USB 3 2011 on a MacBook!

The dock goes with the MacBook, while satin aluminum and black plastic. At the rear, a power jack, an HDMI connector, two Thunderbolt 2 jacks, two USB 3.0 sockets and a Gigabit Ethernet connector. At the front, a USB 3.0 connector and two stereo minijack 3.5mm jacks, headphone and microphone. The dock comes with a 100-240V power supply and a very short Thunderbolt cable (a foot).

I did a little test with my MacBook Pro early 2011: the Pre-generation Haswell, the first models equipped with Thunderbolt but do not have a USB 3.0 port. A measure transfer speeds between the Mac and an SSD USB 3.0 external drive. Plugged directly into the Mac's USB 2.0 port, no surprise: Black Magic Speed ​​Test gives an average of 30MB / s write and 34 read. However, once connected to the dock, the speed is almost tenfold: 275Mo / s write and more than 300MB / s write.

The dock provides a convenient way to connect all peripherals (USB 3, Thunderbolt 2, microphone, speakers, Ethernet, and HDMI screen). When we reach the house, one shot and presto! Everything is connected; but in addition, it offers a simple and relatively cheap access to the world of USB 3.0 devices fastest for owners of MacBook 2011 generation.

A small calculation: the dock and two USB 3.0 drives costs about the same price as two Thunderbolt disks equivalent, but the dock provides many more opportunities for expansion.

In terms of (small) regrets, audio ports have been located at the rear, and a headphone port at the front with automatic disconnection of speakers. I would also have liked more USB 3.0 on the rear and front ports, and the Thunderbolt cable could have been a little longer, it would not have bothered me!

This does not prevent me from giving 5 stars to this little gadget, which comes to extend the life of my old MacBook Pro by giving it access to the disks and USB memory sticks 3.0 good high-speed market, in addition to reducing the connection to Mac to a single cable. A great product if you have a MacBook Pro or Air 2012 or later, but absolutely essential for all owners of MacBook Pro or Air 2011.