USB Type-C to Micro-B 3.1 Cable: Any suggestions?

[esskay]

I got a new MBPr15tb. I have several USB 3 portable hard drives which have USB Micro-B connectors on them. So I need USB Type-C to Micro-B 3.1 cables to connect them directly.

Example: AmazonBasics cable https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Type-C-Micro-B-Gen2-Cable/dp/B01GGKYIHS

I've read about the inconsistent quality of USB-C cables out there, and found that Google Engineer Benson Leung is renowned for his USB-C cable testing.

Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have tested any Type-C to Micro-B cables.

Does anyone know of a specific cable like this that's been tested to similar standards as Benson Leung is known for?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Gjwilly]

I just looked at that cable for the same usage but ended up getting the ones from Cable Matters.
As for the Benson Leung style reviews I think the biggest concern there is power transmission and being sure that whatever you're hooking up via USB-C doesn't try to demand too much power and end up damaging your ports. I could be wrong but I don't think that applies so much in our cases.

 

[esskay]

Thanks for your input!

Why did you end up choosing the Cable Matters cable? I noticed that the AmazonBasics has the USB-IF certification while it wasn't clear if the CableMatters does.

Wirecutters also had recommendations on a bunch of USB C cable types -- except for micro-B cables... They cited some data rate testing too; despite the spec, there seemed to be variation on that.

 

[aldenh]

I got a new MBPr15tb. I have several USB 3 portable hard drives which have USB Micro-B connectors on them. So I need USB Type-C to Micro-B 3.1 cables to connect them directly.

Example: AmazonBasics cable https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Type-C-Micro-B-Gen2-Cable/dp/B01GGKYIHS

I've read about the inconsistent quality of USB-C cables out there, and found that Google Engineer Benson Leung is renowned for his USB-C cable testing.

Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have tested any Type-C to Micro-B cables.

Does anyone know of a specific cable like this that's been tested to similar standards as Benson Leung is known for?

Thanks in advance!

I ordered one on amazon from cablecreations has pretty good reviews and Benson Leung left a review too so go trough it. Unfortunately didn't have time to test it myself. Here is the link https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B012...lecreation&dpPl=1&dpID=31fiSpVay3L&ref=plSrch

 

[esskay]

I ordered one on amazon from cablecreations has pretty good reviews and Benson Leung left a review too so go trough it. Unfortunately didn't have time to test it myself. Here is the link https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B012...lecreation&dpPl=1&dpID=31fiSpVay3L&ref=plSrch

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked at Benson's review shown there, and he actually reviewed the adapter with a female socket, not the cable with male ends, which is what I'm seeking. Not sure how many Amazon listings seem to morph a bit, where past reviews aren't necessarily exactly aligned with the current product listings.

I'm not sure whether Brandon's recommendations can be safely extrapolated to other products from the same brand.
[doublepost=1503180726][/doublepost]

I just looked at that cable for the same usage but ended up getting the ones from Cable Matters.
As for the Benson Leung style reviews I think the biggest concern there is power transmission and being sure that whatever you're hooking up via USB-C doesn't try to demand too much power and end up damaging your ports. I could be wrong but I don't think that applies so much in our cases.

BTW, one advantage I noticed on the Cable Matters product is a lifetime warranty, whereas Amazon Basics is only one year.

 

[Gormur]

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked at Benson's review shown there, and he actually reviewed the adapter with a female socket, not the cable with male ends, which is what I'm seeking. Not sure how many Amazon listings seem to morph a bit, where past reviews aren't necessarily exactly aligned with the current product listings.

I'm not sure whether Brandon's recommendations can be safely extrapolated to other products from the same brand.
[doublepost=1503180726][/doublepost]

BTW, one advantage I noticed on the Cable Matters product is a lifetime warranty, whereas Amazon Basics is only one year.

