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Intel's Thunderbolt has struck!

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TwisTtheTwiTcH:
Hello and welcome to another article from the supreme overlord of The AcidMods Blogs & Media Team TwisTtheTwiTcH. This tad bit of news stood out to me because of the name! The brand new Tunderbolt! From those over at Intel. [spoiler] AcidMods theme of the lighting strike and thunder obviously.[/spoiler]

This is the long awaited Light Peak technology is now going to become available for consumer use! [spoiler]That is us by the way.[/spoiler] On February 24, 2011 Intel officially revealed what we can expect to see on PCs and upcoming gadgets.


This was first mentioned way back when in 2009 at one of Intel’s Developer Conferences. This new technology promised the world that it would replace a handful of ports commonly used for data transfer.
This new technology will first be introduced to use all in the upcoming MacBook Pro line from Apple. This information has been updated and reflected on Apple’s website to show the new thunderbolt ports. Intel also stated in the press conference that they will be bringing this new technology to many more computers and devices over the next year.

But TwisT what is this thunderbolt?

The thunderbolt is a new port that is both input and output technology that will far exceed the speeds of USB 3.0. However that is not all! It also extends the possible speeds of multiple devices while in use simultaneously.

 But TwisT won’t this be a hassle to integrate into what I already have?

You would think that wouldn’t you? However the thunderbolt makes use of the already existing PCI Express data protocols and displayport that will open up entirely new possibilities for what you can do with a single port. It allows you to use multiple devices for one port with speeds that are quite literally unbelievable, considering we haven’t yet experienced what it can do for us. You can expect to use seven thunderbolt equipped devices together on a single port, while maintaining the lightning fast speeds the Light Peak technology brings to your fingertips.

Come-on TwisT how fast is it actually?

Right now the thunderbolt runs at 10Gbps although Intel says that once it has become mainstream it will operate at 100Gbps.

TwisT I don’t really get it, what does this all mean?

In short during Intel’s conference they demonstrated the MacBook Pro pulling four uncompressed raw 1080p video streams through one of the thunderbolt’s storage arrays that was feeding into a thunderbolt display that was attached. All of which were topping more than 600Mbps in transfer speeds. The earlier data transfer test that was demonstrated showed speeds of over 800Mbps.

So again TwisT I don’t really get it, what is the big deal?
This demonstration was twice as fast as the ”theoretical “ limits on the USB 3.0. A mind numbing twenty times faster than USB 2.0 and twelve times faster than firewire 800.
 
That is unreal! Where can I get it?
Uh, you can go get it today if you like actually. As long as you buy a MacBook Pro. It isn’t likely that we will see this new tech on any laptop or desktop devices until early next year because of the usual OEM design cycles. However in the spring you can look forward to a landslide of thunderbolt devices likes hard drive disks.

… I don’t have a ton of money just sitting around to upgrade my computer. I love my computer, I can’t just go out and replace it. It’s good enough.
That is cool, if you built your pc upgrading to a motherboard that will accept the new thunderbolt will be a snap. Although at the conference Intel wasn’t exactly forthcoming with any word on if they will be offering us an expansion to PC’s through the PCI express slots or laptops through there express card slots.


So… Yeah. Is USB dead now?
No not at all!... Intel says that this technology will compliment USB. That it isn’t going anywhere just yet. Intel even plans to support USB 3.0 with its future chipsets working alongside thunderbolt technology.

So Yeah. Break-open the piggy-bank right? How much is this new toy going to cost me?

No clue. It is going to be a high performance I/O solution. Although it is now a standard feature on the new MacBook Pro line from Apple. across the entire line of products, as opposed to being a paid for addition.


Just like other new toys though the cost of the thunderbolt cables will not even be an open specification. This is because companies will not be able to make their own through using license. Although that could be expected to change once the lifespan of the product increased. [spoiler]That means after it has been out for a while.[/spoiler]

-TwisTtheTwiTcH

robin1989:
great article twist - i have fixed it as much as i can for you as you asked

HiddenVenom:
Gonna get one of these with my new MacBook sometime this year (goodbye USB Flash Drives).

Gawd Bless total internal reflection.

45th Assassin:
wow... development paid off! I'm always looking for the next fastest thing!, ...kinda sucks though since it's currently only for the Macbook Pro....

Macbooks suck for gaming and that is wherein my problem lies....  :cry2:

[HoP]:
install windows... i installed win7 on a macbook pro and it plays all the games that i have thrown at it descently. only problem i have is that the power board is fried and the system will not start from battery power, it will only start when power adapter is plugged in, i would love to use it, however this limitation and lack of time keeps me limited to my netbook

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