05-03-2025, 12:56 PM
August,
One of the frustrating things about the listings on places like Amazon is that they aren't necessarily clear about the protocols supported by the enclosures. Some of them come across as Thunderbolt devices when in reality they are actually USB devices which are just compatible with Thunderbolt 3, 4 or 5. you have to read the listing carefully.
As RAM pointed out, Thunderbolt 3, 4 5, USB 3.1 Gen 2, USB 3.2, and USB 4 are protocols. USB-C, USB-A, and USB-B micro superspeed are the physical connectors that are typically used for external drives. These days, the vast majority of drives will have USB-C connections, regardless of protocol. Previously, you might have seen one of the others, depending on the protocol supported by the device.
Robert
One of the frustrating things about the listings on places like Amazon is that they aren't necessarily clear about the protocols supported by the enclosures. Some of them come across as Thunderbolt devices when in reality they are actually USB devices which are just compatible with Thunderbolt 3, 4 or 5. you have to read the listing carefully.
As RAM pointed out, Thunderbolt 3, 4 5, USB 3.1 Gen 2, USB 3.2, and USB 4 are protocols. USB-C, USB-A, and USB-B micro superspeed are the physical connectors that are typically used for external drives. These days, the vast majority of drives will have USB-C connections, regardless of protocol. Previously, you might have seen one of the others, depending on the protocol supported by the device.
Robert