Thunderbolt 3 adaptor
I need a thunderbolt 3 cable adaptor to an SD card reader. I can't use one that requires direct connection to the computer, because I have a case that gets in the way. Any suggestions.
Ok, the 2018 MacBook Air, does indeed have two Thunderbolt 3 ports that can support up to 40 Gbps transfer rates, but most likely, you won't see these rates with an SD card.
So there are a number of sources for these SD card readers. Here are a few examples:
- USB-C to SD Card Reader - Apple
- https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Reader-PowerExpand-Memory-RS-MMC/dp/B091GHVBSZ/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gJcntEw1MmLNR5pzDipPs2MhUtsN6agED62fsWbU10yHiKi8fB1sfmKb17Pvrgg6WFQGWWYoGW4FcV18dD4gyD71IRCrRv9WSTninQKqGNCbJGaH50UTbYcXL9CyPOjXnDu8kJAe1pmgRpqsccWnvDCvb-3lbXge3CNb1tZCe5zL6hfXBBnMY6EaffTIdifXikMp9QW0bjMk2GCSrzf5ogXGwbO25sbN3CEbYtogZew.3YwqKt1Q75sac0DS1hW_IZfbB9eiQhXEVvBE0ApY4Fk&dib_tag=se&keywords=thunderbolt+sd+card+reader&qid=1709493024&sr=8-3
Just for some clarification:
- For USB: USB-A, B, C are port types (or shapes); whereas USB 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc. are standards that define the port's capability for both data transfer speeds and power support.
- For Thunderbolt: Thunderbolt 1, 2, 3, etc. are the port's standards. Thunderbolt 1 & 2 use Mini DisplayPort type ports; whereas, Thunderbolt 3 & 4 use USB-C type ports.
So, you can see that these can be easily confused. As I mentioned your MBA does have two Thunderbolt 3 ports that use the USB-C type. If a connected device supports the Thunderbolt 3 standard, then it (in theory) can achieve a data transfer rate up to 40 Gbps. On the other hand, if it can only support the USB 3.x standard, then that data rate drops to around 10 Gbps.
Then there are the SD card speeds themselves. You will see a number of standards here as well, like UHS-I or UHS-II. Both readers I provided you links with support UHS-II cards.