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OWC Express 1M2
USB4 (40GB/s) Bus-Powered Portable External Storage Enclosure for NVMe M.2 2230 / 2242 / 2280 SSDs
Mfr P/N: US4EXP1M2 OWC SKU: OWCUS4EXP1M2
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Ultra-fast, compatible, and reliable portable USB4 NVMe SSD
- Ultra-fast:up to 3151MB/s real-world performance1
- Ultra-compatible: use with USB4, Thunderbolt, and USB-C computers and devices
- Ultra-reliable: aircraft grade aluminum offers rugged protection of your SSD while silently keeping drive cool for consistent top speed
- Powerful choices: Build your own drive or select OWC Aura SSD powered solution
- DIY easy: use your choice of NVMe M.2 2230, 2242, or 2280 SSD
- Portable: bus-powered and palm-sized for convenient use anywhere
- Complete: includes USB-C (40Gb/s) cable and screwdriver for assembly
- 2 Year OWC Limited Warranty
- Drive not included. Performance results will vary depending on user installed drive.
Overview
The Ultimate Creation Tool
Give yourself the ultimate in creative power by building the portable drive of your dreams or choosing an advanced technology OWC Aura SSD powered OWC Express 1M2. Whether repurposing a drive, starting with a new drive, or wanting the convenience of a ready-to-run solution, you will infuse your workflow with the highest performance and reliability with an Express 1M2.
Ultra-Fast
Up to 3151MB/s real-world performance1
Ultra-Compatible
Use with USB4, Thunderbolt, and USB-C computers and devices
Ultra-Reliable
Aircraft grade aluminum offers rugged protection of your SSD while silently keeping drive cool for consistent top speed
Powerful Choices
Build your own drive or select OWC Aura SSD powered solution
Flexible DIY
Use your choice of NVMe M.2 2230, 2242, or 2280 SSD
Portable
Bus-powered and palm-sized for convenient use anywhere
Complete
Includes USB-C (40Gb/s) cable and screwdriver for assembly
As Fast as Your Computer or Device
The Express 1M2 is the fastest single portable SSD we offer and was purposefully built to maximize the performance capabilities of today and tomorrow's USB4 equipped Macs and PCs. Experience up to an astonishing 3151MB/s speed when you use the Express 1M2 with most Macs and PCs you own from 2020 and newer. You can also enjoy highly effective performance (yep…you can edit 4K video no problem) and flexible compatibility with millions of yesterday’s Thunderbolt and USB-C machines and devices:
|
Express 1M2 Connected To... |
Runs As |
Real-World Speed |
|---|---|---|
|
Any Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3/M4 Mac |
USB4 (40Gb/s) |
3151MB/s |
|
USB4 (40Gb/s) port on any PC |
USB4 (40Gb/s) |
3151MB/s |
|
Thunderbolt 4 port on any PC |
USB4 (40Gb/s) |
3151MB/s |
|
Thunderbolt 3 port on Intel Mac or PC |
USB (10Gb/s) |
990MB/s |
|
USB-C (10Gb/s) port on iPad, Mac, or PC |
USB (10Gb/s) |
990MB/s |
Don’t Get Fooled
Because we’re widely considered the Thunderbolt experts and work very closely with Intel, we know all the little details that others overlook. While specific OWC solutions are certified for full speed on Thunderbolt, we (and everyone else) are limited to half that speed with DIY enclosures. USB4 unleashes the Express 1M2 performance capabilities so you can build the drive of your dreams. Unlike budget brand pretenders that do not follow Intel specifications – and will leave you feeling fooled and disappointed in far lower speeds – the Express 1M2’s USB4 connectivity assures you of the maximum speed and reliability you count on and expect from every OWC solution.
The Power of DIY
Build your Express 1M2 with a brand-new drive. Retask an existing drive replaced during an upgrade. Or make it simple by choosing a pre-built proven OWC reliable solution. Whatever your decision, Express 1M2 gives you the power to make it happen.
Use Today’s and Tomorrow’s Drives
Designed to support any NVMe M.2 2230, 2242, or 2280 SSD, the Express 1M2 gives you the freedom of flexibility to use any drive today - including OWC Aura SSDs up to 8.0TB capacity - as well as being ready for tomorrow’s 16TB and future capacities without limit.
