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What is it?
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In development at Intel since 2009
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Code-named Light Peak and branded a Thunderbolt when Apple announced it on new Macbook Pros earlier this year.
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Originally a fiber optic technology
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Also added a copper variant (which is what Apple is currently using) to support power via the connector.
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Intel worked with Apple to help develop the technology. It's believed Apple influenced or asked for the Mini Display port compatibility.
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10Gbps full-duplex data transfer speeds (meaning it allows 10Gbps of data per second both into and out of each port, simultaneously)
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Intel claims it will get the technology up to 50Gbps by 2015
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Integrates support for the DisplayPort and PCI Express 2.0 standards.
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Intel's controllers handle all the necessary protocol switching between PCI Express and DisplayPort, which enables simultaneous transmission of data via both protocols over the same cable.
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Combines PCI Express and DisplayPort into a new serial data interface
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Uses same connector as MiniDisplay Port
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Mini Display Port is a connector developed by Apple, but made available for a free license.
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Likely a good choice because DisplayPort supports speeds up to 17.28 Gbps in cable lengths under 3 meters.
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Really just a connection that combines the two in one port.
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Powered
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up to 10W total per port. Furthermore, powered devices in the chain can pass 10W of power further down the chain if needed.
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Can daisy chain of up to seven Thunderbolt devices
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Plus two high-resolution displays using DisplayPort.
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Displays need to be at the end of the daisy chain.
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Who owns Thunderbolt?
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Apple owned the trademark on Thunderbolt, but reportedly transferred it to Intel.
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Intel is currently the sole vendor of the necessary Thunderbolt controller chip.
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Intel doesn't seems to be giving PC vendors the option for Thunderbolt supported motherboards, but has said Apple didn't pay for any exclusivity.
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Expected in PCs in 2012
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Unlike Firewire, there’s no per-port licensing fee or royalty for peripheral manufacturers to use the port or the Thunderbolt controller.
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Advantages of Thunderbolt
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External storage access as fast as internal.
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6/Gbps SATA 3.0 are the fastest HDDs you can get at the moment?
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High speed HD and video transfers.
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extremely low-latency. Connected devices can be clock-synchronized to within 8 nanoseconds.
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Thunderbolt isn't a protocol, but instead simply provides a new physical layer for existing connector protocols.
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Anything that can be used with a PCIe expansion slot could work as a Thunderbolt device
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This is because you can tunnel a PCIe lane over the link connection.
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It is in essence it becomes like an external PCI slot
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Think of it like brining back the Express 34 card slot on the Macbook Pro.
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Cables, adapters, external video cards.
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Chaining different devices doesn't effect the bus
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If you chain in other technologies you need to be careful about how.
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Don't want an older FW 800 drive in the middle of your Thunderbolt chain.
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Will see hubs and adapters to deal with branching chains.
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What about USB 3.0?
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Intel doesn't yet support USB 3.0 natively on its motherboard chipsets.
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Intel has said it will feature native support for both Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 standards in chipsets using its next-generation "Ivy Bridge" CPU architecture.
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USB 3.0 features 5Gbps maximum data transfer speeds--half that of Thunderbolt
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USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 devices.
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USB 3.0 does not feature native support for any video bus or display standards.
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USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt aren't necessarily competitors.
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What can I do with my Thunderbolt port?
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At the moment connect a Display Port monitor
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No Thunderbolt-based peripheral devices on the market yet, but lots announced.
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Apple has said to expect them "this summer".
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Some Announced Thunderbolt Devices
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Storage
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Promise Pegasus R4 and Pegasus R6
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LaCie Little Big Disk
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Sonnet Fusion RAID
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Video Capture
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Blackmagic UltraStudio 3D
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Matrox MX02
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Avid HD I/O box
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Adapters
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Promise SAN Link Fibre Channel adapter
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Sonnet Allegro FireWire 800 adapter
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Sonnet Presto Gigabit Ethernet adapter
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Sonnet’s Echo™ Express PCIe 2.0 Expansion Chassis (external PCIe card box).
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