USB-C Hub for the M1 Mac Mini. AGPTek, Elecife, Hagibis

[@ElevatedSystems]

Update: The AGPTek, Elecife, and Hagibis Hubs I have listed in the description are all the exact same OEM hubs just with different branding, so if one is sold out you can substitute with one of the others. To answer the most frequent question I get about this Hub. Yes, the SSD does disconnect when the Mac enters sleep mode. This is a MacOS issue and happened with every external SSD I tested on the Mac Mini. This is not the only problem caused by sleep, so to fix it I just permanently disabled sleep mode on the Mac.

[@scottnash70]

Search for Jettison by St Clair - it mounts and unmounts automatically on sleep.

[@jaimejoaquinomega5608]

Your purchase link does not work

[@ElevatedSystems]

@@jaimejoaquinomega5608 They sell out from time to time, check the alternate links, those are the exact same OEM hubs just different branding.

[@jpdemer5]

There's really no need to sleep an M1 Mac - power consumption is miniscule when the machine is idle.

[@WinstonAlcantara]

@@scottnash70 does it really perform? Thinking of getting the software.

[@marcellomassardo]

i had to return the recife and took a thunderbolt 4 owc for 300 $. and it runs great!

[@CyanSkies]

This was a SOLID review with a lot of info. Thanks and great job!

[@neilhoward84]

The clarification around USB types and speeds on this video is worth the watch alone... very well done.

[@ruffprophetproductions]

You literally answered EVERY question I could’ve had. Thank you sir. When I buy mine I’m definitely using your affiliate linkz

[@robertdrobertofphiladelphi3393]

Wow what a solid review. Learned a lot and got so much value. Thanks for creating this for us! Wish they were in stock

[@chipbensinger4526]

Agreed - more informative than most (e.g., connecting to Mac USB-A port instead of USB-C and transfer speeds)

[@ThePNWRiderWA]

I have one as well. Your review is accurate regarding speeds. When I added a 1 TB SSD internal drive I only got one that matched the data transfer speeds it could do. No point paying more for a blazing fast SSD.

[@atf56]

Hows it for video editing? Can v install pirated apps on this

[@jothain]

Can you even find that slow SATA SSD's these days? I don't think so. I'd like to get one, but it's quite unfortunate that obviously SATA controller is pretty damn slow on this one.

[@steves2465]

Excellent video, professionally presented direct and to the point with very useful content. Thank you. Subscribed.

[@tristarsilver6052]

This hub can only be used for mac mini or can it be used for other computers too? For example, as a stationary hdd for a macbook or imac.

[@terryadley4709]

That was the best and quickest and clearest video on USB types I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot that just confused the topic! WOW! Not having to use the USB 4 Port on the mac mini but the 3.1 is just magic, would not have picked that up if not because of this cool video, thank you. Need to go purchase this item now.

[@tomcollins6989]

The opening explanation of usb vs etc etc.. was worth it for the review alone. Very clear simple and valuable. Thank you.

[@zeniktorres4320]

Apple should of designed something like that and make more integrated - like having a docking port on the bottom of the mac mini to plug directly into the expansion unit. Anyway they never did.

[@jas_bataille]

That's actually a brilliant idea. That way they'd sell a lot of certification to companies like AGPTek so they can make docks for the system... business-wise Apple wouldn't gain anything by making their own dock : they get companies lining-up ready to *literally pay them* to do it so they're making profits instead of paying for the cost of developing docks in-house. This comes at a price however, with several people killing their M1 logic board and, touch-bar and touch ID/power button by charging it through a third-party hub.

[@joeirwin560]

Great Video JC. Thank you

[@andrewdupuis1151]

nice it lot easer put SSD in that one then mine 2010 mac mini

[@MrBgsounds]

It did help Bought one but my Mac mini keeps dropping it when it goes to sleep leading to loads of time deleting hub disk not closed before switching off messages really annoying

[@radicalcamera]

Just get the OWC Thunderbolt 4 hub. It has three USB 3.2 ports and four Thunderbolt 4 ports. Best for present needs and also future-proof.

[@jas_bataille]

OWC is best in the game, period. This product is cool, but only if you get a Mac Mini, not a Macbook Pro or Air model which you'll need a portable external-drive with anyway. It is close to 200 bucks more tho.

