OWC Express 1M2 2TB review

OWC Express 1M2 2TB: 30-second review

The OWC Express 1M2 is quite unique in the field of best external hard drives for several reasons. The first is that its available as an enclosure or as a ready-to-go storage solution, with a choice of capacities from 1 to 8TB. Then there's the look and styling that has been created to ensure that the drive inside remains cool, however demanding a task you have the drive working through. Those tasks can be anything from processing a range of spreadsheets or, more likely, being the hub of a video production or photoshoot. 

The aluminium outer casing has essentially been built as one large heat sink to ensure that even after hours of continued use, the drive remains fast and that any effects of thermal throttling are kept to a minimum. The design also means that there are no fans, so the drive runs nice and silent, no matter the load. The drive also incorporates the latest connection technology and offers transfer rates of up to 3151MB/s in real-world tests; this is well beyond the scope of most portable hard drives. Usually, these speeds are only reached by internal drives or dedicated working external systems. 

As with other OWC drives, the setup process is easy and essentially involves a plug-and-play approach with a single cable that connects the drive to the computer, providing both power and data transfer. The connection type is USB-C (40Gb/s), which is one of the fastest connections out there and will enable the smooth data transfers needed for 4 and 8-K video editing.

On first inserting the drive into a Windows machine it's worth noting that the SSD is OWC Mac HFS+ / APFS formatted and will need to be either reformated using the OWC Drive Guide for Windows or by purchasing MacDrive11. The OWC Drive Guide is a free utility to format/reformat OWC drives in a Windows drive format (NTFS & ExFAT) and a full OWC Drive Guide for Windows can be downloaded to help begin the process of reformatting the OWC device with Windows.

When it comes to size the drive is slightly larger than most of the best portable SSDs we've tested; however, with the performance that it offers, that's not an issue, and while it may be a touch larger, it's still relatively lightweight. Using the drive for editing 4K video on Final Cut Pro X, the speed and ease of use is seamless with no reliability issues, with the drive providing the performance that you would usually expect from an internal SSD. 

OWC Express 1M2 2TB: Price & availability

The OWC Express 1M2 is a premium price for its capacity, but this is balanced by the build quality and performance, which is pretty much unmatched in the market. It's available directly from OWC's website and through various authorised retailers. Prices vary depending on the storage capacity chosen, with options ranging up to 8TB. The drive includes a three-year warranty for the complete solution or two years for the enclosure.

• Score: 4/5

OWC Express 1M2 2TB: Design & build

A glance at the OWC Express 1M2, and you could easily mistake it for a huge heat sink, with its full aluminium build and gill-like design that helps to dissipate the heat. The Aluminium used is of aircraft-grade quality and, therefore, provides strength and protection around the internal SSD even when thrown in a kit back with little to no other protection. In our review sample, which is at the lower end of the capacity options, there's fitted a 2TB SSD, but there are other options at 1, 2, 4, or 8TB. The design of the drive also means that it's available with a drive installed or empty.

While the drive's full metal build gives it a strong and robust design and feel, measuring 23mm (0.9 in), length 132 mm (5.2 in), and width 70 mm (2.8 in), it does feel relatively light at 253.0 g (0.56 lbs) and this helps to ensure that it remains highly portable. 

On the base  are two long rubber pads that help it to stay in position, which can be useful when working out in the field, and surface space is often at a premium. Under one of these feet are the screws that enable you to replace the SSD with a larger capacity if you require it in the future. 

On the back is the USB Type-C port. This is a USB4, up to 40 Gb/s (or 5000 MB/s), which is far in excess of most standard portable SSDs and further highlights that this drive is focused towards high-demand applications such as video, audio, and photography. 

Inside the box, along with the drive, is a USB-C cable. While the drive is USB 4, it is fully backwards compatible with any compatible connector, although the maximum transfer speeds will vary depending on the device.