Built to Handle Demanding Needs
You’ll never have to worry about thermal throttling because form meets function with the Express 1M2. Its solid aluminum heat sink design ensures proper heat dissipation so you can depend on consistent maximum performance. Unlike a snap together toolless enclosure, Express 1M2 screws together to securely protect your drive inside its rugged enclosure. And when you need to share the Express 1M2, it can work cross-platform with Macs and PCs using OWC MacDrive software (available separately) for peace between the platforms.
Express 1M2 is Ideal for…
Photo and video professionals wanting an affordable yet solid editing drive that can be used both to backup and edit demanding content including 8K RAW video, 4K video in slow-motion, ProRes and other demanding codecs, and ultra-high resolution pictures both in RAW and compressed formats.
DITs looking to assemble the NVMe of their choice while also getting maximum offload speeds (faster than Thunderbolt) and thermal stability.
Prosumers/performance enthusiasts seeking an external enclosure to clone data from an internal drive at blazingly fast speeds.
Ready to Go. Right Out of the Box.
OWC products are loved around the world for It Just Works™ ease-of-use and reliability. To provide the highest performance, reliability, and ready-to-run convenience available, your solution comes formatted in the native APFS macOS and iPadOS file system. With OWC, you don’t have to worry about reformatting hassles or confusion like other solutions — just plug your drive into your Mac or iPad and you’re good to go.
Your Data’s Reliability is Our #1 Priority
Anyone can put a bunch of components in a housing and call it an enclosure or a drive. OWC is not just anyone. We’re a group of filmmakers, musicians, designers, content creators, and parents just like you wanting to capture and preserve that irreplaceable moment. Our data storage products go through countless hours of ongoing development testing and certification processes. We then subject them to extreme real-world abuses. The priority for some drives is to be a mass-produced, lowest price commodity. We do it differently because the reliability of your data and the longevity of an OWC product is priority #1.
- Performance results will vary depending on user installed drive. 3151MB/s performance based on testing an 8.0TB OWC Aura Ultra IV equipped Express 1M2 connected to a 14-inch 2023 MacBook Pro (Mac14,5) with 32GB RAM and Apple M2 Max running AJA System Test (4K-Full resolution, 64GB file size, 16bit RGBA codec, single file test).
- 3 Year OWC Limited Warranty for solutions. 2 year OWC Limited Warranty for enclosure only.
Includes
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- (1) OWC Express 1M2 External Storage Enclosure
- (1) 0.3M (12") USB-C (40Gb/s) Cable
- (1) Phillips PH1 Screwdriver
- (1) Getting Started QR Insert Card
- (1) Support Manual for OWC Express 1M2
- 2 Year OWC Limited Warranty
Specs
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Drive Bays
- 1 bay supporting: M.2 drives
- Supports double-sided and single-sided M.2 2230, M.2 2242, M.2 2280 "M Key" drives
- NVMe M.2 SSDs with a heatsink will not fit and are not supported.
Plug and Play
- Yes
Storage Interface
- M.2
Device Ports
- (1) Host Port - USB4 (USB-C) up to 40Gb/s (5000MB/s) - USB 3.0/USB 3.2 backwards compatible
Data Transfer Rate (Maximum)
- USB4 : Up to 40Gb/s (or 5000MB/s)
Chipset / Controller
- USB: ASM2464PD
Contact Start Stops
- Varies depending on drive mechanism installed
Host Interface Requirements
- USB4 or Thunderbolt (USB-C)1 port
Mac OS Compatibility
- macOS 10.13 High Sierra
- macOS 10.14 Mojave
- macOS 10.15 Catalina
- macOS 11.x Big Sur
- macOS 12.x Monterey
- macOS 13.x Ventura
- macOS 14.x Sonoma
- macOS 15.x Sequoia
PC OS Compatibility
- Windows 10 32-bit Edition
- Windows 10 64-bit Edition
- Windows Server 2016
- Windows 11
Linux OS Compatibility
- Yes
Mobile OS Compatibility
- iPadOS 13
- iPadOS 14
- iPadOS 15
- iPadOS 16
- iPadOS 17
- iPadOS 18
- Android 13.x
- Android 14.x
- Android 15.x
Other OS Compatibility
- Chrome OS
- ChromeOS version 102 and later
Driver Required
- No
External Power Adapter
- No
Power Supply
- Bus-powered
Security Slot
- No
Power/Activity LED
- Yes
Housing Color
- Silver
Housing Material
- Aluminum
Dimensions
- Height: 2.3 cm (0.9 in)
- Length: 13.2 cm (5.2 in)
- Width: 7.0 cm (2.8 in)
Weight
- 253.0 g (0.56 lbs)
Certifications
- BSMI
- CE
- FCC
- RCM
- VCCI
Reach Certification
- Yes
Country of Origin
- Taiwan
TAA Compliance
- Yes
Ambient Temperature
- Operating: 41°F to 95°F (5°C to 35°C)
- Non-Operating: -4°F to 140°F (-20°C to 60°C)
Humidity
- Operating: 8% to 90% non-condensing
- Non-Operating: 5% to 95% non-condensing
- Hosts with Thunderbolt 3 ports will experience performance up to USB 10Gb/s.
