Best Way to Connect Multiple USB Drives?

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Level 1

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Best Way to Connect Multiple USB Drives?

My new Mac Studio has only two USB ports, whereas my old iMac had four. I have 2 external USB drives (Mercury Elite Pro Dual Enclosures with 2 drives each), plus an Apple USB keyboard, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to plug everything in.

What would you recommend as my best option?

Would it be best to get a USB Hub so I could plug the two drives into a single USB port?

Or would it be better to use Thunderbolt adapters to plug each drive into its own TB port?

Or what about a Thunderbolt hub that would allow me to plug both drives into one TB port

Thanks

John

Mac Studio, macOS 12.3

Posted on Apr 8, 2022 7:40 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Grant Bennet-Alder

Level 10

133,993 points

Apr 8, 2022 8:43 AM in response to John Baro1

<< My new Mac Studio has only two USB ports >>

Your Mac studio has only two USB-A shaped ports.

Each of the other six, regardless of which model Mac Studio you own, is backward-compatible with older USB devices, and has USB-C shaped connector. USB-C is a subset of ThunderBolt, and can freely be used with an adapter that merely rewires USB-C into USB-A.

n most cases, having a genuine ThunderBolt device Is merely more expensive. Only in cases where you are near the high limit of USB (such as certain displays and high-end drive enclosures) is ThunderBolt actually required.

.

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Answer 2

Apr 8, 2022 9:35 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

as long as the speeds required are modest, these sorts of adapters will work nicely (not for the highest end usage unless certified for that use):

many brands, about two for US$10 on Amazon.

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Best Way to Connect Multiple USB Drives?

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