New to Mac thunderbolt 3 question

[Clonetrooper]

Hi,

I'm a new user to Mac and have a M1 mini. I want to increase my storage and have Lightroom and my photographs on a separate drive to the one built in.

I have bought a 2TB Sandisk Extreme with a 1000MB/s transfer speed. Is this worth connecting via Thunderbolt cable, rather than USB C? Is there a better option over the £39 or so apple want for a thunderbolt cable!

Thanks

 

[satcomer]

I always get my cables at Monoprice.com for 2.1 HDMI cables are reasonable prices!

 

[Amethyst1]

I have bought a 2TB Sandisk Extreme with a 1000MB/s transfer speed.

Is this a USB-C SSD, i.e. an NVMe SSD in a USB-C enclosure? If so, no need to get a Thunderbolt cable — it won’t be any faster.

 

[Jack Neill]

WD website states that drive is USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2.

 

[Clonetrooper]

Is this a USB-C SSD, i.e. an NVMe SSD in a USB-C enclosure? If so, no need to get a Thunderbolt cable — it won’t be any faster.

Yes I think so, this one...

SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD external drive, up to 1050 MB/s, read, 1,000MB/s write, external SSD, USB-C, solid state drive, IP65 rated for dust and water resistance, Black

SanDisk Extreme Portable. SSD capacity: 2000 GB. USB connector: USB Type-C, USB version: 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2). Read speed: 1050 MB/s, Write speed: 1000 MB/s. Password protection, Product colour: Black

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Jack Neill]

Yes I think so, this one...

SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD external drive, up to 1050 MB/s, read, 1,000MB/s write, external SSD, USB-C, solid state drive, IP65 rated for dust and water resistance, Black

SanDisk Extreme Portable. SSD capacity: 2000 GB. USB connector: USB Type-C, USB version: 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2). Read speed: 1050 MB/s, Write speed: 1000 MB/s. Password protection, Product colour: Black

www.amazon.co.uk

What speeds are you currently getting? The link you provided stated 1050 if you're getting 1000ish I would say you're getting what its stated speed is.

 

[Clonetrooper]

What speeds are you currently getting? The link you provided stated 1050 if you're getting 1000ish I would say you're getting what its stated speed is.

It's on it's way for delivery, should have it today! I was just wondering if I needed a thunderbolt cable to get the best possible speeds. People seem to hit around 700MB/s from the YouTube clips I've watched.

 

[Amethyst1]

I was just wondering if I needed a thunderbolt cable to get the best possible speeds.

Nope.

 

[chengengaun]

Hi,

I'm a new user to Mac and have a M1 mini. I want to increase my storage and have Lightroom and my photographs on a separate drive to the one built in.

I have bought a 2TB Sandisk Extreme with a 1000MB/s transfer speed. Is this worth connecting via Thunderbolt cable, rather than USB C? Is there a better option over the £39 or so apple want for a thunderbolt cable!

Thanks

You should do just fine with the supplied cable. SanDisk Extreme does not use the Thunderbolt 3 interface so you can’t get any faster than 1050MB/s.

WD website states that drive is USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2.

That is probably the SanDisk Extreme Pro V2. It can support speed of up to 2200MB/s but only over USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2. If the x2 tunneling is not supported (which is the case for Macs) then the maximum transfer rate is only up to 1050MB/s. See this Reddit discussion for details.

Edit: Also see this Amazon review for details. Disclaimer: I never actually owned an Extreme Pro but was researching it for potential purchase, and came across these pieces of information.

 

[Jack Neill]

You should do just fine with the supplied cable. SanDisk Extreme does not use the Thunderbolt 3 interface so you can’t get any faster than 1050MB/s.


That is probably the SanDisk Extreme Pro V2. It can support speed of up to 2200MB/s but only over USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2. If the x2 tunneling is not supported (which is the case for Macs) then the maximum transfer rate is only up to 1050MB/s. See this Reddit discussion for details.

Edit: Also see this Amazon review for details. Disclaimer: I never actually owned an Extreme Pro but was researching it for potential purchase, and came across these pieces of information.

That review was good info. Good find.

 

[chengengaun]

That review was good info. Good find.

I like the summary of the various USB standards. They are getting more and more convoluted, it's really meant to make manufacturers happy rather than users.

 

[dwig]

...

Hi,
... Is this worth connecting via Thunderbolt cable, rather than USB C? Is there a better option over the £39 or so apple want for a thunderbolt cable!...

Thanks

Yes, no, and maybe...

... Not all "USB-C" cables are the same. USB-C is, technically, just the term for the connector and not for what data and power abilities a particular cable or socket supports. A cable with a USB-C connector can be limited to as slow as USB 2.1. I have several such cables that are primarily charging cables, optimized for high current charging at the expense of data capabilities. Also, my phone has a USB-C socket that only supports USB 2.1 and not any of the various USB 3.x variants.

For the drive you've ordered and for connecting to a Mac, a TB cable won't be any better than a less expensive cable that supports USB 3.2, but would be significantly better that using a "charging" cable that only supports USB 2 data.

 

[jason.siegel]

Just bought a Samsung T5 for Time Machine backups. I'm still super unclear on the extent to which Samsung T7 would achieve better speeds. I've also seen some feedback online that the T7 has some issues like heat on the M1. So unclear if I made the right move by saving my $50 but am curious.

 

[chengengaun]

You should do just fine with the supplied cable. SanDisk Extreme does not use the Thunderbolt 3 interface so you can’t get any faster than 1050MB/s.

Yep, I received the SanDisk Extreme Pro and can confirm that the included USB-C cable does enable transfer speed of ~920MB/s (tested with BlackMagic Disk Speed Test).