I am using a Belkin Thunderbolt 3 USB-C Cable and Blackmagic Disk Speed Test to test the speed of a new Sandisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD v2 with a Mac Mini M1. The max read/write speed I am getting is approximately 900MB/s. It's APFS formatted.
I tried using the USB-C cables that came with the SSD but those were even slower. Anyone else having this issue?
I believe it's Mac Mini hardware's limitation USB 3.1 gen 2.
Your SSD speed is around the ballpark with M1 Mac Mini.
Although Sandisk Extreme Pro advertised its speed - you will need compatible hardware to get that (per Sandisk's small print).
If really want the speed - try Thunderbolt 3 SSD.
How long is the cable? Try https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQ4H2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb%E2%80%91c-cable-08-m. And be reminded of Sandisk fine print “Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending on host device, interface, usage conditions and other factors.” - marketeer speak for “We reserve the right to loudly overstate what our products can do”.
The Belkin Thunderbolt 3 cable is no longer than the Apple cable in the link (0.8 meters). I also tried using the cables they provided and still, the speeds were below 1,000 MB/s.
I assume the Mac Mini M1's USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 is not capable of speeds higher than that with the Sandisk Extreme Pro's USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. The SSD has to be Thunderbolt 3 or USB 4 compatible to achieve higher write/read speeds with the Mac Mini M1.
Doesn’t matter, the Apple cable is superior. Cables are a big part of high speed data transfers, go for the Cadillac. Assume nuthin’ other than Sandisk hype which they admit they engage in (although in small print).
Sorry, I may not understand how all of this works properly. The transfer speed of USB 3.1 Gen 2 is up to 10 Gb/s. Shouldn't that be more than enough to enable the read/write speeds of the Sandisk Extreme Pro to achieve up to 2000MB/s?
Mac Mini M1 slow read/write speeds with Sandisk Extreme Pro SSD
