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Help, new external SSD very very SLOW

R

Rolumu

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 11, 2019
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Hi, i bought an external SSD for my iMac from 2011, i installed macOS High Sierra on, the SSD is connected in a USB 2.0 port, i installed the drivers of the SSD, i enabled TRIM, i did the cmd-R things but my SSD is SO SLOW, i tested the write and read speed with BlackMagic and i got about 30mb/s in both read and write speed, i tested with my internal HDD and got about 100mb/s !!!! seriously guys what the **** ?

my SSD is a Samsung T5 500go
 
Rolumu said:
Hi, i bought an external SSD for my iMac from 2011, i installed macOS High Sierra on, the SSD is connected in a USB 2.0 port, i installed the drivers of the SSD, i enabled TRIM, i did the cmd-R things but my SSD is SO SLOW, i tested the write and read speed with BlackMagic and i got about 30mb/s in both read and write speed, i tested with my internal HDD and got about 100mb/s !!!! seriously guys what the **** ?

my SSD is a Samsung T5 500go
Click to expand...
That’s all you can expect from USB 2.0. You could get closer to full speed by buying a thunderbolt hub and connecting the SSD to that.
 
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What should i do with my SSD then ? is there a way to connect it to Thunderbolt ?
 
Rolumu said:
What should i do with my SSD then ? is there a way to connect it to Thunderbolt ?
Click to expand...
Is it not possible to return the SSD?

Then do some thorough research and buy something that will offer you the best solution for a 2011 iMac's ports.

Definitely less painful than being unhappy with the speeds or having to go and buy extra hubs etc…
 
Beyond Thunderbolt, the fastest interface you have on there is FireWire 800, though that’s still 2Gbps compared to USB 3.0’s 5Gbps. Not recommended.

Unfortunately the number of peripherals for legacy Thunderbolt (1) are few, if non-existent, and certainly not cheap. I don’t know of any TB1>USB 3.0 converters sadly — not to say there aren’t any, but I can’t find any.
 
The SSD should be running faster than that, at least as fast as the fastest hard drive.
Something is wrong.

You wrote:
"i installed the drivers of the SSD, i enabled TRIM"

Drivers?
WHAT "drivers"?
There shouldn't BE ANY drivers.

If the t5 came with factory-installed software, you should WIPE THAT OFF OF IT.
Nothing should be "on it" (after reformatting) at all -- if there is Samsung driver or encryption software on it, I'm guessing that THAT is contributing to the slowdowns.

But really ... if the 2011 iMac "just isn't cutting it" for speed any more, it's time to think about either a new iMac, or a late-model refurbished with an SSD inside. You're never going to get "SSD speeds" from a 2011 iMac (only possible workaround is to install one internally or use an external Thunderbolt SSD, but they're expensive).
 
Fishrrman said:
The SSD should be running faster than that, at least as fast as the fastest hard drive.
Something is wrong.

You wrote:
"i installed the drivers of the SSD, i enabled TRIM"

Drivers?
WHAT "drivers"?
There shouldn't BE ANY drivers.

If the t5 came with factory-installed software, you should WIPE THAT OFF OF IT.
Nothing should be "on it" (after reformatting) at all -- if there is Samsung driver or encryption software on it, I'm guessing that THAT is contributing to the slowdowns.

But really ... if the 2011 iMac "just isn't cutting it" for speed any more, it's time to think about either a new iMac, or a late-model refurbished with an SSD inside. You're never going to get "SSD speeds" from a 2011 iMac (only possible workaround is to install one internally or use an external Thunderbolt SSD, but they're expensive).
Click to expand...

Hey Fishrrman, good to see you around as ever :)

It's a 2011 iMac and running the SSD externally via USB 2.0. USB 2 has a theoretical max of 480Mbps so the terrible speeds are in line with that, if a tiny bit slower. I often forget just how slow USB 2 is until I remind myself...

Agreed if they could fit the SSD internally it should be a screamer, but as you said that's a lot of work if they're not comfortable.
 