[@bassyey]

Yeah, except the dumb decision they made. They put the host port in front. Wtf, who made stupid design? Lol.

[@markk2473]

Any limit on the SSD size? Looking at a 4tb drive.

[@thefingerofgod69]

Someone really needs to make a usb 4.0 version of this with some ports on the back in addition to those already on the front (they should also add a usb-c port on the front as well). I’m still going to get one though because I want the front facing ports and because the HD enclosure will allow me to put my music there thus freeing up my internal drive for functions where speed is more important.

[@jpdemer5]

A Thunderbolt version would be nice - especially one with an HDMI or DisplayPort connection on the rear.

[@kumaSOevl]

Subbed. I did not know u could plug into the 3.0 port. Now that opens the real usbc for me. Thank you

[@mykstand]

CJ, this is the best breakdown I've seen of the AGPTek USB-C, so far. Thank you for this review. Question: Once the Hub is connected to the Mac Mini (via USB-C), that means there are no free USB-C slots now, correct? I ask because my monitor can work HDMI, but allows me to use the monitor's I/O if connected via USB-C. (They don't function if connected via HDMI). Am I out of luck, there? Or, is there a work around that I may be missing? TIA!

[@ElevatedSystems]

The Mac Mini has 2 Thunderbolt 3 / USB-C ports, so you can connect both a display and a USB Hub. You can also connect the AGPTek hub to one of the USB-A ports if you need the 2nd USB-C for something else.

[@mykstand]

@@ElevatedSystems Thank you! I had forgotten that Thunderbolt 3/USB-C falls under the same category. V.1, V.2... I've lost track with all of these... Thank you for this response. Sounds like I'm good to go.

[@mykstand]

@@ElevatedSystems Gen 1, Gen 2... you know what I mean. :P

[@jas_bataille]

@@mykstand Here's the way to figure it out : Thunderbolt 3 = 40Gb/s = USB 4. No one brand their peripherals or drives as USB 4, but if you check Apple's specs on the M1, is says "thunderbolt 3/USB 4"... Thunderbolt is essentially Apple's marketing term for Intel's newest USB technology that they used to get early-access to. With Intel and Apple parting ways, Thunderbolt 4 is available on Windows machine now before Apple got it. USB-C ports are pretty much all USB 3.1 gen 2 (10/Gbps), and that's where it gets confusing with Thunderbolt 3 essentially having 4x the bandwidth through the same physical port! USB 3.0 is outdated now IMHO (5Gb/s) keeping in mind that 40Gps/s thunderbolt 3 bandwidth give you real-world speeds of up to 2800Mpbs with external Nvme/M.2 drives. USB 2.0 is basically useless but for peripherals. Hope this helps :)

[@Gmon750]

This should be a Thunderbolt3 or USB4/Thunderbolt4 hub/dock. Ditch the SATA drive, and instead use an m.2 NVME drive for serious performance. I feel this was a lost opportunity.

[@ElevatedSystems]

Those are nice specs but would also put it in a whole different price category. My guess is the price would be more than double due to the cost of thunderbolt 4/USB4 hardware requirements.

[@federicogiller5741]

Thank you for your review. To the point, covered the important question I had - can you edit/render a video timeline on the external hard drive on the AGPTek...

[@JohnCastillo]

Thank you so much for immediately explaining the USB protocol of this device at the beginning of your video! I was wondering about the speed of it and whether it was necessary to occupy a Thunderbolt 3 port for it! Cheers,

[@ElevatedSystems]

Glad I could help!

[@JamesT65]

I bought the Hagibis hub for my Mac Mini Studio M1 and found that I needed both USB -C cables connected before it mounted the NVME SSD drive.

[@johnDingoFoxVelocity]

dont work every time i connect one usb error cannot read or install device error

[@ElevatedSystems]

do you have an SSD installed? if so is it correctly formatted?

