodate each a full dimension HDD for capability and an NVMe SSD for efficiency whereas sustaining correct cooling and acoustics.
To get near the StudioStack’s bandwidth, the closest SSD enclosure design for the M4 Mac mini is the $119 Satechi USB4 Slim NVMe SSD Enclosure (diskless) that has a 40Gbps data-transfer price, in comparison with the StudioStack’s 80Gbps.
Simon Jary
It neatly stacks on prime of or beneath the Apple desktops and matches the Silver case coloring. From a purposeful and thermal standpoint, OWC states that it doesn’t matter whether or not StudioStack is positioned above or beneath the Mac. The enclosure options clever adaptive lively cooling that dynamically manages airflow and warmth dissipation to keep up constant drive efficiency no matter orientation.
Inside, the StudioStack has two bays for an NVMe M.2 2280 SSD (as much as 8TB) and a 3.5-inch SATA HDD. Some might need most popular a number of SSD bays somewhat than the HDD bay, however there’s nonetheless a necessity for inexpensive, if slower, mass storage.
Keep away from Apple’s storage tax
You should buy the OWC StudioStack empty as a DIY enclosure, and add your personal drives, or undergo OWC’s drive provider to set a configuration at buy. These will at all times be person upgradable so your preliminary buy isn’t set in stone endlessly like Apple’s is. It’s prepared for when 16TB and bigger NVMe SSDs grow to be inexpensive exterior of the enterprise.
Apple’s possibility with the most cost effective inner storage is the $1,999 M4 Max Mac Studio with 512GB of SSD storage. To get that at 8TB storage would set you again $4,399.
As a substitute, you may purchase the OWC StudioStack with an 8TB SSD for $1,529, so a complete of $3,529—a thousand-dollar saving. And there are lots of extra configurations out there, both SSD, HDD or a mixture of each. The utmost whole storage with the StudioStack (given the configuration choices) is 32TB (8TB SSD plus 24TB HDD).
Simon Jary
Listed below are some storage configuration choices, on the time of writing (as storage costs could be unstable):
- 0TB = 0TB HDD + 0TB SSD: $329.99 (0TB DIY enclosure)
- 4TB = 0TB HDD + 4TB SSD: $969.99
- 16TB = 16TB HDD + 0TB SSD: $779.99
- 24TB = 24TB HDD + 0TB SSD: $979.99
- 22TB = 20TB HDD + 2TB SSD: $1,199.99
- 20TB = 16TB HDD + 4TB SSD: $1,419.99
- 24TB = 20TB HDD + 4TB SSD: $1,519.99
- 32TB = 24TB HDD + 8TB SSD: $2,229.99
OWC
Configurable HD choices embody 16TB, 20TB and 24TB. SSD choices embody: 2TB, 4TB and 8TB. The highest-end configurable mannequin with 24TB HD and 8TB SSD prices $2,229—twice as a lot storage as potential with Apple’s most capacious Mac Studio.
The configuration in our evaluation pattern featured a customized 6TB HDD and 1TB SSD mixture that isn’t a regular retail configuration at the moment listed. Altering the storage choices is straightforward, with the proper screwdrivers. You possibly can see what’s concerned within the StudioStack guide, which will also be accessed via the myOWC iOS app.
After all, cumbersome mechanical HDD storage is less expensive than smaller speedier solid-state. Use HDD for bulk archive storage (Lightroom libraries and Time Machine and mission backups, for instance) and SSD for the lively stuff the place ultra-fast information work issues.
Storage at full velocity
Storage velocity on the StudioStack could be as quick as 6302MBps, which isn’t far off the 6260MBps you may get from the top-end M3 Extremely Mac Studio, and even just a little sooner than the M4 Max’s top-end 6204MBps.
StudioStack offers a 4x PCIe 4.0 connection to the interior NVMe SSD. When paired with a PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 5.0 NVMe drive and a appropriate host system, this allows peak learn and write speeds above 6000MB/s.
StudioStack isn’t sooner than an equal standalone Thunderbolt 5 exterior SSD or HDD. Nonetheless, the stackable all-in-one StudioStack is an exterior hybrid storage options that mixes HDD and SSD storage, Thunderbolt 5 connectivity, further enlargement ports. When configured with a excessive efficiency NVMe SSD, its speeds carefully match the interior storage efficiency of Mac Studio.