I think i will buy a USB C to Thunderbolt 2 and connect it with a thunderbolt 2 cable
Fishrrman said:
The SSD should be running faster than that, at least as fast as the fastest hard drive.
Something is wrong.

You wrote:
"i installed the drivers of the SSD, i enabled TRIM"

Drivers?
WHAT "drivers"?
There shouldn't BE ANY drivers.

If the t5 came with factory-installed software, you should WIPE THAT OFF OF IT.
Nothing should be "on it" (after reformatting) at all -- if there is Samsung driver or encryption software on it, I'm guessing that THAT is contributing to the slowdowns.

But really ... if the 2011 iMac "just isn't cutting it" for speed any more, it's time to think about either a new iMac, or a late-model refurbished with an SSD inside. You're never going to get "SSD speeds" from a 2011 iMac (only possible workaround is to install one internally or use an external Thunderbolt SSD, but they're expensive).
Click to expand...

By drivers i mean the drivers of the T5, the security thing
 
Rolumu said:
I think i will buy a USB C to Thunderbolt 2 and connect it with a thunderbolt 2 cable


By drivers i mean the drivers of the T5, the security thing
Click to expand...
The T5 is not a thunderbolt device. You will not be able to use a Thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter with it.
 
OP wrote:
"I think i will buy a USB C to Thunderbolt 2 and connect it with a thunderbolt 2 cable"

You can't do this, it won't work.

You have a USB3 drive, it IS NOT compatible with thunderbolt in ANY way.
 
I also have a 2011 iMac and I'm using an external SSD. Same 30 MBps read write speeds. I was also a noob and bought the TB3 to TB2 adapter thinking it would work. My external SSD is USBC with a USBA adapter. Honestly, the read write speeds don't bother me for basic tasks. It's better than nothing and better than the slow internal hard drive. Thunderbolt SSD's and other peripherals are way too expensive. Nothing else you can really do at this point unless you want to buy those converters.
 
Thunderbolt >> FireWire 800 >>>>>>>>> USB 2.0.

Basically: Thunderbolt will be very decent, but it's really expensive and hard to find. FireWire 800 is quite usable and more affordable. I ran a 2010 iMac for a year with a FireWire 800 SSD with pretty good results, but obviously it's not ideal. OTOH, USB 2.0 is just not very usable.

This is a FW800 2.5" enclosure option for US$60:

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go

However, I'd recommend not depending on bus power. I had some lockups with my enclosure on FW800 bus power. I added an AC adapter and then it worked perfectly after that for a year until I upgraded to a 2017 iMac.

Mine was a different model. Mine was a Mercury Elite Pro mini 2.5" enclosure with FW800, but they don't sell that model anymore. The ones they sell now are USB 3/C / eSATA.
 
When using your model iMac, used a Silicon Power 240GB external Thunderbolt1 SSD. It was just great with better write/read speed than the then current OWC SSDs. Still in use seven years later as a backup for my backups, if you get it. If you are in the States maybe eBay and such would have them.

Here is some info but they are no longer in stock:-


https://www.memoryc.com/18992-240gb...ternal-ssd-for-mac-thunderbolt-interface.html
 
I can highly recommend the Delock 42510 Thunderbolt enclosure if you're located in the USA. It is available for $85 from Synchrotech.

I have had one in active service with a Samsung 840 EVO SSD for about five years now. I used to boot my Late 2013 iMac with it and now I use it solely for BootCamp.

Other than that all you'll need is the SSD and a Thunderbolt cable.

***EDIT - It seems like you may be located in France so Synchrotech is probably not an option for you. It seems to be available at eBay France for $89 though.
 
Last edited:
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I had the Caldigit Thunderbolt station with my 2011 27" iMac. It cost $200 at the time (bought it in 2013). I used it for about 5 years before that iMac died and I replaced it with the current 5k model. I had several USB3 external drives plugged into the Caldigit unit and the speed difference was night and day. Never benchmarked it, but I was super happy with the improvement. Obviously, it wasn't a cheap solution (and I don't think they make that device anymore) but I have no regrets. It sits in a closet now.
 
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