[@johnDingoFoxVelocity]

@@ElevatedSystems yep it just says cannot read the device contact the manufacture or your local apple rep no biggy i just will mess around with it hopefully i can get it to work

[@TheChotta]

Hi great review thank you. I had some questions that may have already been answered on this feed, apologies if people are going over the same ground. I have a Mac Mini M1 256gb HD and an external 1tb SSD. I do want to purchase one of these hubs (AGPTek/Satetchi/Hagibis) but a lot of reviews mention the hub causing the Mini to overheat! Is this an issue you have come across? Also, is there another recommended item to expand my mac mini's ext HD without this hub? a different sort of housing you would go for? I am being a bit precious with my M1 as I would like to install my external SSD before using it on a regular basis but have yet to settle on a decent setup. Thanks everyone.

[@renula]

My mac mini m1 isnt recognizing the sata hd on the hub anymore. Any tips to remedy this? The usb ports work with no problems at all. :(

[@BrianKenyon]

I bought this but I’m going to return it. It was unable to read my SD and micro SD cards that my $10 adapter could.

[@arhon888]

Thanks for sharing. It's a shame this doesn't include a Mini DisplayPort slot. I am planning to upgrade to the M1 Mini but want to use my existing cinema display.

[@ElevatedSystems]

You can get a good quality USB-C to Mini DisplayPort cable for under $20.

[@JS-wl3gi]

That is the uprade for the Mac Mini, extra ports and drive. USB 3.1 speeds are good enough for my now.

[@ositofilms52]

Like how you keep it 💯 with the information. No unnecessary product pushing, and didn’t waste my time with junk or filler….keep up with the good videos!

[@GamersPlayerUnion]

How much memory does your Mac mini have. 8gb or 16 gb Thanks

[@robertyanal3818]

My AGPTEK hub, with a Samsung 2T SSD, disconnects often during sleep, and sometimes disconnects randomly at other times.

[@ElevatedSystems]

Thats a MacOS issue. It happened with every external drive I tested. I just disabled sleep mode.

[@robertyanal3818]

@@ElevatedSystems Good to know (in a way). I disabled sleep mode and the SSD hasn't disconnected yet. (I've also enabled the Screen Saver to kick in after 20 minutes to "save the monitor".)

[@DaryllHurst]

dude. First review experience of yours. Awesome presentation. I'm a subscriber now. rock on

[@ElevatedSystems]

Awesome, thank you!

[@merseyside1977]

Why can’t I get the internal SSD drive interface to work 😢

[@WizzRacing]

You find the real issue...USB type C\Thunderbolt has 3 flavors....The 40GB is the holy grail...But 10GB and even 5GB is not slow..Just that Thunderbolt 4 can do both at once... I would add... I have no clue why 3rd party products. Always give you the slowest of the three...

[@jothain]

Good review. Though I really dislike SATA controller on this one. It's clearly very bad one at those transfer speeds. Well I suppose it's enough for storage, but still huge disappointment as I have couple USB-SATA adapters that can pretty much max out the SATA line, like every thing should these days. Hmmh. Might still look into one as storage/hub. Apple is sh*t as they don't make SATA connectors available out-of-box. Their storage options are absolutely ridiculous bs.

[@jordaningram2293]

Your hair is on point CJ 🔥

[@robertvillafane5308]

Great video, helped with my purchase

[@joeirwin560]

Sorry I typed your name backwards CJ

[@neilseiffer]

Can I boot older OSX like Yosemite or Snow Leopard on my SSD through USB using AGPTeK to M1 Mac Mini? The SSD's are formatted Mac Extended Journaled and they have software I want to run on the Mac. They do work on my old MacBook Pro 2009 but I need to upgrade my system for the future.

[@StevenKHarrison]

Right, I got on Amazon and I looked too. I found a CD/DVD drive (yes, I still use them occasionally) using a type C USB connection with additional USB B and 2 SD large and small. for less than 40 €. I don't know what this guy is trying to sell, but, as the saying goes, Do Your Own Research.

[@pinay56]

All of this is nice to a computer geek, but to one who just uses the system to operate several apps; and get the results, and doesn't care about whether this is faster at 292/340 gps, does it really make a difference? All I want the computer to do is download whatever I need to do my work....

[@johnleryhernandez3368]

thanks for this review really help with the buying decision. Quick question does the micro SD slot work work when you have an SD slot in use below it coz mine seems be not detecting the micro SD whenever I have the SD card slot detected and vice versa. Does it work that way ? other ports are working fine and are detected even when the SD or micro SD slot is used

[@r.yvonnewalker8247]

The Satachi hub does have a dual drive bay actually.

