What adapter do I use to connect a thunderbolt 2 Mac to a hard drive.

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Level 1

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What adapter do I use to connect a thunderbolt 2 Mac to a hard drive.

I have a 2014 MacBook Pro with thunderbolt 2. I want to go back-and-forth between this MacBook and my M1 Mac mini. And I can't get a good answer via Google and I'm getting frustrated because of time.

Here is a picture of the hard drive enclosure I am using. I have a 1 TB SSD. Can you guys recommend something that will match me up? I'm going to use this for Final Cut Pro as well. I'm hoping the thunderbolt two and the USB-C can handle the data transfer.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.7

Posted on Feb 8, 2023 12:57 PM

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Answer 1

Phil0124

Level 10

214,933 points

Feb 8, 2023 1:14 PM in response to nelsonmay

You can use a Thunderbolt 3/4 to thunderbolt 2 adapter, and you'll get at least thunderbolt 2 speeds:

click here ➜ Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter - Apple

You can use the adapter and a regular Thunderbolt 2 cable to connect the enclosure to your 2014 MacBook Pro, and you can use a straight USB-C cable tp connect it to the M1 Mac mini.

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Answer 2

Limnos

Level 10

424,469 points

Feb 8, 2023 1:06 PM in response to nelsonmay

I think there's almost nothing for Thunderbolt 2 anymore. Use a USB-C to USB-A/B (old, rectangular style) adapter. You'll likely only get USB 2 speed though.

USB-C - USB adapter

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MJ1M2AM/A/usb-c-to-usb-adapter

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Answer 3

Feb 8, 2023 2:59 PM in response to nelsonmay

USB-2 at 5 G bits/sec is about 500 M Bytes/sec. That transfer rate does not impinge on the top speeds of hardly any Rotating Magnetic drives. Their top burst speeds are typically under 150 M Bytes/sec, and steady-state is far lower.

Save your money and convert to USB-2.

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What adapter do I use to connect a thunderbolt 2 Mac to a hard drive.

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