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USB on M1 Macs isn't actually 10Gb/s? (Also definitely not USB4)
- Thread starter Anonymous Freak
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- apple silicon mac mini usb 3.2
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10 Gbps is the Thunderbolt/USB4NET network speed between any Thunderbolt/USB4 host devices. You get the same with non-Apple hosts. It is not widely advertised. I was disappointed too.
I tested an iMac Pro & Studio M1 Max (with front USB-C ports):
BlackMagic speed test:
1. SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD (v1) USB3.1 Gen 2 (model DSSDE60)
- iMac Pro TB3 = W490 R520
- Studio TB4 = W420 R390
- Studio USB-C = W490 R520
This is baffling why the Studio's TB4 is slowest.
2. SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD (v2) USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (model SDSSDE81)
- iMac Pro TB3 = W960 R960
- Studio TB4 port = W970 R920
- Studio USB-C = W820 R750
This is baffling why the Studio's Front USB-C is slowest.
BlackMagic speed test:
1. SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD (v1) USB3.1 Gen 2 (model DSSDE60)
- iMac Pro TB3 = W490 R520
- Studio TB4 = W420 R390
- Studio USB-C = W490 R520
This is baffling why the Studio's TB4 is slowest.
2. SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD (v2) USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (model SDSSDE81)
- iMac Pro TB3 = W960 R960
- Studio TB4 port = W970 R920
- Studio USB-C = W820 R750
This is baffling why the Studio's Front USB-C is slowest.
What is the USB controller of the Studio's USB-C ports? No-one has posted ioreg or system_profiler of a Studio yet. I am thinking it's a non-Apple USB controller, maybe an ASMedia ASM3142 like that used on the four port M1 iMac? But if that were the case, then it wouldn't have the poor 10 Gbps performance. Maybe it's a Asmedia ASM1142? That's a step backward from the M1 iMac...
Also, if you use AmorphousDiskMark, you can get numbers that are closer to the max bandwidth of the port (for example, My Mac mini 2018 can do 1060 MB/s from USB).
Has Apple commented on this issue? Or has it been fixed in macOS Ventura?
What do I need to type into terminal to get this info? And what part of the output is needed (what to grep?)
System Information.app should have the info in the USB tab.
In Terminal.app, this command gets the same info into a text file:
system_profiler SPUSBDataType > usb_all.txtTo get all the info for all the PCI devices (not just the ones shown in the PCI tab of System Information.app), then use the following command:
ioreg -fiw0 -c IOPCIDevice > ioreg_pcidevices.txt
Another Acasis usb4 enclosure + WD black sn750 1T on MBA M1 success story
The thread isn't about USB4, but about USB3.2 Gen2 which is supposed to be 10Gbps but isn't. The thread is about USB 3.2 gen2 SSD devices which are underperforming.
USB4 is a different protocol which has a minimum requirement for 20Gbps but is commonly 40Gbps because many TB3 ports on macs are also USB4 and TB3 which is a 40Gbps protocol. I think your speeds imply 40Gbps.
Well, it is also, and it is in this thread that found the info to get these specific parts, as people here were trying different combinations until reached some that were working. This is why I posted it. If you go around the pages in the thread you will see a lot of people posting similar.
It is an ACASIS enclosure, got it from german amazon but I do not know where you live.
40Gbps NVMe SSD Enclosure for Thunderbolt 4/3, USB4 M.2 NVMe Enclosure for PCIe 2280 M-Key (B+M Key), USB C Case Compatible for Thunderbolt 3/4, Aluminium Alloy Housing, up to 2700 MB/s
40Gbps NVMe M.2 SSD Enclosure ANYOYO
www.amazon.de
There are also other enclosures people managed to make work in this thread, but this one has worked well with an ssd I could find second hand cheaper. In general nobody knows why, but there are combinations that work and others that do not work, the same enclosure can work with an ssd model and not with other while the ssd models can work or not with another enclosure, it looks like a mess. Even some people may have failed to reach these speeds with this combinations, and it may depend on the serial number of the SSD. Also, while it supports 2T SSDs, people seem to have been able to make it work on these speeds only with SSDs with 1T or less.
Also, I am unsure how much of a difference in speeds would be noticeable in practice tbh compared to a USB 3.2 gen 2 one, but in the future I would like to make it bootable with linux, so I wanted to spend my money wisely on that now.
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Thanks. It does look like it ships to US so will think about it.It is an ACASIS enclosure, got it from german amazon but I do not know where you live.
