I have a Thunderbay 8. I forget what it is called. One drive sled set up with four m.2 drives. I was disappointed in the speed. It is not as fast as the internal drive on my Max Studio.
For a M1,2,3 machine, I recommend buying the maximum memory possible (some is used for video, and more is better for multiple monitors and virtual environments) and max storage (if you want max speed). In thought I'd save money with external drives. Lots of space for less money, but not as fast.
I also have a 10G fiber and Cat8 network backbone. Each computer has 10G connection for fast back ups. I can back up multiple systems, as well and support many video cameras. The cameras help me keep on eye on the dogs (I'm a dog breeder). 10G is marvelous.
I run a mac mini using screen sharing and it makes it easy to use my monitors more effectively, I can close that window after setting it to tasks.