In terms of CPU utilization Thunderbolt adapter is better, but not by a lagre margin (22% CPU load vs. 30% in case of USB 3.0)

to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter - Apple The Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter - Apple

Regardless of the factor involved, the impact of latency on network bandwidth can be temporary or persistent. If you're using a USB-C or Thunderbolt adapter to connect a display, the adapter must be compliant with DisplayPort Alt Mode, Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4. If you're using a USB-C or Thunderbolt adapter to connect a display, the adapter must be compliant with DisplayPort Alt Mode, Thunderbolt 3, or Thunderbolt 4. The adapters and cables in this article work with Mac computers with Thunderbolt 4 ports, Thunderbolt 3 ports, or a USB-C port. If your Mac only has one port, it doesn't support Thunderbolt connections.USB is reported to disconnect under heavy loads and to have troubles with wake-up. However, it's not clear to me whether those issues are caused by the USB hub or the adapter itself. To me, it sounds like the hub may not be powered properly. For example, in the music production industry users have found that with audio devices capable of being connected either through Thunderbolt or USB3, that the overall audio latency of the connection is about 1ms for Thunderbolt and 4.5ms for USB 3. Now, these speeds can be impacted by other factors, but since these setups involve the exact same equipment, it appears that for whatever reason the Thunderbolt connection is faster (probably because Thunderbolt is allowed almost straight access to the CPU). The choice will come down to the price of the adapter (USB3 might be cheaper) and which port you are willing to sacrifice for the Ethernet connectivity. One of the reasons for a slow take up rate of 10Gbps ethernet is that it requires full duplex point-to-point links (typically via network switches) and as a result half duplex operation and repeater hubs do not work in 10Gbps ethernet networks. So converting existing ethernet networks to a 10Gbps ethernet network is no trivial matter and is quite expensive. All that said, I expect the deployment of 10Gbps ethernet networks to really start taking off more broadly due to the demands of HD video editing and the requirement of more organisations to have high-performance shared storage systems. So, which type of adapter is better in terms of latency? Generally, a Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter is likely to have a lower latency then a USB 3 to Ethernet adapter. But, as manufacturers focus on bandwidth or throughput when they publish specs, you're not going to find it easy to try and quantify this or compare adapters.

Adapters for the Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C port

For starters, ethernet can actually support up to 10Gbps. However, in 99.9% of cases (okay, I can't cite a source for that figure - I'm just making a point) this will not be a practical consideration for users unless they intend to connect to an existing 10Gbps ethernet network. While 10Gbps ethernet is starting to gain some traction in terms of network infrastructure, this is only happening in some of the largest organisations or those that have a particular need for this type of setup (such as ISPs, Cloud providers, data centres, etc). It is also worth noting that Apple has never launched a computer (not even Mac Pros or Servers) that natively support 10Gbps ethernet. Community members who reach Level 5 in the community can create User Tipsto share knowledge about Apple products.I would recommend Thunderbolt, as it is essentially external PCI-Express, which is the same bus an internal network card (among other things like graphics cards, etc) is attached to.

Thunderbolt adapter or a USB 3.0 adapter for Should I use a Thunderbolt adapter or a USB 3.0 adapter for

The Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter lets you easily connect to a high-performance Gigabit Ethernet network. Small and compact, it connects to the Thunderbolt port on your Mac computer and provides an RJ-45 port that supports 10/100/1000BASE-T networks.The adapters and cables in this article work with Mac computers with Thunderbolt 4 ports, Thunderbolt 3 ports or a USB-C port. If your Mac only has one port, it doesn't support Thunderbolt connections. Windows should automatically detect the adaptor now and install it. You may need to point the installer at the location where you unzipped the drivers.

Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3 - Apple Support Adapters for the Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3 - Apple Support

So, why would I prefer a Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter? To be honest, in a small/home network I probably wouldn't as I think the difference would be negligible and unnoticeable to the naked eye (so to speak). For me, the choice would come down to what ports I have available (or am willing to sacrifice) and the cost. But if it was a large network my preference for Thunderbolt is based on the real world experiences of users in particular fields.The answer to your question as asked in the title is it really depends on what ports you have available, personal preference, cost, etc. However, when the computer enters sleep and then wakes up in a different network (i.e. I close the lid, disconnect the eth cable, put the Mac in my bag, move from one office to another and then open the lid and connect a new ethernet cable - it won't detect it). Any article you read about a USB ethernet adapter only being able to reach 100Mbps is likely false unless a particular adapter is a total dud. What is true is that a USB 2.0 Gigabit Ethernet adapter, or a USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet adapter connected to a USB 2.0 port can only handle around 400Mbps - the link speed of USB 2.0 caps out at 480Mbps. I know the cable and ethernet port at working. I don't know if the dongle or thunderbolts on the laptop are faulty. I can test the dongle with another computer later in the week. This small and compact adapter connects to the Thunderbolt port of your Mac computer to provide an RJ-45 port that supports 10/100/1000BASE-T networks.