MacBook – External SSD for MacbookPro – get the right speed

macbook pro

I have a MacBookPro, Mid 2014.

In the system information, I see that I have an USB 3.0, with speed up to 12Mb/s.

This is already different from what I see on official specifications https://support.apple.com/kb/sp703?locale=en_US where the USB port speed is given as "up to 5Gbps".

So the question is: I want to buy an external SSD drive, giving priority to speed. But will it be meaningful to buy an SSD that boasts up to 550MB/s (68Mbps) when I have only 12Mbps?

Or should I believe that I have 5Gbps?

I'm a bit confused

Best Answer

The external USB3 ports on the MacBook Pro Mid 2014 are definitely capable of 5 Gbps, and so it it is indeed meaningful to connect a SSD that way.

Note that the actual speed of the USB links changes depending on what you connect to it. So if you connect some older, slower device - such as a for example an old USB mouse - you would see the speed listed as being significantly slower. The same can happen if you connect an older USB hub, or you connect several devices to the same port of differing speeds.

Also note that the MacBook Pro has internal USBs for things like the keyboard, trackpad and camera. The speed of these is irrelevant in terms of the performance you'll see with externally connected devices.

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