02-03-2021, 10:54 PM
anonymouse1 wrote:
So I moved the NVME SSD over, and it gives expected speeds with all my machines, with one exception. On the M1 Mac Mini, on the USB-C port, I'm getting about 930 Mbps, which is good enough for me. But on the same machine's USB-A port (which is rated at the full USB 3.1 gen2 10GBps), I got around 40 Mbps! But wait, it gets stranger. I have an Anker USB 3.0 hub plugged into the other USB-A port in the Mac Mini. When I plug the enclosure into the hub, I get about 350 Mbps, which is in the ballpark for a USB 3.0 connection. But why would the speed increase when I go through the hub, instead of directly?
EDIT: I switched the hub and the SSD between the two USB-A ports, and the SSD is now getting full bandwidth-I'll switch 'em back later and see what happens.
If you've got any thoughts, I'd love to hear them. In the meantime, I'm rockin' the USB-C port, and a happy camper.
On all of my Macs, my USB3 external cases or cables will occasionally only negotiate a USB2 speed connection, and some Macs do it more than others. With one particular USB-C case and cable, only one particular orientation of the cable will allow USB3 speeds, even though USB-C is supposed to be directionless. The simple doesn't always end up simple.