I've got dozens of USB-C cables now from various HD's and devices. Trying to clear out the old slower ones. Is there an easy way to find out, by plugging into the computer (2023 M2 Max MacBook Pro running Ventura), what flavor the cables are?
Thanks!
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.12
Many of mine have no markings and they were all provided by SSD and HDD makers; not eBay or Amazon "specials".
That's why I took the direct approach.
Many of mine have no markings and they were all provided by SSD and HDD makers; not eBay or Amazon "specials".
That's why I took the direct approach.
I attached each to a portable SSD and ran AmorphousDiskMark from an iMac. Since I knew the max potential top speed of the SSD, it was easy to tell which cables were "slow".
Took a few minutes but that culled out the "slow" ones.
So nobody can answer this question?
I just bought a cable that is rated for high data speeds and power charging but which I suspect is not. I would like to measure the cable's speed with some precision.
Is there some programme, website, app or setting on my 2023 Macbook Pro that I can use to measure these things?
No, not unless there are manufacturer or other markings on the cables.
a USB-C cable capable of top data transfer speeds is marked certified and has this logo on the ends or better:
To achieve the top 20 G bits/sec speeds, the conductors are 'turned around' under program control for momentary all-outbound or all-inbound transfers.
ThunderBolt certified cables are a higher standard, that incorporates USB-C top ratings. They also have twice the number of data pathways, for twice the possible top speeds. Use of the ThunderBolt logo is even more tightly controlled than the USB symbols.
For top data transfer speeds, such as for displays or high-speed drives/arrays, certified USB-C Cables should be 1 meter or shorter. Apple Brand ThunderBolt cables should be 0.8 meters or shorter, Brand-X ThunderBolt cables should 0.5 meters or shorter.
That's super helpful to know!!
Sounds like the best approach is to invest in a couple of correct length Thunderbolt 4 cables for my fast 24 TB drives (they're Thunderbolt 3, but for the price of a couple of cables, best to use the fastest available) and use the Thunderbolt 3 cables that came with them for attaching things like Samsung T7 SSD drives and trash/recycle most of the unmarked USB-C cables.
Thunderbolt cables should also have a lightning bolt icon on the connector.
As far as any cables wtihout markings on the connector, then check the wire sheathing....sometimes there may be some sort of designation written there although it can be extremely hard to see. No matter what, unmarked cables are most likely only supporting the USB protocol, but which protocol & speed? No way to know without testing. FYI, Apple's USB-C charging cable is only capable of USB2 speeds. Some USB-C cables may not even support any Thunderbolt or USB protocols, and may instead just be out right basic charging cables.
Probably best to label each cable you receive with your devices to know what they are & where they came from. Many times cables provided by a manufacturer with their device is not always a good quality cable.
The cables that came with my GRaid Thunderbolt 3 external drives have a thunderbolt and a 3 on them, but that's about all I see on any of the cables.
USB-C cables - how to tell what speed they are?
