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USB 3.0 HDD Enclosure - Slow Copy

A

A4orce84

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 17, 2012
432
46
Hello Everyone,

I know this probably isn't the absolute best place to post this question, but I wasn't sure where else to post and ask.

I recently bought the following enclosure for a HDD, that I removed from my Macbook that I had used as a 2nd HD thanks to the Optibay Caddy:

Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Screw-Less-OR...losure/dp/B00B0RD2RA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I'm trying to copy data from the Orico Enclosure to an older Macbook Pro (2009) with USB 2.0, using this USB 3.0 Orico enclosure, and it's super slow. My Macbook Pro sees the drive correctly, and can see all the directories / files, but just trying to copy from the enclosure to my mac is the problem. For example, it's taking 1 hour to copy approximately 100 megs / 1 gig worth of stuff.

Questions:
1. Have people had issues with using USB 3.0 enclosures on USB 2.0 machines / macbook pros?
2. Anyone has any experience with Orico Enclosures?
3. Why would my data transfer be sooo painfully slow? Even thumb drive's I had are faster at copying data than this thing.


Thanks in advance!

--Asif
 
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How fast was the HDD that you put in the caddy? Just because it is a USB 3 caddy, it won't make the old disk any faster, data will transfer at whatever the slowest link in the chain is, the drive is perhaps only capable of reading at 50MB/s...

You say 100MB/1gig of stuff - well which is it? 100MB or 1GB?
 
So the HDD, was the factory Apple one that originally came with my Macbook Pro computer:
4A4DAAF8-3761-49B7-9620-939887EFC97F_zpsinsxi9l4.jpg


A 500GB 5400RPM Toshiba HDD out of a 2009 Macbook Pro. I removed the drive from the same 2009 Macbook Pro, and am now currently trying to copy data from the Toshiba drive to the SSD that I installed in the same 2009 Macbook Pro (Using USB 2.0).

Another example of the speed, is last night (almost 12 hours ago) I kicked off a copy of 73GB, from the HDD in the enclosure to my Macbook Pro, and it is still running:
Copy_zpsf3f51751.png


Since the drive was working fine when it was installed internally in my macbook, via the Optibay, my thinking is that it's either the fact I'm copying this over USB 2.0 (and not USB 3.0 like the enclosure is capable of) or the actual enclosure is bad.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance,
Asif
 
A4orce84 said:
Any recommendations? I'm actually looking at USB 3.0 enclosures since I'm getting a new Retina Macbook Pro soon:

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=USB 3 enclosure 2.5

Thanks,
Asif
Click to expand...

Do you have a another computer to try with?
Can you plug it into your mac as a primary drive (or is it just for data now aka no OSX on it).

I am curious to if the drive itself is the issue. Does it make any noises?

Try copying just 1 file. Does that work?
Copy the 1 file off the drive, does that work?
Now, take just 1 tv show of a few hundred meg's, does that work?
Copy the 1 tv show off the drive, does that work?

Post back with results.
 
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paolo- said:
I have one of those enclosures http://www.amazon.com/ORICO-2588US3-USB-3-0-2-5/dp/B00FYKRI9C/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1405360845&sr=1-8&keywords=orico+usb+3.0+enclosure and it works fine with my retina Macbook Pro. It will sometimes hang in Windows 8.1, but that's actually a Windows problem. I can reach >200MB/s with my SSD in it.

If you have a drive that's powered via the USB port you might be having trouble because you're only using USB 2 and the drive can't power up properly.
Click to expand...


Not sure how true that is, because on Amazon it says:
--Compatible with any USB3.0 or USB2.0 Host of any Windows , Macintosh , Linux or Unix Desktop or Laptop

If USB 2.0 couldn't fully power the enclosure, why say it's backwards compatible? That would just be poor marketing.

Thanks,
Asif
 
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Going by the power usage stamped on that drive, chances are the chipset+HDD doesn't have enough power from the port-- pre-2010 Macs had one port which provided less power as it was on a shared internal hub(BT module, iSight, trackpad & keyboard--even PowerPC suffered this hell)

I've heard of that enclosure company some models need a Y-adapter for extra power or it'll drop to USB 1.1 speeds with some model PCs & Macs, however it could be your original HDD needs a permissions verify/repair--a minor permissions issue(ex: Flash/Java/etc) can seriously skew the amount of time your backup/clone/migration will take too. A *good* USB 2.0 enclosure should easily hit 28-35 MB/sec, on a USB 3.0 machine most 5400 RPM HDDs top out at ~60-70 MB/sec--modern 5400 RPM drives clock closer to 85 MB/sec.

As far as USB 3.0 enclosures I've used without problems:
--Vantec NexStar CX: An aluminum rounded case, this one has a better case design and supports up to a thicker 12.5mm 1-2TB drives. (I've owned previous USB 2.0 model, very solid series)
--Vantec NexStar TX: A cheaper box-y version of the CX, this model you need to attach a plastic sheet to the bottom side of your HDD to avoid shorting out your HDD, yes a very stupid design. (I own two of the older 2.0 models, they include a faux leather carrying pouch, if you use it often the USB jack fails-- USB 3.0 version made the plug more durable but only time can tell if the port mounting holds up.
--InLand USB 3.0 Tool-less 2.5" Enclosure: Pain to open but a very well built enclosure even though its plastic, single plug cable and IMO much more secure fit than Western Digital Passport & Seagate GoFlex Portable (not bad for $5.99 at Microcenter!) :eek:
--InLand USB 3.0/2.0 2.5" Enclosure(aluminum): A revision of their previous 2.0 model, includes a y-adapter for backwards compability.
 
I ended up returning the Orico enclosure to Amazon today, and ordered the following one by Inateck:
http://www.amazon.com/Inateck-Enclo...405385943&sr=8-2&keywords=USB+3+enclosure+2.5

It had a lot more positive reviews, even listed OSX in the supported OS's section, and ended up being cheaper! We'll see if this one is any better, and I'll report back with my results in a week or so.

Thanks everyone for all your time and help, it is greatly appreciated!

--Asif
 
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happyfrappy said:
Going by the power usage stamped on that drive, chances are the chipset+HDD doesn't have enough power from the port-- pre-2010 Macs had one port which provided less power as it was on a shared internal hub(BT module, iSight, trackpad & keyboard--even PowerPC suffered this hell)

I've heard of that enclosure company some models need a Y-adapter for extra power or it'll drop to USB 1.1 speeds with some model PCs & Macs, however it could be your original HDD needs a permissions verify/repair--a minor permissions issue(ex: Flash/Java/etc) ....
Click to expand...


I had an external that used a Y adapter. One of the USB broke. it still worked, but now that I think of it . . . it was pretty slow!!
 
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Hey Guys,

So I got the new enclosure today, and spoiler alert: Everything is much much faster! I don't know everyone else's experience with the Orico brand, but it looks like I had a bad enclosure unit.

My inateck enclosure is working perfectly, and is super speedy so far (Even with my USB 2.0 Macbook Pro)! =)


Thanks everyone for all your time and help around my issue, I really do appreciate everyone's input!

Thanks,
Asif
 
Last edited:
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