Zike Z666 SSD Enclosure review

Zikedisk USB4 40Gbps NVMe M.2 SSD Enclosure

Jump to video about setup and speed tests [~11 mins]

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Using the Zike Z666 SSD Enclosure

The drive enclosure takes SSD [Solid State Disk] NVVe storage modules. The lid lifts off and you insert a storage module. You can see me doing it in the short video about the drive and why I use it further down the page. The SSD module I’m using is a Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB module.

The SSD Enclosure is available from Zike [Note that this is NOT an affiliate link]
There is also a 20% discount code you can apply: KCZ666

Why the external SSD?

My two main Macs used for my work are a MacBook Pro and a Mac Studio. Both have internal storage of just 1TB. That is SSD storage and is fast. However I regularly work with video files for my YouTube channel and large image files from my Fujifilm GFX100S. The 100MP raw files are typically some 210MB.

On the Mac Studio I have an external 18TB disk connected via Thunderbolt 3. This also has USB. connections and a DisplayPort socket which drives one of my two 32″ BenQ displays [the other is connected via USB to the Mac Studio].  All fine, but as a normal hard disk, it spins down after a period of disuse, causing intermittent 5-8 second wake-up] pauses whilst I’m editing video files in Davinci Resolve.

I also wanted portable storage for the MacBook Pro. I use it when travelling and an external device makes for a good first level backup strategy.

An SSD option is both fast, robust enough to put in my camera bag, and with that short USB lead, stored away to one side of the case easy to connect.  The device does come with a longer lead too, but that small one makes it much more difficult for me to lose or forget to pack…

I’m using the ssd enclosure with a Samsung 4TB module.

It accepts a range of standard module sizes.

Zike Z666 SSD Enclosure Basic Specs

For full specs and info see the product page at:
https://ziketech.com/products/zikedrive-usb4-40gbps-nvme-m-2-ssd-enclosure-z666

The SSD module simply slots in and is held with a small rubber tab.

Attaching the SSD Enclosure

Plugging it in, the disk is recognised but not mounted, since it needs initialising

I then selected formatting to the APFS standard

How fast is the SSD enclosure and 4TB drive?

I show some speed tests in the video, run using the BlackMagic Speed tester software. You can get this from the Apple App Store

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/blackmagic-disk-speed-test/id425264550?mt=12

The internal SSD on the Mac Studio comes in at 5-6000 MB per second. The MacBook Pro is ~4000 MB/s

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is around 3000MB/s on both

For comparison, the External 18TB disk on the Mac Studio is ~260 MB/s

Now… to put that in context. The Mac Pro I still use for some work, since it runs Mac OS 10.15 and all sorts of old but [occasionally] very useful software has an SSD disk as its main disk and gives a speed test result of just over 200MB/s. The other internal disks all come in at under 100MB/s

Using the Zike external SSD enclosure and 4TB drive gives a distinctly faster feeling edit process for video on Davinci Resolve on the Mac Studio [M2 Max 32GB ram Mac OS 15.5], compared to doing it on the external hard disk. Not hugely so [HD video] but enough that when I went back to edit a video which was on the big external drive, I noticed slightly longer pauses when doing some actions.

For extended use I have it sitting, out of the plastic case, on top of my Mac Studio. The metal Mac Studio case helping cool the SSD a little bit – it runs warm, but not hot.

Zike Z666 SSD Enclosure