Review: ACASIS Dual SSD Thunderbolt Case TBU405ProMax

Review unit provided by ACASIS

The ACASIS TBU405ProMax is a Thunderbolt enclosure that can hold two NVMe SSDs and comes with the following ports

• 40Gbps USB-C to computer
• 40GBps USB-C
• 10Gbps USB-A 3.1
• USB-C for power
• Full-size HDMI

Retail price is USD 189.

This is a variant of the ACASIS TBU405Plus I reviewed a few weeks ago. Selling point of the Plus model is the dual DisplayPort. Selling point of the ProMax model is the ports are more useful since you get HDMI, USB-C and USB-A.

Video review

Things included

• Thunderbolt 4 case
• 2x plastic NVMe plate holders
• 4x NVMe SSD rubber holders
• 100W USB-C charger with interchangeable plug
• Thunderbolt 4 USB-C cable
• USB-C charging cable
• User guide

Design

Build quality of the TBU405ProMax is solid with the full metal body. Design is just slightly larger than my other Thunderbolt 4 enclosure, but the ACASIS case can hold 2 NVMe SSDs and has more ports.

Company advertises 8K 60Hz video support with the HDMI port which is labled with 4K 60Hz.

That's a USB-A 3.1 port.

Two USB-C ports on this side. One goes to the computer and the other is for file transfers and video connection works fine.

The USB-C video port was able to power my 22-inch external portable display to maximum brightness since it provides power passthrough.

I could not get my other TB4 case to be detected when connected to my M2 Macbook Pro through the ACASIS though. However, another SSD external storage connected to the USB-C port could be detected.

The fan has a power switch, and that USB-C port is just for power. This case supports 60W power passthrough and can charge a laptop or tablet.

The fan unfortunately does not spin automatically and so you'll have to remember to power it on each time. There's almost no fan noise, and there's no status light for the fan so you won't know whether than fan is spinning unless you put the case next to your ears.

The bottom has two big pieces of rubber feet with good grip on the table. The fan intake is located at the top and hot air exhaust from the sides.

Install the NVMe SSDs requires no tool. You just pull open the two parts of the case and slot the SSDs in.

This cases supports M and B&M key NVMe SSDs. It is not compatible with SATA M.2 NVMe SSD.

Compatibility

This case can work with Windows, MacOS and Linux.

The case supports software Raid 0, Raid 1 or JBOD (just a bunch of disks). Configuring with MacOS is easy with the Disk Utility. Configuring with Windows requires more steps as the terminal is needed to remove the EFI partition before a raid system can be created. There are instructions provided in the quick start guide, or you can find tutorials on Youtube.

Here are the transfer speeds I measured, tested with WD_BLACK 2TB SN770 NVMe SSD (gen 4) and my Macbook Pro:

• Raid 0 - 2300 MB/s write, 2600 MB/s read
• Raid 1 (mirror) - 1100 MB/s write, 2500 MB/s read
• Single drive - 1300 MB/s write, 1400 MB/s read
• JBOD - 1200 MB/s write, 1400 MB/s read

All the speeds are fast enough for 8K video editing. The speeds are faster when tested with Windows.

Conclusion

The product works as advertised. It provides a lot of utility given the small compact size. It may be pricey but you can decide whether it's worth the money.

Pros and cons at a glance
+ Clean and simple design
+ Solid build quality
+ Tool-less design
+ Fast data transfer speeds with USB-A and USB-C
+ USB-C supports video out
+ HDMI support
+ Supports 2 NVMe SSD
+ Supports software Raid 0, Raid 1, JBOD
+ 60W power passthrough
- Fan has to be powered on manually
- No status light for fan

Availability

The ACASIS TBU405ProMax is available from ACASIS online store, Amazon US, Shopee SG, Lazada SG.