Simply atrocious USB transfer speeds

[Mhaddy]

I've got a Mac Pro 2008 running 10.6.8 and USB transfer speeds to USB keys are simply atrocious. On average, I'm getting 450 Kbps to 2.2 Mbps... that's 5-10 mins to transfer a 700 MB file. I've used a couple of different Lacie Imakey's, which are top quality and USB 2.0.

Anyone else experiencing this issue/have a remedy?

 

[ActionableMango]

I have a 768MB disk image that takes about 3 minutes to copy to my Sandisk Cruzer, so yours is about 2 to 3 times slower.

However, a disk image is a single file and a single 700MB file will transfer a heck of a lot faster than hundreds or thousands of little files that add up to 700MB.

Basic troubleshooting is to eliminate potential problems one by one:

If you have many small files, try keeping them in a DMG on your computer instead of a normal folder. Then copy the DMG as a single file to the drive. See if this improved performance.

Try a different model USB key. That will tell you if it's the key or the computer.

If you are copying from USB to USB, make sure the source and destination drives are on different USB controllers.

 

[seanm9]

I've got a Mac Pro 2008 running 10.6.8 and USB transfer speeds to USB keys are simply atrocious. On average, I'm getting 450 Kbps to 2.2 Mbps... that's 5-10 mins to transfer a 700 MB file. I've used a couple of different Lacie Imakey's, which are top quality and USB 2.0.

Anyone else experiencing this issue/have a remedy?

plug the drive in and check system profiler... i kinda remember hearing if a usb 1.1 device is plugged into the the bus it slows the whole bus... you might be able to separate the 1.1 and 2.0 devices from each other?

 

[tamvly]

I have started using USB3 devices on my 3,1 Mac Pro which only has, of course, USB2. They are significantly faster than the USB2 drives I used to use. Check it out.

 

[leon771]

The problem is the iamakey's. They're extremely slow. I have one and it is just as slow as yours. They look pretty but just don't have the performance. You'll have to buy another brand of key to get faster speeds.