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I bought a Samsung T5 portable SSD recently with a USB 3.1 cable.
I have just noticed that it also has a USB-C cable in the box.
My 2017 iMac has two Thunderbolt 3 sockets.
Can the USB-C cable of the Samsung be used in the Thunderbolt 3 socket and if so will there be an improvement in performance?
Thanks Luis.
I used the BM Test in its default mode with the USB connection and the results varied wildly. The maximum final Write speed was around 590MB/s and Read about 800MB/s and the minimum figures were 180MB/s and 200MB/s. These maximum and minimum figures seemed to alternate with each successive test eg. first test high, second test low, third test high etc. etc.
Connecting via USB-C gave virtually the same results so it merely adds an extra choice of connecter but with no speed improvement.
Thanks. Good to know.
The thing is with all these versions. There is USB 3.1 gen 1 and USB 3.1 gen 2.
Apparently they both can use USB-A (traditional) or USB-C connectors.
The limit of 3.1 gen 2 is 10Gbps.
We also need to consider the speed of the computer USB bus.
I don't have this drive, but my Crucial SSD gives some 400MBps on an older mac and 900MBps with the USB-C cable on my 16". I believe the difference is the mac, not the SSD. My 2014 mac does not have 3.1 gen 2, hence it cannot go over 500MBps.
The question is "speed increase compared to... "
I think I was talking about getting from my old 2014 mac to my 2019 one.
As I described above, there was a nice increase, but it had to do with the limitations of the old mac.
In your present case, the limiting factor is no longer the mac - your Thunderbolt 3 ports could theoretically support 40Gbps.
The limiting factor is the drive itself. It supports USB 3.1 gen 2 - which can give you up to 10Gbps.
Thunderbolt 3 uses the same connector as USB-C, and supports USB-C type connections, at up to 10Gbps.
Now, you could get yourself a much more expensive SSD that uses Thunderbolt 3 protocols, and might get you some 2500MBps - close to what your internal drive offers. OWC has some great ones.
Personally, I don't see the point, unless you are really feeling constrained in your workflow by the present drive.
For what I do, my Crucial drives are more than enough. I, the human, am the limiting factor, not my hardware.
I agree that the human, at least this human, is the limiting factor.
It's a really illogical quest for speed . . . a bit like owning a supercar in the UK where the maximum speed limit is 70mph.
I'm still itching to get my hands on an M1 Mac mini even though my 2 computers are more than enough for me . . . I was never like that when I was younger!
Fortunately or unfortunately I cannot say the same.
My wife encourages me to buy anything I want, however fanciful or impractical or expensive.
However, because I was born at the end of the war when there was little money about and you had to do without many things and save, I have never got out of the habit. So her encouragements fall on deaf ears and I almost always do without or at least purchase the cheapest option.
Yes, you can use it.
To test the performance, try running BlackMagic Disk Speed Test with each of two connections and then don’t forget to let us know.
A few months ago you mentioned a connection that could be used with an external SSD that gave a dramatic speed increase. Can you remember what that was?
I am itching to get my hands on an Apple Silicon based 16" when it comes out... the limiting factor in this case may be the wife 😎
I am itching to get my hands on an Apple Silicon based 16" when it comes out... the limiting factor in this case may be the wife 😎
Ditto 🤠👍
Al
My wife encourages me to buy anything I want, however fanciful or impractical or expensive.
Well there’s one non-limiting factor. 🤠👍
Al
Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1?
