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MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) USB 2.0 or 3.0

Hi,

I have the MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) and the two USB-ports are 2.0.

However, all the info I could find and especially Apple's own specs (https://support.apple.com/kb/SP649?locale=en_US&viewlocale=en_US) say that the ports should be 3.0.

Anyone know the reason for the difference between the specs and the machine itself?


Thanks in advance

Giray


MacBook Pro 13", macOS 10.14

Posted on Apr 30, 2019 7:13 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Apr 30, 2019 7:39 AM

You can see your USB hubs in the

> (option key) System Information>Hardware>USB


Your two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps)



Other hardware rely on internal USB2 hubs for camera, keyboard, bluetooth etc


https://support.apple.com/kb/sp649


The 2012 is still considered a real work horse—it was the first MBP to have USB3, not to mention its many ports, SDXC, etc

7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Apr 30, 2019 7:39 AM in response to agertas

You can see your USB hubs in the

> (option key) System Information>Hardware>USB


Your two USB 3 ports (up to 5 Gbps)



Other hardware rely on internal USB2 hubs for camera, keyboard, bluetooth etc


https://support.apple.com/kb/sp649


The 2012 is still considered a real work horse—it was the first MBP to have USB3, not to mention its many ports, SDXC, etc

Apr 30, 2019 8:08 AM in response to agertas

To get USB 3 speed you need to have a USB3 device and a USB3 cable. I have the same model MBP with a USB3 external and it shows the proper speed in System Information. This is its System Information report.



I also have a new IMac with USB 3 and moved an USB3 external drive to it, but could not find a USB3 cable. System Information showed it as "up to 480Mb/sec" until I found the USB3 cable. Now it reports 5Gb/sec.


USB3 cables have blue plastic fittings inside the connectors; USB2 cables have white plastic:



I'm 100 percent with with my esteemed colleague Leroy on the "workhorse" comment. I will hate to see the day my 13-inch 2012 non-Retina is beyond use. The only thing that slows them is the factory 3GBps, 5400-rpm hard drive and that is easily corrected even by a novice user.


About a year ago I upgraded mine to a fast solid state drive and it feels as fast as new Macs. It was probably among the most successful Mac sub-models ever. There were in continuous production for over four years without any changes and are, based on reports here, the most trouble-free. I am completely committed to spending money to keep mine relevant as long as possible. I do not like the direction Apple has taken with their notebook line in recent years and unfortunately feel I need to avoid them.

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012) USB 2.0 or 3.0

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