• Design & build: 5/5

OWC Express 1M2 2TB: Features

The OWC Express 1M2 is a portable SSD design with ultra-fast performance and reliability at its heart, and as such, it is able to reach up to 3151MB/s, as quoted by OWC, in real-world scenarios. This speed should ensure that larger files, projects, and applications can be handled smoothly with a performance that is similar, if not the same, to that of your internal SSD. This will make it an ideal solution for video editing as well as any other task that requires a large amount of data to be accessed, written to, or moved at speed. 

Our review sample arrived pre-configured with 2TB storage, which is one of OWC's superb NVMe Aura SSDs. However, you can also build your drive to your specifications with support for various NVMe M.2 SSD sizes (2230, 2242, and 2280).

While most high-demand applications have traditionally been confined to the Studio or Office, the speed and performance of the USB4, Thunderbolt, and USB-C connections allow most equipped laptops to make the most of the capacity and speed out in the field. With the drive's BUS-powered connection, only one cable is needed for both power and data making it an easy solution for use out in the field.

As the drive has been designed to be portable at a professional level, the outer casing made from aircraft-grade Aluminium serves a dual purpose. It offers rugged protection for the SSD while maintaining silence, and the metal design also acts as an effective cooling system that will help sustain top speeds. 

Finally, the drive is backed by a three-year warranty or a two-year warranty for the enclosure.

• Features 4/5

OWC Express 1M2 2TB: Performance

Getting started with the OWC Express 1M2 is easy enough with the plug-and-play nature when used on Mac systems, meaning that it's ready to go. However, the onboard "OWC Drive Guide (Mac)" recommends fresh formatting provided by the software, and this enables you to select from four options: to stay with APFS, use the older HFS, go for ExFat for cross-compatibility with PCs, or to do it manually. 

In this test, we started with the APFS option and then used Disk Utility to reformat the drive in the ExFat for use on your PC. Alternatively, you can use the OWC MacDrive software trial and OWC Drive Guide for Windows to help you get started. This software essentially enables you to see Mac Drive on a PC and is very useful if you're used to using both systems.

When it came to the benchmark tests, the OWC Express 1M2 delivers exceptional performance, making it ideal for various professional and creative tasks. With read speeds of 3002MB/s and write speeds of 2994MB/s in AJA System Test Lite, it handles large file transfers and data-intensive tasks with ease. ATTO results show even higher read speeds of 3130MB/s and write speeds of 3200MB/s, confirming its capability for high-speed data processing. The AmorphousDiskMark scores, with read speeds of 3203.26MB/s and write speeds of 2608.04MB/s, further highlight its suitability for demanding applications such as Final Cut Pro X and DaVinci Resolve.

For creative professionals, the Express 1M2 is well-suited for tasks such as video editing, where the high read and write speeds are essential to ensure smooth playback and quick rendering of 4K and higher resolution video if you're a photographer. The ability to handle large RAW file transfers and quick access times is ideal for backup and fast access and saves when using Photoshop. Audio professionals will also appreciate the fast data access and transfer rates for managing large audio files and multitrack sessions.

In an office setting, the 1M2'sss 1M2's high-speed performance, while nice to have, could be seen as a little overkill. File transfers and data backups are faster, but in reality, there are far cheaper solutions out there that will do the job at the speed you need. 

Overall, the OWC 1M2'sss 1M2's benchmarks are impressive and highlight that it is an excellent choice for creative users who need reliable and fast portable storage for video, audio, and photography. 

• Performance: 5/5

Should you buy the OWC Express 1M2 2TB?

The OWC Express 1M2 is a superb portable SSD, offering some of the fastest transfer rates for this size of drive on the market. Not only that, but the build quality is superb. This impressive speed and rugged build make it a perfect choice for professionals and creatives who require reliable, high-performance storage on the go. The higher price point is justified by its quality and features, making it a worthwhile investment, but for office users, this builds quality, and performance could be a lot better.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Using the PNY RP60 to store creative assets? We tested the best monitors for photo editing