Issue Summary
Plugable’s USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C to SATA hard drive docking station and USB 3.1 Gen 2 USB-C to SATA Adapter Cable both support USB 10Gbps data rates with compatible computers. However, we have confirmed that when used with Apple M-Series processor-based Macs, the data rate is limited to USB 5Gbps.
Testing and Findings
We conducted tests with multiple docking stations and computers to verify this behavior:
- Apple Intel-based Macs: Achieve the expected USB 10Gbps speeds.
- Windows and Linux computers: Also support USB 10Gbps as expected.
- Apple M1/M2-based Macs: Limited to USB 5Gbps speeds.
Performance Impact
- SATA SSDs: High-performance SSDs may experience reduced transfer speeds due to the 5Gbps limitation.
- Spinning hard drives: No impact, as their performance is inherently below USB 5Gbps or SATA III 6Gbps limits.
- Affected Products:
- USBC-SATA-V USB 3.1 Gen 2 SATA Vertical Hard Drive Dock
- USBC-SATA24 USB 3.1 Gen 2 USB-C to SATA Adapter Cable
Benchmark Results (AmorphousDiskMark, APFS format)
| Samsung 840 EVO 250GB | Western Digital Black 500GB | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read Speed (MB/s) | Write Speed (MB/s) | Read Speed (MB/s) | Write Speed (MB/s) | |
| Intel MacBook USB 10Gbps | 552 (4.42Gbps) | 486 (3.89Gbps) | 115 (0.92Gbps) | 104 (0.83Gbps) |
| Intel MacBook USB 5Gbps | 456 (3.65Gbps) | 424 (3.39Gbps) | 115 (0.92Gbps) | 104 (0.83Gbps) |
| M2 MacBook USB 5Gbps | 416 (3.33Gbps) | 420 (3.36Gbps) | 116 (0.93Gbps) | 106 (0.85Gbps) |
Cause and Future Updates
The ASMedia USB-to-SATA chipset used in these products is no longer under active development, and no firmware updates are expected to resolve this issue. While a future macOS update could potentially change this behavior, we do not anticipate any improvements at this time.
Need Help?
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to our support team at support@plugable.com, and we’ll be happy to assist you.
We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding!