[doublepost=1521641602][/doublepost]I am able to connect a LaCie Minimus USB3.0 https://www.lacie.com/lacie-content/datasheet/DSS_Minimus_USB3_EN.pdf to my MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) running High Sierra 10.13.3 Using the original Apple Adapter that came with my laptop. https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJ1M2AM/A/usb-c-to-usb-adapter

This is however, not possible using this adapter from TOPK https://www.aliexpress.com/item/TOP...32816279064.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.h6d3CM

 

[hallux]

Does anyone know of a specific cable like this that's been tested to similar standards as Benson Leung is known for?

As for the Benson Leung style reviews I think the biggest concern there is power transmission and being sure that whatever you're hooking up via USB-C doesn't try to demand too much power and end up damaging your ports. I could be wrong but I don't think that applies so much in our cases.

@esskay @Gjwilly is essentially correct. A device that charges over USB-C has the potential to damage a USB-A host device or charger if the negotiation goes bad due to poor design/build of the cable. Whether by design (to make people think they were getting "rapid charging") or by accident (because they didn't know better), cable manufacturers were building and selling cables that "tricked" the device being charged into thinking the host could provide as much power as it wanted to draw, possibly damaging the host by drawing too heavily on the port. In this case, the USB-C port can likely provide more power than your drive could ever request so there's little risk.

 

[Erwantoys]

I got a new MBPr15tb. I have several USB 3 portable hard drives which have USB Micro-B connectors on them. So I need USB Type-C to Micro-B 3.1 cables to connect them directly.

Example: AmazonBasics cable https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Type-C-Micro-B-Gen2-Cable/dp/B01GGKYIHS

I've read about the inconsistent quality of USB-C cables out there, and found that Google Engineer Benson Leung is renowned for his USB-C cable testing.

Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have tested any Type-C to Micro-B cables.

Does anyone know of a specific cable like this that's been tested to similar standards as Benson Leung is known for?

Thanks in advance!

Anyone can answer my question please...
Can I use that usb cable type c to micro b gen 2 in to my WD Harddrive Usb 3.0 with micro B port for 10Gbps? Or just 5gbps?

I just confuse about the gen 2, is that just about cable or cable & device (harddrive/enclosure).

Fyi I"ve external wd harddrive usb 3.0 and the new MBP with type c
I"m from asia let me say sorry for my english.

 

[hallux]

A Micro-b device may not have a USB chip capable of the same speeds. Keep in mind - with the current bus speeds a platter drive is going to be the bottleneck, if that's what's installed in the enclosure, as a platter drive simply doesn't have the read speeds of an SSD.

 

[Erwantoys]

A Micro-b device may not have a USB chip capable of the same speeds. Keep in mind - with the current bus speeds a platter drive is going to be the bottleneck, if that's what's installed in the enclosure, as a platter drive simply doesn't have the read speeds of an SSD.

Hallo..
What if I installed SSD 2.5" in to standard enclosure with micro b port or enclosure with type c gen 1 port then I used gen 2 cable?

 

[HenryAZ]

Apple makes a USB-c -> USB 3 adapter. Use that and just plug in you drive's USB cable into it, assuming the drive's cable is USB type A connector on the computer end and the micro on the drive end. You can then use the adapter for other USB 3 devices also.

Here it is at Amazon, for $18:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VU2OID2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[chrfr]

Apple makes a USB-c -> USB 3 adapter. Use that and just plug in you drive's USB cable into it, assuming the drive's cable is USB type A connector on the computer end and the micro on the drive end. You can then use the adapter for other USB 3 devices also.

Here it is at Amazon, for $18:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VU2OID2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Some enclosures will allow 10Gb speeds when used with a USB-C to Micro-B cable. Using an adapter like this will limit those speeds to 5Gb. This is one reason why people want the USB-C cables instead of adapters.

 

[HenryAZ]

Some enclosures will allow 10Gb speeds when used with a USB-C to Micro-B cable. Using an adapter like this will limit those speeds to 5Gb. This is one reason why people want the USB-C cables instead of adapters.

That makes sense. None of my external disks (Samsung SSD's) will saturate a 10Gbs connection, so I never thought about it that way. 5Gbs seems plenty fast to me.

