My G-RAID Thunderbolt external drive will connect to my Dell Dock TB16 using the USB-3 cable, but will not connect via Thunderbolt. The Dock does not have a TB2 port (only mDP), but it does have a TB3 (USB-C) port, so I connected the drive using the supplied TB2 cable using a TB2 to TB3 adapter. Should this configuration work? If no, is there another solution to connect via TB instead of USB?
TB3 and USB 3.1 Type C are not the same interfaces. They share the same port design but they are not compatible interfaces.
The dock would need to be actual TB3 in order to support the adapter you’re using. Otherwise if the drive you have has USB 3.0, you can use USB 3 to the USB 3.1 type-c on your dock with a cable that has the proper ends. The performance would be the same.
Thank you - now it makes sense.
One quick follow-up:
When you say “same performance,” do you mean same theoretical transfer speed as USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) or same as 3.1 (10Gbps)?
Same over both interfaces because the drives inside can only go so fast. It won’t utilize full TB3 speeds because drives don’t go that fast themselves. It takes many drives in a striped RAID0 to be able to hit that threshold. Over 8 mechanical drives in fact.
