Inateck UASP USB3 Enclosure Review

[Baransch]

Hi!

I recently bought a new Macbook pro, and a Inateck UASP case to put my videos on it. With a Samsung 840 EVO installed in the case, I only get speeds up to 250 mbps, which is way slower than expected.

I checked the system, and it says the drive uses UASP, so I don't really understand how I get such a difference in comparison with other people's tests and results (around 380-400mbps)

Does anyone have a clue about this issue?

Thanks in advance!

 

[cookiesnfooty]

Sorry to bring back a dead thread but I am unable to get my device to show as loaded IOUSBAttachedSCSI however I appear to be getting full speeds from the SSD drive enclosed as shown in the screenshot.

Is it possible later OSX version no longer needs to differentiate between the two?

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

@cookiesnfooty: OS X El Capitan uses new USB 3.x drivers. Type this in a Terminal window and it should show the status of the UASP support:

ioreg -bfi | egrep "IOUSBMassStorageUASDriver"

Or search for "UAS" within the IORegistryExplorer (part of the Apple Developer Tools/Hardware IO Tools).

 

[GeJe]

@cookiesnfooty: OS X El Capitan uses new USB 3.x drivers. Type this in a Terminal window and it should show the status of the UASP support:

ioreg -bfi | egrep "IOUSBMassStorageUASDriver"

Or search for "UAS" within the IORegistryExplorer (part of the Apple Developer Tools/Hardware IO Tools).

Thanks for this information.
On my late 2013 Mac Pro, this is the output I get:

IOUSBMassStorageUASDriver <class IORegistryEntry:IOService:IOSCSIProtocolInterface:IOSCSIProtocolServices:IOUSBMassStorageUASDriver, id 0x100008786, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (516 ms), retain 9>
​

Though, with an Innateck FE2009 mSATA enclosure fitted with a Samsung 850 EVO, the speedtest isn’t up to snuff.

(I had odd results like USB 2.0 speed depending on the port I plugged it in, now it’s on the back on the second port)

What could be wrong?

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

...Though, with an Innateck FE2009 mSATA enclosure fitted with a Samsung 850 EVO, the speedtest isn’t up to snuff...

...What could be wrong?

The speed is normal. SSDs in USB enclosures do not support TRIM. This can reduce the write speed. The EVO is slower than the Pro as this video shows. Smaller SSDs have also lower write speeds than bigger SSDs.

 

[GeJe]

Really appreciate your answer.
So UAS is active?
Mine is a 500Go Samsung EVO. Also thanks for the video, I guess it’s for a PRO model then it would make sense.
About the trim: my SSD is pristine, never been written to yet, so it shouldn’t be a factor.

Thanks again

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

...So UAS is active?
Mine is a 500Go Samsung EVO...

Yes, it is active. Otherwise you would see something like SATA II speeds (200-300 MByte/s). AFAIK, the enclosure uses the latest ASMedia ASM1153e chip, which is one of the best bridge chips on the market, with perfect power management under OS X and excellent read/write speeds (Windows, Linux and OS X 10.8+).

 

[Fishrrman]

362mbps writes are very good for a USB3 enclosure.

The 351mbps read speed is ok, but not the absolute fastest.

I get 430mbps reads using either a plugable.com "lay-flat" USB3/SATA dock, or a UCTech USB3/SATA "dongle" adapter.

TRIM -DOES NOT- seem to be a factor here (as was mentioned above) ...

 

[GeJe]

Yes, it is active. Otherwise you would see something like SATA II speeds (200-300 MByte/s). AFAIK, the enclosure uses the latest ASMedia ASM1153e chip, which is one of the best bridge chips on the market, with perfect power management under OS X and excellent read/write speeds (Windows, Linux and OS X 10.8+).

This is exactly the chipset it uses.
Just for my personal culture: what is the expected result for the command:

ioreg -bfi | egrep “IOUSBMassStorageUASDriver"​

And again, thanks for your explanations, really appreciate it.
[doublepost=1462556360][/doublepost]

362mbps writes are very good for a USB3 enclosure.

The 351mbps read speed is ok, but not the absolute fastest.

