MacBook Pro 2 or 4 port version?

[icharry]

So I'm gonna replace my 2011 macbook and have a question on the 2 vs. 4 thunderbolt 3 port versions.
With only 2 ports can I plug in for power and also have an external drive and a card reader plugged in all at once? ie is there some sort of adapter that allows the me to plug these 3 things in at once? If it is the
card reader and the external drive will transfer speed be a problem - ie dumping vidoe footage fromt he card to the external drive all via one port?

 

[raqball]

You can get a hub and use the 2nd port for it. Plenty of options out there, check Amazon.. I don't have or use a hub but I am sure others will chime in with what they use.

 

[icharry]

I just worried that using the card reader to transfer footage to the drive via a hub would be slow. Anyone? Especially people using this set up for editing video in the field.

 

[raqball]

I just worried that using the card reader to transfer footage to the drive via a hub would be slow. Anyone? Especially people using this set up for editing video in the field.

My understanding is the hub won't slow anything down but I don't have nor use one..

 

[kohlson]

Here's what my late 2013 15-MBP does with a V30 rated SDXC 128GB (using BM Speed Test):
- SD slot: 63 MBps write - 85 MBps read
- USB 3 port with cheeseball adapter: 58 MBps write - 75 MBps read

2009 Mac Pro with PCIe USB 3
- USB 3 port with cheeseball adapter: 55 MBps write - 68 MBps read

There are lots of TB3 adapters, ranging in price from $50 to $200+. I bought my wife the well-rated Vava. It's my understanding that unlike a Swiss army knife, they are designed to do multiple things at once, within the limited of the technology. FWIW, an SDXC card, even rated V90 or UHS-II or whatever doesn't come anywhere close to saturating the available pipeline. If you want to really know, buy those things before you order the MBP and take them into an Apple Store and try them out.

 

[Nbd1790]

There are plenty of adapters out there for sure. The whole point of the TB3 port is the ability to have one port perform multiple different things (for example power, video and data through one port). So, can you get by? Yes for sure. But again as mentioned, the functionality may not be as good as having one port dedicated to one task. For example, I used an adapter that had 3 USB-A ports, power pass through, SD Card and an HDMI port. All through one TB3 port and never had a complaint. If you have the funds to afford a model with 4 TB3 ports, go for it for sure. But you can certainly get by and transfer speeds won't be crippled by running fewer TB3 ports.

 

[Muyfa666]

I had the base model MBP13 (2019) with only 2 ports. It's actually a lovely machine. With a decent adapter you will get great results. Amazon is your friend.

I switched to a full 2,4Ghz 4-port machine because I have OCD, pretty much. ;-)