[@vitoscatigno4207]

I have no idea what he’s talking about.

[@pilsplease7561]

I prefer older USB, matter of fact i buy adapters to convert all type C to type A

[@KarlBerlin]

Will it work with the 2014 mac mini??

[@Xeyedjohn]

Great review

[@DjPositiveP]

We need one with Thunderbolt 3

[@dr.arnoldbenitez5642]

Sir when you got your PNY CS 900 500 GB did you with SATA 2.5 or SATA M.2?

[@nguyendangminhn]

should be full aluminium for better heat ventilation

[@juanvera4122]

Can I use this with a 2012 Mac Mini?

[@vandenhengel978]

I like the form factor, but I need more ports on the back. I can imagine that the SD slots are nice on the front. But why should I have to look at those ugly USB connectors, or worse the cable salad at the front?

[@stephanestef4553]

hello ! i just want to know where can i buy the same jacket that you're wearing . thanks from france

[@ElevatedSystems]

amzn.to/2OcAACi (Paid link ) ;)

[@stephanestef4553]

@@ElevatedSystems thanks !

[@torokun]

I tried one of these that supports M.2 Nvme SSD. But it wasn’t recognizing the SSD hard drive and also SD card slot wasn’t working even though I got the kind that was powered separately. Also, it was heating up and made the Mac Mini M1 sitting on top to run hotter. I returned it.

[@VaultTecAi]

Great review I understand getting this because it is the same performance as the satechi one but I like the recessed design that the back mini drops into on the satechi as well as the front USB c port regardless of transfer speeds these are convenient for me as well as it has a cleaner look IMO $30 personally isn't much more so it looks like I'm sticking with satechi.

[@ElevatedSystems]

Keep in mind the wifi/Bluetooth antenna is on the bottom of the Mac Mini and setting it inside the setetchi hub blocks the signal.

[@VaultTecAi]

@@ElevatedSystems very true I did see some about that but need to do more digging to see how much that’s affected though I am hardwired so internet is no issue but I use a bt mouse

[@mygeekdom4414]

Wow thanks for this review. This is also a timely review for me as I just upgraded to the M1. I am just wondering where did you buy the SSD? How do I know if the drive will fit/ is comparable with this hub? As for the price, this looks like it is acceptably priced for me.

[@ElevatedSystems]

It takes all the standard M.2 NVME SSD lengths.

[@MrSzwarz]

The problem with this device is that HD constantly disconnects and Mini Mac displays info (pop out messages). It's very annoying and impossible prevent it, unless you ejects it each time manually before you leave desk.

[@ElevatedSystems]

It's a MacOS issue, you have to disable sleep mode to prevent it. It is the same issue for every external drive I tested.

[@Sean-ll5cm]

I see a lot of reviews on Amazon stating that the SSDs/HDDs improperly disconnect when the mac mini enters sleep. Is this the case? Also, some people have an issue with these blocking wifi connection. Is that an issue? I like the design of these docks, but the issues seem like deal breakers

[@TheMojo140]

I live in the Netherlands but this HUB is not available in any of local webshops, neither on Amazon.

[@eppsislike]

Ik had 'm besteld via bol.com, zoek onder iMounts.

[@TheMojo140]

@@eppsislike Helemaal goed, ik heb 'm inmiddels besteld !!

[@bernatbosch]

You can buy one for 45 euros at Ali Express

[@thezetes]

Nederlanders!!!

[@shubamtandel8935]

good video, helped me with the confusion regarding this product

[@joeirwin560]

Do you have a direct link for the AGPTek USB-C Hub for the M1 Mac mini. I have been straight on their website and can not find this product. Can you please give me some help.

[@ElevatedSystems]

There are three Amazon links in the description to this hub. The companies don't sell these directly.

[@joeirwin560]

Where is the link so that I can buy this product so that it will help out your channel

[@JayTrainerBand]

HI there, so now that you've had this for several months how do you like it? I've read it disconnects when your mini goes to sleep and that causes issues. Have you found any problem with this or other issues? Do you use it to read/write as you work on your projects? Thanks so much, great videos!!!🙏

[@davewhite7409]

You have over EQ'd your audio to the point it's unpleasant to listen to.

