Thunderbolt adapter for 2013 iMac?

[ferretguy]

I need to find a Thunderbolt to USB adapter for my 2013 iMac. Apparently TB3 doesn't fit. Will Thunderbolt 2 fit? Or do I need to find an older adapter? Apple Support was not able to help me out. Grrr.

 

[chabig]

Let's get some terminology straight. Lightning is the connector on the bottom of iPhones. Thunderbolt is the high speed connection on Macs. Your iMac has Thunderbolt.

An adapter for Thunderbolt to USB is hard to find. You'll probably have to find some kind of Thunderbolt dock with a USB port and connect it with an appropriate cable. I did this simple one for $76.

Kanex Thunderbolt to eSATA plus USB 3.0 Adapter

Easily connect your Thunderbolt-equipped Mac or PC to an eSATA device with the Kane Thunderbolt to eSATA + USB 3.0 Adapter. Small and compact, it connects to the Thunderbolt port on your Mac or PC. Compatible with MacBook with MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2011), MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2011), MacB...

www.amazon.com

 

[ferretguy]

Yes, thanks for the terminology correction. I edited the op. Is that still faster than going through a usb connect?

 

[chabig]

It would be just a little bit faster than using one of your existing USB ports, but only if your peripheral supports USB 3 and is capable of the faster speed. You didn’t mention what you’re trying to connect. I doubt it’s worth it to you.

 

[ferretguy]

It would be just a little bit faster than using one of your existing USB ports, but only if your peripheral supports USB 3 and is capable of the faster speed. You didn’t mention what you’re trying to connect. I doubt it’s worth it to you.

Going to use it to run an SSD drive as my main drive.

 

[chabig]

I don't think it's worth it. I think you'll be more than satisfied with the huge performance increase going from the internal hard drive to the SSD.

 

[ferretguy]

I don't think it's worth it. I think you'll be more than satisfied with the huge performance increase going from the internal hard drive to the SSD.

So, just use my USB-3 port instead of Thunderbolt to run the SSD drive?

 

[chabig]

Yes.

 

[4sallypat]

Thunderbolt 2 is much faster than USB-3.
I use an external TB SSD (Transcend) or a modified LaCie.

Boot up times with an external SSD are less than 10 seconds compared to over 1 minute with the internal spinning HDD.

 

[chabig]

That's true, assuming that ferretguy is willing to buy a Thunderbolt SSD. They aren't cheap. Here's a 500GB Transcend Thunderbolt SSD for $200. The 1TB model is $275.

Transcend 512GB Thunderbolt Solid State Drive StoreJet 500 for MAC (TS512GSJM500)

Exclusively for your Mac, Transcend's StoreJet for Mac SJM 500 Portable Solid State Drive provides immense storage space and offers superior data transfer speeds.

www.amazon.com

Even a cheap USB SSD will be much faster than the internal hard drive, and is a cost effective step to make an aging machine usable until he upgrades.

 

[4sallypat]

I just bought a Transcend 512GB Thunderbolt SSD for $80 on eBay.
It barely had 15 hours of use.

Now it boots my 2013 iMac super quick, the internal hard drive was wiped and set to store / archive large files and no more spinning beachball....

The cheaper way is to get a 1TB LaCie and rip the HDD out and replace with a SATA SSD.
That's how I did my wife's 2013 iMac.
Since it's velcro to the back of the stand where she can't see it, she thinks she got a newer iMac.
😉