Sequoia 15.3 results in significant improvements in read-write speeds of SSDs connection through Thunderbolt 5 docks and hubs. Here are the details and implications for choosing SSDs.
Thunderbolt
Early testing of TB5 SSDs show they do deliver much faster speeds that even USB4 models, although not as high as some claim. But their cache size may limit streaming large amounts of data.
Some support USB4, others don’t. Some share the controller, others don’t. Some support DFU mode but then can’t be used to create a bootable external disk on Apple silicon.
How to connect a USB4 SSD to get better performance from an Intel Mac. Should you buy a Thunderbolt 4 hub, or a Thunderbolt 5 dock? Do any of these live ‘up to’ their claimed performance?
What TB5 actually provides in its Symmetric and Asymmetric modes, why those are most important to connect Mac to dock or hub, and how that can go wrong.
TB5 promises twice the data transfer rate of TB3, and three times that when supporting external displays. How close is it to achieving those?
Is an M4 next week a better risk than the promise of a better model next year? Understand how to select the M4 chip suited to your needs, and specify your new Mac.
Comparing CPU core counts and maximum core frequencies across the four families in the M series, plus expected performance of Thunderbolt 5. Which M4 Mac should you buy?
How much faster should a Thunderbolt 3 SSD be for making Time Machine backups? How can you speed up backups to your NAS? Here are representative speeds from real testing.
Do external SSDs draw so much power that they’re likely to exceed that available from Thunderbolt or USB4? What would the consequences be in terms of heat?
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