Getting 25 Gbps Thunderbolt Ethernet on My Mac Studio | Hacker News

A post tested a Thunderbolt-connected 25GbE setup on a Mac Studio, and commenters dug into why SMB file copies on macOS lag behind lower-level iperf results.

A major explanation was that macOS lacks SMB Direct/RDMA support, making it harder to fully exploit high-speed networking in real file-sharing workflows.

The thread also noted the practical difficulty of pushing 25Gb/s over copper and Thunderbolt bridges, with heat and power draw becoming significant concerns.

The discussion highlighted the gap between raw hardware capability and real-world macOS software support for high-speed storage and networking.