[@AJMac1]

You killed this tutorial.

[@bernatbosch]

You can buy one of those for 45 at Ali Express. Only you have to wait 3 weeks to have it.

[@victorespina]

Man the tests you did on the external SSD drive was EXACTLY what I as looking for. I do like a lot this hub but was worried about the speed on the external ssd drive. I think I am going to but this, because of your review

[@leoworrall9449]

Could you stack them to use multiple additional SSD's ?

[@mikey.1205]

Can you stack 2 of these hubs?

[@martinvarghese3074]

It would’ve been better if apple had officially made something like this and had an option to simply add it to the cart

[@gerennichols6075]

Does this result in warning that *drive was improperly disconnected" when the Mini goes to sleep. The very similar Hagabis hub, also Amazon, is disconnected when the Mini goes to sleep leading the drives to shut down. It is safe but since a Mini may awake up and shut down over night like someone with sleep apnea, the right side of the screen is filled with alarming messages. The AGPTek is currently unvalilable on Amazon and I bet it is becuase of the returns from customers who found this "not suited for application". If you turn off sleep that fixes it. Note that shutting down does not turn off sleep. The mini will turn itself back on to call Sunnyvale to see if there is anything new or possibly to rat you out. And then go to sleep and not properly dis connect the drives. Apple could properly disconnect the drives when they go to sleep via MACos but then people would buy all these non-Apple Brand hubs. The only way to keep an Apple product shut down is exercise your second amendment rights, or un plug it (+remove battery if laptop). Damn things are always turn themselves back on. Do not get one of these things unless you can stand looking at check engine lights like Penny.

[@mbadelaide]

GREAT review. I was interested in this hub and your real use transfer speeds really convinced me NOT to add extra RAM to Mac Mini, and save money and now I can get a much bigger SSD external drive. THANK YOU.

[@edwardfitz-gibbon6484]

Read user reviews as well

[@brpawankumariyengar4227]

Seems top be a great product but, I do not think 500 GB will be enough for me at all, you see speed is not at all important to me but storage certainly is, so any option of 4 or at least 2 TB disks ?

[@jpdemer5]

I have a 2 TB hybrid drive in mine - works perfectly well. Holds my TM backup and my big (movie) files, in two partitions. The movies play smoothly straight from the drive - the USB connection is more than fast enough for playback.

[@brpawankumariyengar4227]

@@jpdemer5 Thank you very much :-)

[@hsx285]

Useful and informative review - excellent!

[@sentranne]

Thanks for the awesome video. Can't wait for the next one.

[@michalsulicki5148]

Good review. What about Haggis with dual drive?

[@misc2011]

I saw your video on this product. It was very useful in choosing which mac mini m1 I purchased and the AGPtek type-C from your link - thank you for the help -

[@LawrenceBroussard]

I am glad you brought it, because it not available today!

[@ElevatedSystems]

I provided alt links. They are all the same hub with different branding.

[@gergemall]

Impressive video

[@epsilonvideo]

Love my Mac Mini M1. Run my stocks platform, live video and soon will set it up for my video productions and posting needs. Before I had a Mac Pro 2011 that ran great until I sold it last year until coming to the US. Miss the connectivity though; now you have given me plenty of ideas. Buen trabajo!!

[@cynthialofquist3693]

I purchased before I saw the end of your video for the link 😢. Thank you for the information!

[@frankleemorris2431]

thanks, clear, concise and helpful! keep up the good work... 😃

[@ThorstensMOBAWelt]

A very useful test - thank you!

[@ElevatedSystems]

Glad it was helpful!

[@reedmckenzie]

aren't the usb plugs on the hub upside down?

[@frankcoffey]

2.5” ? Wow that is so last decade. Why didn’t the out two m.2 nvme slots in there? The weird thing is those old sata ssds are not cheaper than m.2 nvme.

[@ElevatedSystems]

With USB throughput an NVMe SSD wouldn't be any faster then a SATA ssd in the hub.

[@frankcoffey]

@@ElevatedSystems Yeah, it should have thunderbolt 3 also. SSDs aren’t cheap, I don’t want to invest in any more 2.5” sata ones. Even if I didn’t get the speed now I could upgrade the enclosure later or use the m.2 ones in a laptop.