I get 430mbps reads using either a plugable.com "lay-flat" USB3/SATA dock, or a UCTech USB3/SATA "dongle" adapter.

TRIM -DOES NOT- seem to be a factor here (as was mentioned above) ...

Thanks, I can quit worrying something was wrong and enjoy my extended storage capacity!

 

[GeJe]

Yes, it is active. Otherwise you would see something like SATA II speeds (200-300 MByte/s). AFAIK, the enclosure uses the latest ASMedia ASM1153e chip, which is one of the best bridge chips on the market, with perfect power management under OS X and excellent read/write speeds (Windows, Linux and OS X 10.8+).

I'm afraid I'm not out of the wood yet.
Out of curiosity I did a BlackMagic DiskSpeed on my MacBook Pro (late 2013) and here is the result:

It's nearly 100 MB/s more than on my Mac Pro (late 2013) !
(the write speed is probably due to the lack of TRIM, I don't consider it)

What could explain such a difference, taken UASP is active (yet I'm not sure how to be sure it is)?

As a side note, on the aforementioned Mac Pro, I sometimes have 40 MB/s max throughput on any external drive I plug in. I have to unplug/replug to reclaim my 360 MB/s on the external SSD drive.

Any help understanding this would be greatly appreciated!

 

[LuminousFX]

Are there any other enclosure that works well with OS X?

 

[bootz]

I'm afraid I'm not out of the wood yet.
Out of curiosity I did a BlackMagic DiskSpeed on my MacBook Pro (late 2013) and here is the result:

It's nearly 100 MB/s more than on my Mac Pro (late 2013) !
(the write speed is probably due to the lack of TRIM, I don't consider it)
View attachment 631057
What could explain such a difference, taken UASP is active (yet I'm not sure how to be sure it is)?

As a side note, on the aforementioned Mac Pro, I sometimes have 40 MB/s max throughput on any external drive I plug in. I have to unplug/replug to reclaim my 360 MB/s on the external SSD drive.

Any help understanding this would be greatly appreciated!

I think it is squarely a Mac software issue. I'd run the BlackMagic test, eject the drive and plug it into another port and the speeds would change significantly. Switch to Bootcamp, and the read/write speeds are super fast all the time (high 300/400s) - Mid-2012 rMBP, Inateck UASP, and Samsung 850 EVO.

 

[Chiily]

Are there any other enclosure that works well with OS X?

I'm using an Inateck FE2010 enclosure with a Samsung 850, 500GB drive. It is superb, very fast, latest chipset.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01FQ49IES/ref=pe_1909131_77697001_tnp_email_TE_AMZLdp_1

I have some BM tests at home, I'll post them when I'm back off holiday.

 

[satcomer]

Thanks for this information.
On my late 2013 Mac Pro, this is the output I get:

IOUSBMassStorageUASDriver <class IORegistryEntry:IOService:IOSCSIProtocolInterface:IOSCSIProtocolServices:IOUSBMassStorageUASDriver, id 0x100008786, registered, matched, active, busy 0 (516 ms), retain 9>
​

Though, with an Innateck FE2009 mSATA enclosure fitted with a Samsung 850 EVO, the speedtest isn’t up to snuff.
View attachment 630052
(I had odd results like USB 2.0 speed depending on the port I plugged it in, now it’s on the back on the second port)

What could be wrong?

Reset Your PRAM because you might have static cling built up after a winter season!

 

[Chiily]

Images as promised...


Above: Out of the box 1T HHD in a late 2015 21.5" iMac.



Above: External FE2002, USB3. Samsung EVO 850 500gb



Above: External FE2010, USB3. Samsung EVO 850 500gb

The original HDD is painfully slow...

 

[GeJe]

I think it is squarely a Mac software issue. I'd run the BlackMagic test, eject the drive and plug it into another port and the speeds would change significantly. Switch to Bootcamp, and the read/write speeds are super fast all the time (high 300/400s) - Mid-2012 rMBP, Inateck UASP, and Samsung 850 EVO.

I have actually and finally found the definitive answer on the performance issue between my MBPr 2013 vs. my MP late 2013.
For anyone who cares