Thunderbolt 4

[Biks Wigglesworth]

Got my new Mac Studio with (4 ) Thunderbolt 4 ports. At the moment I have a T-r-e-b-l-e-e-t Thunderbolt 3 case with a S-a-b-r-e-n-t M.2 Rocket inside it connected to one of the Thunderbolt 4 ports. It’s fast but not as fast as the internal storage.

Can I even get an external M.2 case that goes at Thunderbolt 4 speeds? What are my options for taking advantage of Thunderbolt 4 (as of May 2022)?

[Doug Metz]

Trebleet makes a dedicated TB3 case, and one that is ‘compatible’ but limited to USB 3.2 speeds. If you’ve got their 40Gbps model, then there are a couple of other things to look at.

First is the cable – there are a wide variety, and very few of them actually support the full TB4 spec.

Second is the Mac Studio – if you have the Max, the two front ports are actually USB and will be limited to those speeds. The Ultra has TB4 on the front panel, so if that’s your box I’d look much closer at the enclosure and cable.

Actual TB3/4 cables are a bit spendy, but there’s a lot going on in there.

[Bob Zelin]

thunderbolt 4 is not faster than thunderbolt 3.

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-envoy-pro-fx

and if you are confused by my statements –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPyo_1xzIzg

and what is with the – – – – – –

?

Bob Zelin

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[Sam Frazier, Jr.]

So wait, that video says Thunderbolt 3 supports 4 lanes of PCIe but TB4 only supports only 1 lane? If this is the case, then how do external TB4 enclosures w/ NVMe drives get close to 2750 MB/s just like TB3 enclosures? I’m looking for external M1 Mac options as well and came across a few TB4 DIY cases that boasted this speed.

[Doug Metz]

Sonnet’s reply in the video’s comments: “It is only TB4 peripherals that are handicapped with 1 lane of PCIe. TB4 peripherals seem to be limited to Docks and Hubs that do not use PCIe.”