Connecting eSata or USB3 external drive to mid 2011 iMac

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1949Fred Author

Level 1

8 points

Connecting eSata or USB3 external drive to mid 2011 iMac

What is the best way to connect an external eSata or USB3 hard disk drive to a circa mid-2011 iMac? Id rather not spend the money for a Thunderbolt external. Is there an inexpensive and simple way to connect one of these drives to the iMac Thunderbolt port? My computer has USB 2 ports; I would like to exploit the higher capability of the Thunderbolt port when using one of these other devices; but haven't been able to find a cable that would allow me to do this - if there is such a thing.

Posted on May 24, 2015 5:10 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

May 24, 2015 5:17 PM in response to 1949Fred

The machine only supports USB 2.0. If you want any speed you need to use Thunderbolt or FW800. There is no way to use an eSATA drive without some sort of adapter but you won't get any real performance benefit except by using Thunderbolt.

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