This Mac Mini SSD base overhauled my photography workflow

When I’m not writing about cars for Pocket-lint, I’m taking pictures of them at racetracks all across the country. From NASCAR to the local dirt track scene, each weekend I’m somewhere with my camera in-hand, typically delivering around 400 photos to clients and racers alike. That’s a lot of files, and it takes plenty of time to edit each one.

Recently, I decided to pull the trigger on the new Mac Mini M4, but like most buyers, I found myself needing more port options for things like external hard drives and, most importantly, SD cards. I’m the type of person that likes my desk space to be wide open, and I had chords and attachments running everywhere on Sundays when I sat down to edit. Then, I got this Satechi Mac Mini base, and it completely overhauled how I work through my libraries.

Upgraded storage for pennies compared to Apple

The best thing about the Mini is its price, but it comes at a cost

The Mini’s $600 starting price is the best thing about it, considering that it comes standard with 16GB of memory and the lauded M4 chip. However, for that price, you only get a measly 256GB of storage, and for someone who edits a lot of large files, that’s barely enough to hold all your actual editing software, never mind the files. It’s a huge upgrade over the previous generation of Mini, but still leaves you wanting more if you do a lot of editing.

That’s where this enclosure comes in handy. Not only does it increase the usability of the mini tenfold (more on that later), but it also allows you to dramatically increase the storage available on the actual home base. It doesn’t come with the base itself, which is a shame, but a trip to Best Buy or a quick scroll online can remedy that. Personally, I opted for the WD_BLACK 2TB model, which was easy to install and has thus far fit seamlessly into my workflow. For comparison’s sake, the new Mini with 16GB of memory and just 512GB will run you a cool $800 from Apple. I now have nearly four times that amount of storage with four more ever-important ports.

Why do ports matter for photography

With so many devices, it’s hard work to keep up with

You’ll notice that although I’ve already bought an SSD for the base itself, I still have an external plugged into one of the two 10Gbps USB ports available, along with an SD card slot, which supports SD4.0.

That’s because, while this base greatly increased the storage of my mini, I still store all of my RAW files on external drives to be organized when they reach capacity. The base here is perfect for that usage, as most of the budget-friendly options out there for external hard drives are still USB 3.0 as opposed to USB Type-C, like the tens of MaxOne 1TB external hard drives I have sitting in my closet.

This is especially useful for file transfers, as I can just slide the two storage devices into their assigned slots, keep my desk clear of clutter and let them transfer away between one another to their little plastic hearts’ desires. Beforehand, I had to use a USB Type-C adapter, which was funnily enough also made by Satechi, to keep everything connected. It was a mess of wires all relying on one sole Type C connection, and that always made me nervous. Now, I no longer worry about my files corrupting or losing any shots, because the transfer process has never been easier.

It fixes the Mini’s most glaring issue

I no longer have to pick up the entire system to turn it on

All of these features are wonderful, and I am immensely thankful for them. However, what this base does for the actual structure of the Mini itself is all it took for me to want one on my desk. For those unaware, the Mini’s power button is completely hidden on the bottom side of the unit itself in the rear left corner. In essence, you have to completely pick up the Mini in order to turn it on if you have fingers that aren’t as skinny as, say, a chopstick. This issue has sparked quite a discussion even among the most faithful Apple techies, and as an M4 Mini owner, I get it.

However, some designers at Satechi walked in one day with a solution — just cut a finger-sized hole in the base where the power button is. I like to imagine the rest of the boardroom that this idea was presented to shouting and clapping in praise of this brilliant mind, but that may just be me.

The one thing I would change

An even trade off would be nice

Truthfully, I have no major gripes with this enclosure base. It does everything that it’s advertised to do, and is well worth the price tag to look like a factory-grade accessory if you like your tech to match, which I do. However, my lone issue is that it does take up one of the Thunderbolt ports on the back without giving any in return. I know that space is limited, so it would be difficult to include one on the face of the base itself.

That being said, I could do without the far right USB 2.0 port if it were replaced with a much faster Thunderbolt port, and it would also bring my total number of front-facing Thunderbolt ports to a whopping three, and then I could probably take over the world if I wanted. (Seriously, though, why is everyone so stingy with these things?) This is by no means the first Satechi product I’ve ever had in my home office, and it likely won’t be the last. This enclosure is just another example of paying a little bit more for something that truly won’t let you down.