40Gbps NVMe SSD Enclosure for Thunderbolt 4/3, USB4 M.2 NVMe Enclosure for PCIe 2280 M-Key (B+M Key), USB C Case Compatible for Thunderbolt 3/4, Aluminium Alloy Housing, up to 2700 MB/s
40Gbps NVMe M.2 SSD Enclosure ANYOYOwww.amazon.de
There are also other enclosures people managed to make work in this thread, but this one has worked well with an ssd I could find second hand cheaper. In general nobody knows why, but there are combinations that work and others that do not work, the same enclosure can work with an ssd model and not with other while the ssd models can work or not with another enclosure, it looks like a mess. Even some people may have failed to reach these speeds with this combinations, and it may depend on the serial number of the SSD. Also, while it supports 2T SSDs, people seem to have been able to make it work on these speeds only with SSDs with 1T or less.
Also, I am unsure how much of a difference in speeds would be noticeable in practice tbh compared to a USB 3.2 gen 2 one, but in the future I would like to make it bootable with linux, so I wanted to spend my money wisely on that now.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
It is an ACASIS enclosure, got it from german amazon but I do not know where you live.
40Gbps NVMe SSD Enclosure for Thunderbolt 4/3, USB4 M.2 NVMe Enclosure for PCIe 2280 M-Key (B+M Key), USB C Case Compatible for Thunderbolt 3/4, Aluminium Alloy Housing, up to 2700 MB/s
40Gbps NVMe M.2 SSD Enclosure ANYOYOwww.amazon.de
There are also other enclosures people managed to make work in this thread, but this one has worked well with an ssd I could find second hand cheaper. In general nobody knows why, but there are combinations that work and others that do not work, the same enclosure can work with an ssd model and not with other while the ssd models can work or not with another enclosure, it looks like a mess. Even some people may have failed to reach these speeds with this combinations, and it may depend on the serial number of the SSD. Also, while it supports 2T SSDs, people seem to have been able to make it work on these speeds only with SSDs with 1T or less.
Also, I am unsure how much of a difference in speeds would be noticeable in practice tbh compared to a USB 3.2 gen 2 one, but in the future I would like to make it bootable with linux, so I wanted to spend my money wisely on that now.
I have a similar USB4 caddy, with a 2TB Samsung 980 Pro, and it hits these speeds no problem. Not sure why others are having issues maxing out speeds with >1TB drives...
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Having a "similar" enclosure doesnt mean much unless they use the same USB controller internally. Can you please take a picture of the controller chip on that board?
What is your mac model? Seems M1 pro and max chips do not have the same issues as the base M1.
Pic of your controller IC, please. Having positive information would be really helpful.
It has an identical PCB to the Acasis USB4/TB4 caddy, so is the same device functionally.
They both use dual controllers, JHL7440 TB and JMS583 USB.
I’ve tried mine with my M1 Max MBP, M1 Max Mac Studio and my 2019 Intel MBP 16”. All work fine, hitting 2.7GB/s read, 2.3GB/s write with a 2TB Samsung 980 Pro.
Just to add: I’ve been using older Thunderbolt 3 -only NVME caddies based on JHL6340 TB3 controller for a long time. Never had any issues with those and 2TB drives either.
The newer TB4/USB4 dual-controller caddies are great, as I can move files between client machines which don’t always have Thunderbolt ports, at 1GB/s, with the same drive.
I chose the Yottamaster over the Acasis as the sculpted, finned chassis is much more effective at dissipating heat; runs ~10degC cooler with the same drive than a monoblock design. It also came with a second thermal pad for the controller chips.
The newer TB4/USB4 dual-controller caddies are great, as I can move files between client machines which don’t always have Thunderbolt ports, at 1GB/s, with the same drive.
I chose the Yottamaster over the Acasis as the sculpted, finned chassis is much more effective at dissipating heat; runs ~10degC cooler with the same drive than a monoblock design. It also came with a second thermal pad for the controller chips.
Just received my 2TB SanDisk Extreme v2 (non-Pro) that's rated at 10 Gbps and tested with APFS and APFS (encrypted) using Spigen USB 4 cable on my 14" M1 Pro. Peak write speeds I saw were ~950 MB/s and ~820 MB/s (encrypted) so pretty pleased with the drive. This drive cost me little more than some of these TB3/4 enclosures alone so I'll stick with this for now since I don't need anything crazy fast. Previously, peak write speed on my 1TB SanDisk Extreme v1 (APFS) was ~420 MB/s, which was little disappointing since my old Intel Mac Mini was able to write little over 500 MB/s.