USB speeds
Although the theoretical speed of USB 3.0 (now called USB 3.1 Gen 1) is up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 (5 Gbps vs. 480 Mbps), the actual speed is often limited by the physical hard drive and other factors. In many cases, the speed difference is only marginal unless using faster storage like SSDs. Manufacturers often advertise the theoretical interface speed; for example, Apple refers to this as I/O Performance, while PCs calls it Interface Transfer Rate.
PC USB speeds vs Mac
Manufacturers also use different units of measurement. PC uses Mbits/s or MB/s (where 1 MB/s = 8 Mbits/s), while Apple uses Gbps (gigabits per second). 1 Gbps = 1000 Mbps, and 1 GBps = 8 Gbps. PCs use of MB/s or Mbits/s shows larger numbers, making speeds look faster, while Apple's use of Gbps, can sound more impressive when talking about network or high-speed connections.
Does PC USB works on Mac
USB 3.0 is fully supported on Macs from 2012 onwards. Modern Mac desktops and notebooks work with USB 3.0 drives at full speed without needing an adapter or additional software. Older Macs without USB 3.0 ports may require a USB 3.0 adapter to achieve higher speeds, but this is not necessary for newer models.
| PC and Mac | Mac only | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| USB 2.0 | USB 3.0 | Thunderbolt | |
| Single hard drive | 30 | 130 | |
| Raid0 | 30 | 160 | 200 |
| RRP Price per 1 TB of data | $185 | $200 | $325 |
Though USB drives are interchangeable between PC and Mac, they may require reformatting depending on the OS version. Windows can not read Mac-drives formatted as HFS+ or APFS without third-party software. Mac can read Windows-formatted drives (NTFS) but cannot write to them without third-party tools. For seamless read/write compatibility on both systems, exFAT is the best option. You can format drive as exFAT on ether Mac or PC. Though exFAT, it has been known to have issues with data corruption or data loss, especially when drives are not properly ejected or when used with unreliable devices.
2012 - 2024