As you might imagine, the difference between Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet is immediately apparent when working with a NAS full of stripped hard drives. I used the adapter to connect to Synology’s DS1817, a NAS machine that features built-in 10GbE connectivity. Because of this design, the T3-10G is dead quiet when in use, which is music to the ears of anyone who works in audio or video production. This necessitates its size and build, as the large gaps facilitate airflow, and the heatsink helps keep things nice and cool.

Instead of building the adapter with a fan, Akitio wisely opted for a passive cooling setup. Keep in mind that it’s pushing a whole lot of data, which uses electricity, which in turn generates heat. Though small compared to Akitio’s other 10GbE dock, the T3-10G is still quite a bit bigger than your typical Gigabit Ethernet dongle. I suggest removing the bumper if it’ll be primarily stationed on your desktop. The fact the T3-10G is bus-powered makes it particularly appealing for MacBook Pro users.Īkitio includes a removable bumper, which is great for travel, but it also adds a little more bulk to the package. Subscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more videosĪs mentioned, this isn’t Akitio’s first crack at making a 10 Gigabit Thunderbolt 3 Ethernet adapter, but it’s definitely its most compact and portable solution.

Large gaps for airflow and heatsink for passive cooling.

Ethernet port supports auto-negotiation for 10Gb/s, 5Gb/s, 2.5Gb/s, 1Gb/s and 100Mb/s.

Thunderbolt 3 interface with reversible USB-C connector.

Watch our hands-on video review for the details. If that describes your situation, you’ll be happy to know that the prolific Thunderbolt 3 hardware manufacturer has the T3-10G, a much smaller bus-powered 10 Gigabit Thunderbolt 3 Ethernet adapter. But what if you have a regular iMac or MacBook Pro? You can use Akitio’s Thunder3 Dock Pro ( review), which provides 10 Gigabit Thunderbolt 3 Ethernet, but that may be overkill if you just need to upgrade your network connection.

The iMac Pro comes with 10 Gigabit Ethernet out of the box, which is great for connecting to high speed networks and devices like NAS boxes.

2018 macbook pro thunderbolt adapter