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+--- Thread: Sabrent TB enclosure $20 off (/showthread.php?tid=282819)
Sabrent TB enclosure $20 off - ka jowct - 12-08-2023
Sabrent enclosure
Re: Sabrent TB enclosure $20 off - Robert M - 12-08-2023
Ka,
Unfortunately, it's not a deal. Everyone has it for that price. A bigger issue is that it doesn't use a standard Thunderbolt cable.
The design of the enclosure makes it necessary to use the Sabrent supplied cable. If that one goes bad, you have to modify the opening for the cable to let the box use a standard off-the-shelf Thunderbolt cable.
I'd take the Envoy Express from OWC over this particular Sabrent model. SImilar performance. Rock solid reliable box.
Robert
Re: Sabrent TB enclosure $20 off - Gareth - 12-08-2023
Robert M wrote:
The design of the enclosure makes it necessary to use the Sabrent supplied cable. If that one goes bad, you have to modify the opening for the cable to let the box use a standard off-the-shelf Thunderbolt cable.
Have you actually tried this enclosure in person, or are you just going off the pictures and the fact that it's a recessed cable opening?
Based on the pictures, it *looks* like any run of the mill TB 3/4 cable would fit. I have some from multiple "manufacturers" and they are all the same-ish size and look like they would fit.
My bigger issue would be it's not TB 4, which could be a good or bad thing depending on one's needs. TB 4 is compatible with USB 4 and thus USB 3 so you have more compatibility, but on a TB 3 machine, it will only run at USB 3 speeds (10 Gb/sec). Of course, TB 4 cases are more expensive. OWC just released a new one for $120: https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-express-1m2
Re: Sabrent TB enclosure $20 off - macphanatic - 12-08-2023
Gareth wrote:
[quote=Robert M]
The design of the enclosure makes it necessary to use the Sabrent supplied cable. If that one goes bad, you have to modify the opening for the cable to let the box use a standard off-the-shelf Thunderbolt cable.
Have you actually tried this enclosure in person, or are you just going off the pictures and the fact that it's a recessed cable opening?
Based on the pictures, it *looks* like any run of the mill TB 3/4 cable would fit. I have some from multiple "manufacturers" and they are all the same-ish size and look like they would fit.
My bigger issue would be it's not TB 4, which could be a good or bad thing depending on one's needs. TB 4 is compatible with USB 4 and thus USB 3 so you have more compatibility, but on a TB 3 machine, it will only run at USB 3 speeds (10 Gb/sec). Of course, TB 4 cases are more expensive. OWC just released a new one for $120: https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-express-1m2
If you look at the second photo on the B&H website, you can clearly see a key in the hole for the cable. A standard thunderbolt cable won't fit unless you mod it or the case. Another photo shows the cable with a matching slot.
Re: Sabrent TB enclosure $20 off - Robert M - 12-08-2023
Gareth,
Reviews. They note the issue specifically. One person used a CNC to enlarge the opening so it can use any Thunderbolt cable.
Speed-wise, the box runs at the same speed as the OWC Envoy Express Thunderbolt 3 box, which is faster than 10 GB/sec (aka USB 3.1 Gen 2).
Robert
Re: Sabrent TB enclosure $20 off - macphanatic - 12-08-2023
OWC TB4 enclosure for $119.
Re: Sabrent TB enclosure $20 off - Gareth - 12-08-2023
macphanatic wrote:
If you look at the second photo on the B&H website, you can clearly see a key in the hole for the cable. A standard thunderbolt cable won't fit unless you mod it or the case. Another photo shows the cable with a matching slot.
Ah, it's like the old Apple keyboard extender USB cables that were keyed so you couldn't use them with other devices!
Re: Sabrent TB enclosure $20 off - Gareth - 12-08-2023
Robert M wrote:
Speed-wise, the box runs at the same speed as the OWC Envoy Express Thunderbolt 3 box, which is faster than 10 GB/sec (aka USB 3.1 Gen 2).
My point about speed was to illustrate the flexibility of TB4 vs TB3. Yes, TB3 is faster than USB, but as we've noted before, it's hard to adapt a TB3 case to an older TB1/2 computer. A TB4 case, on the other hand, you can just plug into USB on the older TB1/2 computer, if you needed to.
Re: Sabrent TB enclosure $20 off - Robert M - 12-08-2023
Gareth,
That wasn't clear in your post. That and I think you've got some things muddled. Unless something has fundamentally changed which I don't think is the case, you've never been able to connect a Thunderbolt enclosure to a USB port and have it work. I doubt this has changed with Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 4 enclosures.
What you can do is connect USB devices to a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 port (both of which use a USB-C connector) even when using an adapter for USB A connections. I've connected USB 3 devices to the Thunderbolt 4 ports of multiple machines. Done it appropriate adapters and cables.
Robert
Re: Sabrent TB enclosure $20 off - Gareth - 12-08-2023
Robert M wrote:
That and I think you've got some things muddled. Unless something has fundamentally changed which I don't think is the case, you've never been able to connect a Thunderbolt enclosure to a USB port and have it work. I doubt this has changed with Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 4 enclosures.
Ah yes, I guess the confusion comes in that TB4 and USB4 are practically and functionally the same for some devices, i.e. the OWC case I linked to, which it looks like is technically a USB 4 case, that's TB4 (and 3) compatible, but runs at full speed on TB4 (and "USB speed" on TB3).