Which USB transfer rate do you get with your X2D?

[etn]

Quick question to you all:
which transfer rates do you get when transferring pictures from the X2D internal SSD to your computer?

I get about 40 MB/s, which seems somewhat slow. I have a 2021 Macbook pro 16" which should be compliant with USB 3 speed without problem. My cable is an Apple-branded USB-C to USB-C, 1m long. The cable is probably the culprit. Just wanted to run a quick survey before ordering a new one - any recommendation welcome here too.

[Shige]

Dear etn-san

I connected the X2D to my Mac and ran a utility to measure disk speed.
My mac is MacBook Pro 2017.
Sequential transfer rates were generally 40 MB/s.
Random is slower, but data copying would be performed sequentially.
It is almost identical to your transfer speed.

The cable used was an ANKER USB-C cable.
The maximum transfer rate of the cable is unknown.

I don't think changing cables will dramatically change the transfer speed between X2D and Mac.

https://shige-art.net/en/hasselblad-x2d/

Shige

[glaiben]

I have a 2021 MacBookPro M1 14" and transfer from the CFeB card to either an external SSD or importing into LrC (with internal SSD storage) takes about 5.5 seconds per image (about same speed as yours).  IIRC, I used a white Apple cable and the Hasselblad cable.  My Mac Studio M2 Ultra is about the same.

...gregg

[MSuser]

I don't think changing cables will dramatically change the transfer speed between X2D and Mac.

Shige

It's good that you're testing your cables because many USB-C cables are only delivering USB 2.0 speeds.

There can be major speed differences between different USB-C cables. See the links below for some of the differences in USB-C connector microcircuitry and physical cable construction inside some different USB-C cables with illustrated explanations. These can have a huge affect on transfer speed.

Lumafield, a provider of Industrial X-ray CT scanners, produced images of the inside of USB-C cables to illustrate the circuitry differences in various cable connectors. Their X-ray CT scans were used in some head-to-head cable comparison articles. They were also used in a video titled Why Is Apple's USB-C Cable $130? which dives into cable differences. Their head-to-head cable comparison article with illustrations is below...

https://www.lumafield.com/article/USB-C head-to-head comparison.

This article gives some additional details.

acroname.com/blog/USB-C Cables Really Are Different On The Inside!

The above links show that high-end USB-C cables may contain complex microcircuitry to regulate power management, maximize transfer speeds, and filter noise. Other more basic USB-C cables may have simple circuits, may only deliver USB 2.0 speeds, and be connected to only a portion of the available pins in the connectors. They all look the same on the outside; but there can be vast differences in the microcircuitry inside the connectors and in cable speed, construction, and quality.

[Shige]

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I think you are right.
Right now, I am not going to try the more expensive cables, as I am not that inconvenienced with 40MB/s for my personal usage.
If anyone has tested it with a cable with a guaranteed USB 3.0 transfer rate, I would be interested in the results.

[MSuser]

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I think you are right.
Right now, I am not going to try the more expensive cables, as I am not that inconvenienced with 40MB/s for my personal usage.
If anyone has tested it with a cable with a guaranteed USB 3.0 transfer rate, I would be interested in the results.

In an earlier thread on X2D tethering problems, multiple people said switching to an IQwire Tether Cable solved their issues. I've seen their cables mentioned in some forum threads for other cameras as well including video. A Google search would probably find more user experiences with their cables.

[etn]

Dear etn-san

I connected the X2D to my Mac and ran a utility to measure disk speed.

Dear Shige-san,

Arigato gozaimasu! Thanks for running those tests and sharing results.

Etienne

[etn]

@MSuser, thanks for the info on USB cables.

I tried tethering with my aforementioned USB cable this morning and the X2D displays "USB2", apparently showing the limited bandwidth.

Agree with you that not all cables are created equal. I am an electronics engineer from Monday to Friday. Although I am not knowledgeable about USB cables, I have seen other high-speed interfaces using what is called a "repeater" - sometimes with an additional "retimer" function - whose purpose is to amplify the signal along the way and eliminating any discrepancy between data and clock signals on the link. I suspect the IQwires have this kind of circuitry.

[CYBURek]

So, I have made tests and the best results I had on Thunderbolt 4 cable (OWC).
Connection was between Mac mini M2Pro and X2D, the soft was Blackmagic Disk Speed Test and "Stress for 5GB".
I have made five times tests and the result is:
- write speed: 158MB/s
- read speed: 631MB/s
Best,
Piotr

[MGrayson]

I usually take out the CFexpress card and use a reader. Connecting the reader with its own cable and the X2D cable both gave results of ~800 MB/s write and ~850 MB/s read.

With an Anker USB C cable that I use for charging batteries, 76 MB/s write and 36 MB/s read.

I'm convinced!

[MSuser]

@MSuser, thanks for the info on USB cables.

I'm always happy to share any information I have. Cables are always the first suspects when they are part of the data chain.

I tried tethering with my aforementioned USB cable this morning and the X2D displays "USB2", apparently showing the limited bandwidth.

The X2D in negotiating connection speed has detected that the cable being used or connected device only support USB 2.0 transmission speeds and is displaying a warning of the lower connection speed. The X2D has a USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port with a 10 Gbps maximum transmission rate, but that requires both the cable and connected device being capable of supporting faster transmission speeds (see the data sheet or user manual specifications under "Host Connection Type").

Hasselblad X2D 100C - FAQ

"Connection — What functions are enabled using the X2D 100C's USB-C port?"

"The X2D 100C comes with a USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port that supports a 10Gbps max. Transmission rate. You can connect to a PC/Mac/iPhone/iPad via this port with a cable. The USB-C port also supports PD 3.0 fast charging (30W) and is compatible with third-party PD 3.0 chargers, removing the need to carry multiple charging devices on the go."

Agree with you that not all cables are created equal. I am an electronics engineer from Monday to Friday. Although I am not knowledgeable about USB cables, I have seen other high-speed interfaces using what is called a "repeater" - sometimes with an additional "retimer" function - whose purpose is to amplify the signal along the way and eliminating any discrepancy between data and clock signals on the link. I suspect the IQwires have this kind of circuitry.

Repeaters help to boost and retain signal strength over long cable distances — but they won't help if the USB-C cable is limited to USB 2.0 speed due to internal microcircuitry capabilities in the connector, its design, or construction.

"IQwire tether cables feature either one or two Velocity Boosters* [repeaters]. With these built-in boosters, the data speed is boosted right as it comes out of the camera and once more (on our 33' cables) a little further down the line. The days of using cable extensions and dongles are history as our 33 foot long tether cables make long connections simple again."

For shorter cable distances repeaters aren't needed, it's the chipset design inside the connector that regulates power and data transfer rates and those can vary a great deal.

"IQwire tether cables are embedded with Intelliconnect Ultracore chipsets in each connector. These allow IQwire to make a faster connection and negotiate the fastest data throughput available to each device."

[Shige]

The cable included with the HASSELBLAD BATTERY CHARGING HUB FOR X SYSTEM improved the transfer rate.
I thank you all for your testing.

[etn]

Quick update - I replaced my cable for an OWC Thunderbold 4 / USB-C cable. I now see speeds in the same ball park as the ones mentioned in the previous posts. Wow, what a change!

Thanks to all contributors to this thread!

[MGrayson]

The ironic thing here is that in analog Audio, cables are mostly (or all) hype. Here, where it's "bits is bits", their quality is vitally important.

(Yes, was once an "audiophile". I got better. Now I'm obsessed with medium format.  )