[@ElevatedSystems]

@@frankcoffey Thunderbolt 3 would probably double the price of the hub. The hardware requirements for Thunderbolt 3/4 aren't cheap.

[@abstractuk3255]

what’s the limitations on this working with the late 2014 Mac mini model?

[@MicheleBloodphd]

This appears as unavailable on Amazon, and I don't see it on their website, either. Any idea why or when they might be available again? Sounds like a very useful accessory!

[@ElevatedSystems]

It's pretty popular, check the links to the other 2 brands of the hub in the description. They are exactly the same hub just different branding.

[@MicheleBloodphd]

@@ElevatedSystems Thanks so much!

[@markglanville6495]

Thank you for doing the only thorough review of the AGPTec I have found. The Sata III drive speed issue is very confusing. The spec for this interface is 5gb/s max. Cheap sub $10 USB to Sata leads state 5mb/s but as you have shown bandwidth and throughput are two completely different things. Why is there not a Thunderbolt 3 hub with a metal heat sinked compartment to take a drive like the Sabrent Rocket XTRM which has speeds up to 2,700mb/s ? This would be faster in theory than the inbuilt SSD. Great you pointed out, using the Type A USB3 port is an option. A cheap $6 Sata enclosure would achieve speeds of up to 500mb/s, this would be an option for those wanting to use a cheap SD card reader!

[@rafacq]

I returned my AGPTek as I had issues connecting an NVMe USB C 3.2 gen2 enclosure to the USB 3.1 ports on the front of the AGPTek dock. I bought a SABRE XTRM-Q 2TB and connected to a TB3 port on the M1 I am getting read/writes near the internal M1 disk. I am considering ordering another SABRENT XTRM-Q 1 TB and installing Big Sur on it (saw a video how to do it here in YT). I could then use the SABRENT XTRM-Q 1TB as my boot drive and leave the internal disk alone, since I have been watching many comments regarding how long will the internal disk will last with constant daily use. I will use the 2TB one as my data drive.

[@sunilj10]

Good overall review comprehensive 👍🏼

[@wolfdna788]

👌

[@gcavalliere]

That’s what i looked for! Do you think that an usb-c hub with nvme disk inside would perform better than this one?

[@ElevatedSystems]

Regardless of the type of SSD used, the speed is determined by the USB protocol the enclosure uses. So it would only be faster if the hub used a higher bandwidth protocol like USB 3.2 gen 2x2 or USB 4/Thunderbolt.

[@gcavalliere]

Thanks, so the Mac Mini M1 definitevely HAS thunderbolt 4 usb-c ports

[@chantalrochon3566]

Thank you! For the information.

[@michaelm7717]

Hi, would an 15mm thick 2,5'' drive fit in the hub?

[@ElevatedSystems]

Unfortunately No, there is only 10mm of space in the drive bay.

[@michaelm7717]

@@ElevatedSystems What a pity, would be perfect for a 5TB drive, anyway thanks for your answer.

[@BikerBytes]

Good review mate, cheers. Have you had any issues with the connected devices disconnecting when the Mac goes to sleep and not reconnecting when the Mac wakes, particularly the ssd?

[@ElevatedSystems]

I had issues with the displays not being recognized after waking and I just disabled sleep mode, so I'm not sure if it's a problem with this hub.

[@TidesOnEarth]

Any other problems? Did your Mac mini have any heating issues?

[@jpdemer5]

@@TidesOnEarth Mine never gets even slightly warm - I have yet to hear the fan, if in fact it's ever come on. I don't do video editing or conversions, but I can watch a full 90-min movie on a 2K monitor with zero heating.

[@0g.Ghost.7373]

Should we wait until the end of April/early June for this one or go with the Elecife for $5 more? Seems almost exactly the same.

[@ElevatedSystems]

I'm not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure the three versions of this hub I have listed in the description are made by the same OEM so are identical aside form the brand logo.

[@0g.Ghost.7373]

@@ElevatedSystems thanks!

[@0g.Ghost.7373]

@@ElevatedSystems flash deal on the elecife for 4 more hours. Around $65!!!

[@dadduorp]

That slamming sound effect at the intro is a little too dramatic. Actually, irritating.

[@grantrettke4851]

Excellent review.