Why is my USB 3.0 drive running at USB 2.0 speeds?

(data for visual reference)
USB 1.1 - 12 Mbit/s
USB 2.0 - 480 Mbit/s
USB 3.0 - 5 Gbit/s
SATA revision 1.0 - 1.5 Gbit/s - 150 MB/s
SATA revision 2.0 - 3 Gbit/s - 300 MB/s
SATA revision 3.0 - 6 Gbit/s - 600 MB/s
When COPYING (not updating) large volumes of data from my internal Segate SATA-III Hybrid drive to an external Seagate USB 3.0 drive, this is what is happening:
Both using OSX
Both data COPY (not updating / integration)
rsync (terminal interface) - 50MB/s transfer or 480Mbit/s (exact USB 2.0 speeds)
copy (desktop drag-n-drop) - 1GB every 15-18 seconds (again, exact USB 2.0 speeds)
1GB * 8 = 8Gbit / 15 = 533,333,333 or about 500Mbit/s
1GB * 8 = 8Gbit / 18 = 444,444,444 or about 444Mbit/s
[So, what I have read about rsync -vs- cp is true -- they are identical for fresh copies.]
But this means that either Seagate or Apple is lying about supporting USB 3.0. I read a report in Feb 2012 that while Apple claims to support USB 3.0, they have not enabled the driver to force people to upgrade to Thunderbolt adapters. Did this change with the Summer 2012 and new models?
The ABOUT THIS MAC profile says my USB 3.0 devices are enabled to transfer up to 5GB/s, but clearly, they are running at EXACTLY USB 2.0 speeds.
Even if the Seagate external drive is just SATA-I, then it should be able to deliver 1.2Gbit/s -- 3x what I am seeing! The fact that the speeds are EXACTLY USB 2.0 tells me the MacBook Pro, while claiming USB 3.0 speeds is nothing more than a USB 2.0 port.
Can someone explain what is happening?
kai

I am having the exact same issue on my 2013 MBPr.
I have two Seagate GoFlex USB 3.0s, one plugged into the regular 3.0 port (450MB/s) on the left and the other plugged into the high-speed (5GB/s) 3.0 port on the right. When doing a simple copy/paste from the one drive to the other, I observe the following speeds:
Peak Read (USB 3.0): 36.2Mb/s (288Mbit/s)
Peak Write (USB-HS 3.0): 48.7Mb/s (384Mbit/s)
This is far below the 620MB/s for 3.0 and is more around the 35MB/s USB 2.0 standard.
So, I'm likely to agree with the original compaintant that the 3.0 standards aren't being employed by the MacOSX USB drivers and I'd hope to see a fix soon for these issues lest people start moving off of the Mac platforms to other vendors who adhere to industry guidelines.

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According to the specifications of the Macbook Pro Retina it does support USB 3.0.
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I suggest you contact the hub manufacturer that made yours (since you have apparently identified your problem area) to see if they have any guidance.
In answer to your question, I do not know of any way to control the hub from your computer.
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Barry

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Model Name:
iMac
Model Identifier:
iMac6,1
Processor Name:
Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:
2.16 GHz
Number of Processors:
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Total Number of Cores:
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Get rid of MacKeeper. There are many threads on this form about that piece of junk. Look in "More Like This" or search MacKeeper

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I just bought my first USB 3.0 device, a 3.5" enclosure. I'm connecting it to one of the (blue) USB 3.0 ports on my mothebroard. Using HDTune, I'm only getting transfer rates (read and write) of 30-33 MB/s. However, if I connect it to my laptop's USB 3.0 port, I get speeds around 145 MB/s. Therefore, the drive is not to blame.
I do have USB 3.0 entries in my Device Manager. I installed all the Intel drivers for my motherboard, I've re-installed all the Intel drivers for my motherboard, and I've uninstalled all the USB entries in Device Manager.
Many online sources suggest enabling USB 3.0 in the bios, but I can't find such a setting. Furthermore, if I try to disable "Legacy Support", it gets enabled on the next reboot (just after saving the bios). Oddly, if I plug the enclosure into a USB 2.0 port I don't get the "Your device can perform faster..." message that I do on my laptop.
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USB 3.0 Enclosure: NST-310S3-BK
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http://storage.toshiba.com/storage-services-support/warranty-support/software-utilities
There are several compatibility utility from Toshiba for their hard drives there.
http://www.vantecusa.com/en/knowledge/index#
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The following firmware update are design for older enclosures and docks using JMS539 chipset. If you recently purchase the following model, you do not need to updated the firmware.
Due to the recent change in drivers for SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Host, a firmware update may be necessary for the following devices to function properly.
Applicable Storage Devices:
•NexStar CX Superspeed (NST-310S3)
•NexStar 3 SuperSpeed 2.5" (NST-280S3)
•NexStar SuperSpeed Hard Drive Dock (NST-D300S3)
Chipset: JMS539 - Firmware Installation Tool - Download Here.
>>Update Instructions for NST-310S3, NST-280S3-BK, and NST-D300S3<<
•NexStar SuperSpeed Dual Bay Hard Drive Dock (NST-D400S3)
Chipset: JMS551 - Firmware Installation Tool - Download Here.
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actionmarker wrote:
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Is there a pattern to the time of day or other detail that may be
traced back to a OS X system cause of this odd phenomenon?
Are there any copies of system files on any of the attached USB
external drives? Any libraries, such as iTunes, iPhoto, etc?
Once the drives are indexed by Spotlight, are their permissions
ignored by the OS X? Content, if neutral, should not affect the
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Could there be a bad cable or other component? If so that would
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Does the equipment all have a good ground to the utility or house
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Hard to say at this point. Maybe a late-night talk radio guru on
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Do you have any phone-home spyware items inside, just jumping
at the chance to spill your information? Little Snitch may help.
PS: Perhaps the computer needs to go into Apple & have a genius
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see:
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Wake+reason:+XHC1
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Correct the /etc/grub/menu.lst file.
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Ted

Hi Rookie,
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I was working with the most recent Arch 2009.2 release.
I only got messages about unrecognisable file system type when I tried booting with the "stock" or "as-installed" GRUB (before I edited /boot/grub/menu.lst). After editing /boot/grub/menu.lst to identify the drive correctly and add rootdelay, GRUB was able to do the rest and everything worked OK without any error messages.
Best wishes,
Ted

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I am having the exact same issue on my 2013 MBPr.
I have two Seagate GoFlex USB 3.0s, one plugged into the regular 3.0 port (450MB/s) on the left and the other plugged into the high-speed (5GB/s) 3.0 port on the right. When doing a simple copy/paste from the one drive to the other, I observe the following speeds:
Peak Read (USB 3.0): 36.2Mb/s (288Mbit/s)
Peak Write (USB-HS 3.0): 48.7Mb/s (384Mbit/s)
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Hi guys,
I am planning to buy the entry Mac Pro soon.
I am pretty used to OSX and love to work with it but want to play a game sometimes, and thats where I need windows.
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Okay,
I did some more research on my own.
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