Bootable External SSD with MacBook Neo

How to use an external storage device as a Mac startup disk - Apple Support

Something that's easy to overlook: on an Apple Silicon Mac (like the MacBook Neo), you need to plug the external drive into "any compatible port except the DFU port".

How to identify the DFU port on Mac - Apple Support says that for the MacBook Neo (all models), the DFU port is "The leftmost USB-C port when you’re facing the left side of the Mac." That kind of sucks, because according to MacBook Neo - Tech Specs - Apple, the MacBook Neo only has one USB-C port that supports USB 3 speed, and that's the leftmost USB-C port when you're facing the left side of the Mac (a.k.a. the DFU port!).

Presumably you'll have to plug your external drive into the USB-C (USB 2) port until macOS has been successfully installed.

I had a very difficult time installing Tahoe onto an external SSD until I realized the following: 1) You must unmount the drive (if you're overwriting pre-existing data) before formatting it as APFS/GUID and 2) you should install it from the USB-C 3.2 port (for speed purposes).

My Neo is running Golden Gate, and I run Tahoe (as I am while I type this response) through a USB hub connected to the 3.2 port. It works just fine (after it finishes indexing on booting). The only "issue" I have is that Tahoe on an external drive operates with greater memory pressure than either it or Golden Gate does on the native, 512 GB drive. But, from my perspective, it's a non-issue. The performance deficit is negligible (keeping in mind that the external data transfer bottleneck makes it inherently slower than the native drive).

jerzeeshadow wrote:

May I ask which external ssd you had used and how was the speed of the setup?

I use a Samsung T7 SSD. the speed after install is good. but the install took quite a while. as you've been told, you cannot use the faster DFU port for the install of macOS. but once the install is complete, you can use the external SSD while it is plugged into the faster port.

Did you use the usb2 speed port or the faster port?

it works better to use the faster port once you have a workable macOS on the SSD.

jerzeeshadow wrote:

My best guess with this is (1) either the Neo can’t boot off an external disk due to the internals being related to iPhones,

that is not the case. when I bought my Neo, the very first thing I tried was installing Tahoe on an external SSD. and I have no issues booting into the external SSD.

or (2) I’m using a low quality external ssd inside a usb-c enclosure. It’s a fanxiang 128gb ssd with a benfei enclosure.

that is a possibility. but also, which macOS are you attempting to install on the external SSD? if it is a macOS your Neo cannot run, it will never work.

Ah, yes, the DFU irony. I am aware of that (learned it the hard way). But I also had the same problem using the other usb port. My best guess with this is (1) either the Neo can’t boot off an external disk due to the internals being related to iPhones, or (2) I’m using a low quality external ssd inside a usb-c enclosure. It’s a fanxiang 128gb ssd with a benfei enclosure.

Thank you for your reply!😊. I’m glad to hear that someone did get it to work with no problems. I was using the same osx version (Tahoe 26) that the Neo has. I checked the version number and downloaded that installer through the Terminal.

May I ask which external ssd you had used and how was the speed of the setup? Did you use the usb2 speed port or the faster port?

Kingston makes a lot of low end SSDs. I'm not familiar with the XS2000 series. Some years ago I tried to figure out which Kingston SSDs were low end or mid/high end to assist users here. That was an impossible task even years ago.

Unfortunately these days it is nearly impossible to determine if any SSD from any manufacturer is a good SSD or not. Most SSD manufacturers no longer provide accurate technical data sheets showcasing the internal chips being used. Even the SSD manufacturers' generalized performance details in the technical data sheets is nearly worthless because there can be huge differences in performance & reliability depending on the actual components used in the SSD. These days SSD manufacturers are substituting components on a whim and there may be several different hardware configurations on the market at the same time with absolutely no change in product model numbers or SKUs. This makes trusting any SSD reviews problematic.

You'll find out soon enough if your particular Kingston SSD is capable once you start using it as an external boot drive.

As far as whether the Kingston hardware is good (not considering performance at all), then it should be Ok in general.

That Kingston XS2000 500GB USB-C ssd should be more than capable. I'm using an old 128 GB Lite On drive, so yours should be fine. Good luck with the installation! An added benefit of using an external drive is that it helps extend the life of the internal drive.

Would you consider a Kingston XS2000 500GB USB-C ssd capable for a bootup ssd?

I have no experience with Kingston drives, but I hear they are pretty reliable. and being USB-C, it will probably perform pretty well.