My WD 8TB drive is much slower than expected, and I’m wondering if the USB port or cable could be causing a bottleneck. Could using an older USB port (e.g., USB 2.0) or a faulty cable affect its speed? If so, what’s the best way to test or fix this issue? Any insights would be greatly appreciated! 
A 3.x device connected to a USB 2.0 port, only gets 2.0 speeds.
A 3.x device connected to a 3.x port using a 2.0 cable gets 2.0 speeds.
A 3.x device connected to a 3.x port using a crummy 3.x cable from the cheapest supplier on Amazon will not likely get full 3.x speeds.
- By 3.x I mean the .x matches on both ends. So 3.0, 3.1 Gen 1, etc.)
Transfer speeds also depend on the PC/Mac connected to it. If you’re comparing “specs”, you’re not using the same hardware as the testers so the results are irrelevant.
Manufactures usually claim 5 gb transfer speeds but that’s only the max USB 3.0 (Superspeed) and USB 3.1 Gen 1 can do.
