Mac mini M4 Pro: Best connection scheme for multiple external drives?

JayElDee2 wrote:

the two drives I was trying to daisy chain have SS10 on the port, not the lightning bolt. The LaCie 10t (ss10 port)does attach and show up via the thunderbolt Daisy chain from the Lacie 6 (#3 above).

Look at the user manual for your LaCie drive to understand what it can do. It should clearly explain how the product works and what exactly is supported. Generally the USB3.1 port shown in the photo is output only. And many drives will have you go with either Thunderbolt or USB for output, but generally not both although there may be some exceptions. You must check the drive's documentation to know how everything works.

I can possibly see connecting the LaCie shown to the Mac with the Thunderbolt3 cable and connecting another USB only drive to the other LaCie Thunderbolt3 port since Thunderbolt3 can transmit both Thunderbolt & USB, but I would expect only being able to connect the USB drive at the end of such a chain.

I tried plugging the #3 LaCie 6t into the computer via the 3.1 port and it did not show up. Maybe wrong cable? I am using a thunderbolt cable, but there is no number on it, just the bolt.

The lightning bolt indicates a Thunderbolt cable, probably a Thunderbolt 3 rated cable which should support USB3 communication as well.

There are 3 T5 ports on the back of the mini, one is used for my display. The front has 2 "USB 3 up to 10Gb/s".

The front two ports can only support USB devices. You cannot connect your Thunderbolt drives/devices to those front ports. For example, if you wanted to connect your pictured LaCie drive to the front ports, then you can only use the USB3.1 port on the LaCie and neither of the LaCie's Thunderbolt ports.

Do you think I will be able to reliably daisy chain either #2 or #4, both have ss10 ports, or should I just look for a powered hub to connect them individually and forget the daisy chain?

Daisy chain them how? You may be able to connect one of them to the LaCie's Thunderbolt3 port, but probably not the LaCie's USB3.1 port.....however, check your LaCie drive's documentation on how those three ports can operate.

Generally if you want to daisy chain USB only devices, they need to be connected to a USB hub. Some devices such as an SSD may include a USB hub, but most do not. Usually you will need a dedicated USB3 hub, or perhaps a Thunderbolt dock with USB3 support.

I cannot visualize your setup. There is just too much there for me. I've provided the general rules. Check the user manuals for your devices to see if they provide any extra functionality above & beyond the generalities I have mentioned. If the user manual does not specifically mention something, then assume it does not support it. Usually manufacturers are very happy to point out all of the positive options their devices provide so if something is not mentioned, it is a huge red warning flag.

Continued....

JayElDee2 wrote:

I am thinking about upgrading my cables for these these three drives, #s 2,3,4. What do you suggest I get?

I would buy good quality cables from a respected vendor making sure the physical cables are clearly marked.

For USB only cables, I would make sure they support at least USB3.2 Gen2x2 which should likely have the USB designation logo of a cable graphic & 20Gbs (other options 5Gbs or 10Gbs for the slower USB3 options), but they may also have the USB trident like logo & "SS" along with the speed (It's a mess). See the table at the bottom of this Wikipedia page for what the new/latest logo on the connector should show for a USB3 cable:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_3.0

For Thunderbolt cables, it should at minimum have the lightning bolt icon, but ideally it should have a number as well to identify 3 or 4 to identify Thunderbolt 3 & Thunderbolt 4 respectively. I have seen some Thunderbolt cable connectors instead show the actual Thunderbolt speed instead like the USB logo shows the USB speeds.

You are going to pay more for a Thunderbolt 3, 4, or 5 cable, but you also don't have to worry about which cable you are grabbing until the next generation of improvements. Notice this OWC Thunderbolt 5 cable which supports Thunderbolt 5 & USB 4 as well as up to 240W charging (when used with a large enough power adapter brick). For USB3 only devices, then using a USB3 only cable may be worthwhile if it saves you a bit of money.

Keep in mind if a Thunderbolt or USB USB-C cable will be used for a display, then you will need it to be less than 1 meter (especially when used with macOS 26.x Tahoe). If an adapter is needed, then the cable & adapter combined must be less than 1 meter in length or macOS 26.x Tahoe is unlikely to work with a display/monitor depending on the bandwidth needed to communicate.

