what is the practical network data transfer rate with MacOS High Sierra on a GigE network

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what is the practical network data transfer rate with MacOS High Sierra on a GigE network

I was just realizing that a GigE network has a mathematical limit of 125MB/s @ 8 bits (1Gb/s divided by 8 bits). I measured the transfer rate of a large file (in Activity Monitor) which varies dynamically between 60-90 MB/s.

How fast can I realistically expect the actual transfer rate to between my machine and NAS devices using a MacMini Server (MacOS, High Sierra) and smb file sharing... Any closer to 125GB/s??
Short of re-wiring my house for 10GigE are there any other alternatives? I see that my connection speed of 10GigE is supported by my machine. My router and switches, however, not so much.
Network Utility reports no errors in file transfers @ GigE speed.

MacBook Pro TouchBar and Touch ID, macOS Sierra (10.12.3), Using CalDigit USB-C Dock, 65W PWR

Posted on Sep 14, 2018 7:39 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Luis Sequeira1

Level 9

64,520 points

Sep 14, 2018 10:39 AM in response to HenryS

AFAIK, there is no Mac Mini with 10G Ethernet, so that part I think you got wrong.

The only mac models with built-in 10G Ethernet are the 2013 cylinder MacPro, and the 2017 iMac Pro.

Rewiring your house for 10G would set you back a LOT of money in cables, switches, etc.

In the end, unless your NAS was a big RAID or had SSD in it, the NAS and your internal drive would become the limiting factor, not the network.

It doesn't make sense for a home network to spend a few thousand dollars.

I'd say 60-90MBps is pretty good in real life performance, and in all likelyhood the problem you are assigning to the network is inside your mac mini.

If your mac has internal HD drives, they are almost certainly the limiting factor already, even with a 1G network. Your NAS's throughput is also a consideration.

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Answer 2

Sep 14, 2018 10:48 AM in response to HenryS

Ethernet networks have overhead due to variable collisions, resends, errors, and network buffer behavior — to name just a few of the factors within your walls. You will never attain the mathematical promise of your GigE home network. There is no real world, finite performance measurement for a multivariate network capacity problem.

Unless you can afford a commerical 10GigE connection to your home, the 10GigE household infrastructure upgrade, and Mac upgrade (iMacPro, MacPro) expenses for a 10GigE hardware support — wouldn't this be a theoretical dream too? Got 10 grand to blow on variables?

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Answer 3

HenryS Author

Level 2

318 points

Sep 14, 2018 10:48 AM in response to VikingOSX

Yep. Wishful thinking on my part. I'm aware of the overhead required by factors like TCP encapsulation and file sharing service.

My connected USB-C drive gets a reliable 200-300 MB/s while my RAID array gets 700 MB/s writing and 1300MB/s reading.

1Gb/s is pretty slow compared with those numbers. Just wondered what everybody is experiencing. I think you answered that one. So thanks. My MacBook Pro says it can handle 10Gb/s. I've never tried it, all my stuff runs pretty well at GigE. Eventually things will change.

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Answer 4

Sep 14, 2018 11:10 AM in response to HenryS

The 2016 thru July 2018 MacBook Pro do not have an internal ethernet adapter, and can only do GigE (again theoretical) via a Thunderbolt3 (USB-C) adapter, or 10GigE via a Thunderbolt3 adapter. With the right 802.11ac router, you may attain (again theoretical) near GigE wireless speeds within your home.

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