 

[deeddawg]

Hallo..
What if I installed SSD 2.5" in to standard enclosure with micro b port or enclosure with type c gen 1 port then I used gen 2 cable?

That 2.5" SSD is going to be limited by the SATA interface which maxes out at 6Gbps -- that's spec, real world usage likely a bit less. So I don't think any gen 1 vs gen 2 is going to make a noticeable difference at that point.

 

[Erwantoys]

Some enclosures will allow 10Gb speeds when used with a USB-C to Micro-B cable. Using an adapter like this will limit those speeds to 5Gb. This is one reason why people want the USB-C cables instead of adapters.

Can i know what the name of that enclosures to allow 10Gbps with ssd 2.5?? Please.
[doublepost=1543436423][/doublepost]

That 2.5" SSD is going to be limited by the SATA interface which maxes out at 6Gbps -- that's spec, real world usage likely a bit less. So I don't think any gen 1 vs gen 2 is going to make a noticeable difference at that point.

Yes I ever heard about it but i"m still learned to know it. So know i"m pretty sure about the ssd 2.5 with SATA is 6Gbps even i using enclosure&type c cable gen 2. Thank you very much.
Well, how about raid system with ssd 2.5 with raid enclosure type c gen 2?

 

[deeddawg]

Yes I ever heard about it but i"m still learned to know it. So know i"m pretty sure about the ssd 2.5 with SATA is 6Gbps even i using enclosure&type c cable gen 2. Thank you very much.
Well, how about raid system with ssd 2.5 with raid enclosure type c gen 2?

Yes, an appropriately configured RAID system would provide faster speeds than a single drive. That's often the point of choosing a RAID setup, particularly in the past when SSDs didn't exist -- striping across multiple spindle drives helped gain speed not possible with a single drive.

All that said, remember that any system will be no faster than the slowest component. Drive, enclosure interface to the drive, enclosure interface to the cable, cable, computer interface.

Also - if you want high speed external, look into NVMe based external SSDs. One example is the Samsung X5 - see https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/product/portable/x5/

 

[Erwantoys]

Yes, an appropriately configured RAID system would provide faster speeds than a single drive. That's often the point of choosing a RAID setup, particularly in the past when SSDs didn't exist -- striping across multiple spindle drives helped gain speed not possible with a single drive.

All that said, remember that any system will be no faster than the slowest component. Drive, enclosure interface to the drive, enclosure interface to the cable, cable, computer interface.

Also - if you want high speed external, look into NVMe based external SSDs. One example is the Samsung X5 - see https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/product/portable/x5/

Thank you so much for the sharing.
I think the nvme ssd is too expensive. Maybe better I build the ssd 2.5" raid enclosure with the type c gen 2 interface. Someday i could've the nvme with ⚡3 .
Thank you i'm so appreciate it.

 

[deeddawg]

Thank you so much for the sharing.
I think the nvme ssd is too expensive. Maybe better I build the ssd 2.5" raid enclosure with the type c gen 2 interface. Someday i could've the nvme with ⚡3 .
Thank you i'm so appreciate it.

Each to their own, but personally I'd go with a single NVMe drive -- less complicated and more portable. Also over twice as fast as a dual-drive 2.5" striped RAID array. That'd be worth the $600 vs $500 price difference to me. YMMV.

Single NVMe 1TB $600 - https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Portable-SSD-Thunderbolt-MU-PB1T0B/dp/B07GBWZJFG?th=1

512GB 2.5" SSDs $210 ea - https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-PRO-2-5-Inch-MZ-7KE512BW/dp/B00LF10KTO
Dual-bay RAID enclosure - $80 - https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/External-Enclosures/2.5-Inch-Drives-HD-SSD

 

[satinsilverem2]

Ive tried a few out there and I think the cable creation version is very good. The worst was the welkin cable I got from the Apple store. It was expensive and very inflexible. It also started to crack at the connectors after two weeks of gentle use.

https://www.amazon.com/Micro-B-Cabl...keywords=cable+matters+usb+c+to+micro+b&psc=1