[GRLUG] NOT LINUX - Thunderbolt

[Robar Philip]

On Jun 13, 2012, at 7:17 PM, Bob Kline <bob.kline at gmail.com> wrote:

> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thunderbolt-performance-z77a-gd80,3205.html
> 
> An interesting development, apparently
> with coming availability to PCs and Linux.

Note that Thunderbolt cables are expensive at $50 and no one expects them to get much cheaper in the near future.

Also Thunderbolt peripherals are very expensive—even for a simple single external drive. Unless you’re a professional or a business is paying for your equipment you probably won’t be using Thunderbolt in the foreseeable future.

As a 2011 iMac owner I’m kinda screwed. No eSATA, no USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt is just way too expensive; leaving me stuck with Firewire 800/400 and USB 2.0.

I had a brief glimmer of hope when I saw this article by USA Today, “Thunderbolt drive: Speedy alternative for Macs,” but after reading it I’ve decided that their writers are paid way too much. Quote:

    The only problem: Thunderbolt drives were scarcely available,
    and the ones that were in stock were extremely pricey.

    Finally Seagate and Western Digital, which dominate the
    hard-drive industry, have released Thunderbolt drives for
    the Mac, and they truly are super speedy and affordable.

Well, if you define “affordable” as just being grossly overpriced rather than ridiculously overpriced then maybe. For instance, Seagate’s Thunderbolt premium for their portable single drive is $150 (including the price of a cable). And the premium for their desktop model is $250.

So for most of us Thunderbolt will just be a convenient way to attach multiple monitors.


Phil