- NVMe SSDs with a heatsink will not fit and are not supported.
- OWC storage solutions that are experiencing slow read/write speeds should consider checking and changing the Windows disk removal policy. Changing from ‘Quick removal’ to ‘Better performance’ can increase disk performance. OWC offers the application OWC Disk Performance to help change the Disk Removal Policy. Changing from Quick removal to Better performance can also be changed manually. Please review the support article Storage Solutions: OWC Disk Performance for more detail.
Compatibility & Installation Videos
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- Hosts with Thunderbolt 3 ports will experience performance up to USB 10Gb/s.
- NVMe SSDs with a heatsink will not fit and are not supported.
MacBook Pro
MacBook Air
MacBook
Mac Pro
Mac Studio
Mac mini
PC Compatible
iPad
iPhone
Not Compatible
Not Compatible
Not Compatible
Not Compatible
Not Compatible
Not Compatible
Not Compatible
Not Compatible
Videos
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M.2 SSD Install Video
Learn More
Customer Reviews
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As usual the ordering process was easy (although there was no post-order e-mail confirmation but that was worked out). The setup was easy and hassle-free. I set up the drive to be my home folder on MacOS and this worked flawlessly (by following instructions on YouTube @MacSoundSolution). So far it has worked very well and is fast as @#%$. This is not my first purchase from OWC but alas it may be my last for some time. I am Canadian and as you are aware the Trump tariffs will make buying tech from the US prohibitively expensive. Sorry about that but that's the way it is.
I would recommend this product to a friend!
Verified Purchase.- Reviewer:Reviewer1777354218
Wow! Thank you so much for your amazing 5-star review! We're thrilled to hear that you found the ordering process easy and that setting up your Mac mini accessory was a breeze. It's fantastic that you were able to customize your drive as your home folder and that it's performing so well for you. We truly appreciate your loyalty and support through your previous purchases, and we're here to help if you ever decide to shop with us again. Your feedback is invaluable, and we'll continue to work hard to provide the best service possible. Thank you for sharing your experience! Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions, comments, or concerns. https://eshop.macsales.com/Service/
Very pricey, but it's working nicely. I misplaced the wire but I'm using an Apple 5k wire and it's working just fine. I think the 5k wire is better than the wire that was supplied. I will find the wire, but needless to say it's working well. Yes, I would recommend this to a friend that has money.
I would recommend this product to a friend!
Verified Purchase.- Reviewer:bates29
Thank you so much for your fantastic review! We're thrilled to hear that everything is working nicely for you. It's great that you've found a suitable alternative with the Apple 5K wire—sometimes the right connections can make all the difference! Your recommendation means the world to us. We appreciate your support and hope you continue to enjoy your purchase!
I bought two of these to use with Samsung SSDs and my Mac Studio. Both prices run aroun=d 3.1GB/sec - very happy.
I would recommend this product to a friend!
Verified Purchase.- Reviewer:Happy Customer
Thank you for your review! We're thrilled to hear that you're happy with your purchase and that both drives are performing well with your Samsung SSDs and Mac Studio. It's great to know you're seeing such solid speeds! Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions, comments, or concerns. https://eshop.macsales.com/Service/
