Raspberry Pi 4 & Samsung T5 SSD = Extreme Fast Pi --> cached read 7.2GBit/s :D (with instructions)

thingiverse

#Intro Hey guys, I had some issues with the SD-Card speed on my Pi 4 and I was hoping for a faster SD-Card Slot, which wasn't the case at all. So I added a Samsung T5 1TB SSD to it and moved the filesystem to the T5. Why? Because of 900MB/s cached reads. #Speedtest (yep, that's Megabytes - not Megabits) ##With cache > pi@pi4t5:~ $ sudo hdparm -tT /dev/sda2 > > /dev/sda2: > > Timing cached reads: 1798 MB in 2.00 seconds = 899.31 MB/sec > > Timing buffered disk reads: 1078 MB in 3.00 seconds = 358.84 MB/sec ##Without cache > pi@pi4t5:~ $ sudo hdparm -tT --direct /dev/sda2 > > /dev/sda2: > > Timing O_DIRECT cached reads: 552 MB in 2.01 seconds = 275.29 MB/sec > > Timing O_DIRECT disk reads: 862 MB in 3.00 seconds = 287.21 MB/sec #Installation Instructions Don't know how to set this up? Keep calm, it's easy. First, make sure you have a Pi 4 (because of USB3) and a Samsung T5 (size doesn't matter in this case). Watch out for different Samsung T5 sellers because the price jumps around like Bitcoin tickers^^. If you've got it, follow these steps: ##1. Insert that STL into your printer, as it takes longer to print than you need to set up the pi&ssd ##2. Just follow [these instructions](https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=44177). It doesn't take as long as *paulv* wrote in 2013.... I did it in less than 10 minutes easily. ##3. You probably want to act like a Linux user on the SSD. So optionally, you could [create a new user and create his home directory on /mnt/my_data/home/username](https://stackoverflow.com/a/20797852) That's it. Super easy now. You've got a SUPERFAST Pi. Keep an eye on the CPU temperature. It rises way faster if you give the Pi more bits to eat... I highly recommend some active cooling. #FAQ ##Is it working without any issues? Yep, no problems so far. I was massively using the T5 for some hours now, and I didn't have any issues. The T5 is getting warm. But this is normal... I used the T5 for quite some months now and daily moved hundreds of gigabytes to and from it. I had no issues with the SSD so far (which is why I decided not to install a standard SATA SSD). ##What happens if I unplug the SSD? If you do that, then please power off the Pi before. Your Pi won't run/boot without the SSD after you moved the filesystem on it... I think that's quite logical. ##Why don't you fix the Pi with plastic screws in the case? I had really, really many Pis now (like >40?)... Most of them are still running anywhere in the world. However, I learned: If you use some strong cables (Ethernet, USB3, USB-C Power, HDMI, ...), then you should NOT use screws. In worst-case scenario, they literally damage your Pi. Happened 3 times to me now. You can fix the Pi to the case with some rubber band or the hair tie of your sister.