Simon Jary
I’ve lengthy been a person of OWC’s ministack STX that’s the similar dimension because the StudioStack with my M2 Mac mini, however it’s a 40Gbps Thunderbolt 4 resolution in comparison with the StudioStack that matches the newest Studio on 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5. (Thunderbolt 5 is backwards appropriate with TB4 and all the best way again to USB-C, so it would work with the older connectivity requirements at their prime velocity.)
Pairing an M2 Mac mini with StudioStack presents a number of benefits over the sooner miniStack STX. Most notably, the interior NVMe SSD in StudioStack takes benefit of the complete Thunderbolt 4 bandwidth out there on the Mac mini M2, reaching learn and write speeds within the vary of 3200MBps. Regardless of being a Thunderbolt 4 system, miniStack STX is restricted to roughly 770MB/s attributable to its inner PCIe configuration.
This represents nearly a 4x improve in NVMe efficiency utilizing the identical drive. HDD efficiency stays comparable, however the StudioStack additionally provides three 10Gbps USB-A ports that aren’t out there on the miniStack STX. Customers might simply migrate their current inner drives into StudioStack and instantly profit from greater NVMe efficiency, expanded connectivity, and a extra future-ready platform. When paired with a Thunderbolt 5 Mac sooner or later, NVMe speeds can exceed 6000MB/s with a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD.
Simon Jary
Not only a storage resolution
As well as, you get further ports with the StudioStack sat on prime of the Studio:
- One upstream Thunderbolt 5 port (hook up with Mac with 60W passthrough energy)
- 3x Thunderbolt 5 ports (80Gbps)
- 3x USB-A ports (10Gbps)
In a manner, the OWC StudioStack is a desktop design pleasant docking station or hub for Apple’s desktop computer systems. when you want extra ports, look to the greatest Mac docking stations that embody built-in SSD drives or enclosures, such because the Sonnet Echo 13 Thunderbolt 5 SSD Dock that may embody as much as a 4TB SSD.
The Mac Studio already comes with two USB-A ports, and perhaps getting access to 5 of the legacy ports might be overkill however they’re there when you want them. The StudioStack’s three USB-A are rated at 10Gbps in comparison with Apple’s 5Gbps, so they’re superior.
Handily, the StudioStack has two of its three USB-A ports located on the aspect for simpler entry than you get with the Mac Studio’s on the again. Even when you color-code all of your cables, reaching spherical and simply seeing which port is which isn’t easy with Apple’s compact, low-profile desktops.
The additional USB-A ports are extra helpful for M4 Mac mini customers, who lack any on their diminutive desktop. There are two on the M2 Mac mini, however once more on the again the place a lot fumbling might be required to search out the slots.
There isn’t any card reader however the MacStudio has its personal, so it’s not missed.
OWC
Show dexterity
The three downstream Thunderbolt ports will also be used to attach extra exterior shows. Connecting these by way of the StudioStack’s Thunderbolt ports will hold the related Mac’s ports free for different makes use of.
Present Mac techniques assist as much as two exterior shows via a Thunderbolt dock or hub when utilizing a single Thunderbolt 5 port, so a person might join as much as two shows by way of the StudioStack. Relying on the precise Mac Studio mannequin, Apple helps as much as eight exterior shows in whole throughout all Thunderbolt ports and the inbuilt HDMI output.
You will need to observe that Thunderbolt bandwidth is shared between shows and storage. Connecting two excessive decision shows, notably 6K or greater, via StudioStack could scale back the bandwidth out there for storage in very demanding eventualities and will have an effect on peak NVMe efficiency.
Simon Jary
Value
The OWC StudioStack has a base (diskless) value of $329.99. It isn’t but out there exterior of the U.S, though OWC lists an extended line of worldwide resellers.
You should buy your personal onerous drives or SSDs or configure by way of OWC’s companion MacSales. We listed a few of the costs for numerous configurations above.
Must you purchase the OWC StudioStack?
Free your self from Apple’s exorbitant storage costs with the twin person upgradable drive bays of the OWC StudioStack. Not solely will you save a bunch of cash for extra versatile storage choices over the lifetime of your setup but additionally achieve a bunch of helpful storage and show ports, all with out taking over an additional inch of your desktop because it completely suits the Mac Studio and older M1/M2 Mac mini..
M4 Mac mini might be jealous however can nonetheless use the StudioStack—simply in a barely much less elegant method than their Mac Studio colleagues.