The issue comes when utilizing high performance devices (e.g. Performance is ample for most system configurations, especially for devices like hard drives. Not as fast as Thunderbolt per port, but an excellent alternative for small fast SSDs that are bus powered. Still, USB3 can deliver around ~430 MB/sec using an SSD, and each USB3 port should be able to deliver that bandwidth (however, not tested and confirmed as yet but 800+ MB/sec over two ports confirmed on MacBook Pro). Units with three or more drives should generally perform better via Thunderbolt. In general, a dual hard drive unit has ample bandwidth with USB3. The Mac Pro also has four USB3 ports (effectively three, given the use of one for a keyboard and mouse), which are quite capable in performance terms, and thus are useful for offloading lower performance devices for which USB3 provides adequate bandwidth.įor example, the OWC Mercury Elite Dual offers a choice of Thunderbolt or USB3 connectivity performance is nearly identical with either, so USB3 is a perfectly fine choice. The 2013 Mac Pro has three (3) Thunderbolt busses irregularly arranged not visibly labeled or numbered by Apple, for maximum user confusion:Įach Thunderbolt bus has dedicated bandwidth not shared by the others. ![]() ![]() Three Thunderbolt bussesĬlick the image at right for larger view. ![]() Understanding the port layout and the three Thunderbolt busses is essential, because where a device plugs in can matter when other devices are also on the same bus. Thunderbolt in the 2013 Mac Pro provides a versatile expansion capability, but it comes with a complexity that is essential to understand, or performance can be lost. See also MPG’s computer gear wishlist as well as diglloyd-recommended performance packages for Mac Pro.
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