Here are a few articles I found on the OWC site regarding some information about Thunderbolt & USB (keep in mind some of these may be a bit older articles from 2021):

This one shows the older style USB trident like logo markings and the Thunderbolt markings on the cable connectors:

https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/38541-thunderbolt-3-usb-c-cables-not-all-cables-are-created-equally/

https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/63419-thunderbolt-certified-vs-thunderbolt-compatible/

https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/72169-everything-about-thunderbolt-4-cables/

https://eshop.macsales.com/blog/97040-what-is-the-best-all-purpose-usb-c-cable/

Always refer to the product documentation for your devices to understand how they work and what they actually support. When the product documentation or datasheet does not mention some detail, then assume it is not supported and they are embarrassed by it. For example some SSDs and USB sticks will only show the read speeds because they are the fastest speeds possible for the SSD or USB stick. They may completely omit the write speed because it is not even close to the read speed.....sometimes it may just be a huge embarrassment of only supporting USB 1 transfer rates (yes that is the number one) with speeds of 10MB/s even though the read speed which is advertised & shown is 300MB/s and has a USB3 marking (technically it is compatible with USB3 and works with a USB3 port). People need to look very closely since many manufacturers & vendors will try & trick people....even tech savy people can get fooled by the product marketing.

The good products, manufacturers, and vendors will clearly show all the pertinent details even if they may be embarrassing....usually the good ones won't be embarrassed because they provide better quality & better performing products. They do tend to go hand in hand most times, but not always.

JayElDee2 wrote:

Thanks, HW...so TBC, I can plug that 3.1 into the computer and then daisy chain from the two other TB ports?

How much of a hit in speed will I encounter and must I use TB cables to daisy chain?

No, only Thunderbolt can be chained on that drive with the ports shown with the lightning bolt symbol just as shown in the picture. Of course this is assuming both of those black cables are rated for Thunderbolt 3 or 4 and connected to another Thunderbolt rated port such as on you Mini (be careful since some USB-C ports on some Mac desktops may only support the USB protocol.....usually if that is the case, then Apple labels the Thunderbolt rated ports with a lightning bolt icon....wish Apple would just clearly mark all ports).

USB-C is just a connector type.

The USB-C standard has nothing to do with the transfer protocols available or allowed on a specific port/connector. The industry has made a complete mess out of all of this which is not helped when manufacturers such as Apple don't clearly mark the usage allowed for each port or cable. When in doubt, assume the lowest standard of some sort of USB (not necessarily USB3, may not even support any data transfer protocols if it is just a pure charging cable).

Because you avoid any possible power overload on the port no matter what you plug into the hub. This is especially true if you have non self-powered HDDs that rely on power from the port to run.

I just won't take a chance of a sudden unmounting while I'm saving some data to the drive. Even though I have all external SSDs.

What ever hub you get make sure it's a self powered hub. I prefer OWC hardware but they are more expensive.

Check Amazon.com for self powered hubs with USB A ports and a Thunderbolt connection cable to the Mini.

I have a this hub: RSHTECH 7-Port Powered USB 3.2/USB C Hub with 10Gbps USB-A 3.2, 2 USB-C 3.2, 4 USB 3.0 Ports, Individual Touch Switches, 3.3ft Cable and 5V Power Adapter, USB Hub Splitter for Laptop/PC, RSH-ST07C

It works very well. There are a number at Amazon.com that would fit your needs. Just make sure the power output is sufficient for your external drives.

FYI, the USB 3.1 USB-C port pictured is not meant for daisy chaining. It is meant to connect that drive to your computer, or a USB port on a hub or dock, not to another USB drive.

You can daisy chain drives when using the Thunderbolt ports (ones with the lightning bolt icon).

"Mac mini M4 Pro: Best connection scheme for multiple external drives?: I have a new system in which I am still working out the hiccups. The new system is a Mac Mini M4pro. The three USB-C plugs on the back are Thunderbolt 5's, one going to my BenQ display and the other two ava. (I will never[?] be using a two monitor system). [...]My question is how to attach these to my M4Pro for best transfer speeds? I probably need a hub?? [...]When in doubt, assume the lowest standard of some sort of USB (not necessarily USB3, may not even support any data transfer protocols if it is just a pure charging cable)."

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Getting Higher Speeds of Hard Drives to Mac:

A. Doing So Through Hardwired-Networking:

You could hook these up to a switch and then go directly into your router. Hard drive readers may be able to change these into wireless hard drives(which would, in effect, directly change the protocol), thereby making them a server of their own. It'd be a bit more pricier, but, if you think about it, the data transfer will be way up there, and would be more reliable, being all is hardwired. You might been one of these adapters, if no Ethernet port is in the Hard Drive, and/or the Mac...

• USB-A: Apple USB Ethernet Adapter - Amazon
• USB-C: Belkin USB-C to 2.5Gb Ethernet Adapter - Apple

B. Upgrading your Modem/Router:

If you have such a slow router, then see about getting one the is of WiFi 7, and one intended for streaming --the more speed the better. There is internal LAN storage, and there is external LAN storage. Also, note that there is only so much that broadband can handle. So, get a router and modem that meets the minimum requirements for the speed you are paying your ISP for.