Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

BillyR01

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 10, 2020
5
7
Hey all,

I've been struggling with the speed of my external hard drives (max 30mb write speeds!) ever since I upgraded to a macbook with only thunderbolt ports, and I think I've just found out why. The usb-c to usb 3.0 hub that I bought, despite being very clearly advertised as supporting Super Speed 5gbps USB 3.0, is only being recognised as USB 2.0 by OSX. I've seen another couple of threads on here from a while back with people having similar problems, but no good explanation or fix.

To clarify, I have a 14" macbook pro with M1 Pro chip and OS Monterey. The hub is an OEM device off ebay, identical to this one: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184984909798
When connected, even with no drives or devices connected to the hub drawing power, it shows up as this in System Report:

View attachment 2087075

When connecting a USB 3.0 drive using a proper cable, it shows as this:

Screenshot 2022-10-03 at 17.25.27.png


So it recognises that the drive is USB 3.0, but still shows its speed as 480mb/s as it's connected via what it says is a USB 2.0 hub.

My first thought is that the manufacturer of the hub is just a dodgy dealer and has cheated me, but some of the other posts about this issue suggest that even when buying more expensive, branded products like the similar Anker hub, the same problem occurs.

Anyone have any ideas? I've just ordered a simple USB 3 to USB adapter to test a single drive with: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0872VN39L

Many thanks!
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Sorry, the first system report didn't embed for some reason. Here it is:

Screenshot 2022-10-03 at 17.22.34.png
 
A USB 3.0 hub should appear as a USB 2.0 hub and a USB 3.0 hub.
Replace the cable from the hub to the computer.
Test the cable with a different computer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dcmaccam
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.