Some Macs such as the Mac Studio and optionally the Mac mini as well as some iMacs come with an Ethernet interface that is 10 GBit/s fast. Since you can’t currently expand Apple computers internally, apart from the Mac Pro with Intel Xeon, which will soon no longer be available, you have to rely on an external solution for a fast LAN. There are various adapters on the market that convert from Thunderbolt to 10GE Ethernet. We tested five of them on the Mac.
Technical background
Ethernet connects computers, servers and other end devices with each other via cable. Since its introduction in the 1970s, the speed has steadily increased. 1000 MBit/s and an RJ45 socket (IEEE 802.3ab) for twisted pair copper lines are now standard for desktop Macs.
The ten times faster 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GE according to IEEE 802.3an) marks the current pinnacle of Ethernet technology for in-house cabling. This is the same speed as USB 3.1 Gen 2 and is approximately 1 GB/s. In order to achieve the higher data rate of 10 GBit/s, an improved coding method is used that uses finer gradations per transmission step. The IEEE 802.3bz standard describes intermediate levels of 2.5 and 5 Gigabit/s (2.5GBase-T and 5GBase-T).
