One of the things that was announced were new MacBook Pro models with a feature called ThunderBolt 2. The question is, what is it?
First let’s start with what ThunderBolt is. Originally developed by Intel and called LightPeak, it’s a hardware interface that allows for the connection of external peripherals to a computer. Think USB. But it uses a Mini DisplayPort connector. ThunderBolt combines PCI Express (PCIe) and DisplayPort (DP) into one serial signal alongside a DC connection for electric power. So you can connect video, audio, network, storage among other items. Up to six peripherals can be connected. In terms of speed, it maxes out at 10Gbps in each direction.
Now let’s move on to ThunderBolt 2. Thunderbolt 2 enables channel aggregation. That means the two previously separate 10 Gbit/s channels can be combined into a single logical 20 Gbit/s channel. That’s great for high speed I/O such as moving HD video to and from ThunderBolt attached storage. So for people who have to move a lot of data around, ThunderBolt is a godsend. It’s other features remain the same.
There’s not a whole lot out there in terms ThunderBolt 2 devices, but they’re coming. The good news is that if you have invested in ThunderBolt devices and cables, they will work just fine.
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This entry was posted on October 24, 2013 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Apple, Intel, ThunderBolt. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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What Is ThunderBolt 2?
One of the things that was announced were new MacBook Pro models with a feature called ThunderBolt 2. The question is, what is it?
First let’s start with what ThunderBolt is. Originally developed by Intel and called LightPeak, it’s a hardware interface that allows for the connection of external peripherals to a computer. Think USB. But it uses a Mini DisplayPort connector. ThunderBolt combines PCI Express (PCIe) and DisplayPort (DP) into one serial signal alongside a DC connection for electric power. So you can connect video, audio, network, storage among other items. Up to six peripherals can be connected. In terms of speed, it maxes out at 10Gbps in each direction.
Now let’s move on to ThunderBolt 2. Thunderbolt 2 enables channel aggregation. That means the two previously separate 10 Gbit/s channels can be combined into a single logical 20 Gbit/s channel. That’s great for high speed I/O such as moving HD video to and from ThunderBolt attached storage. So for people who have to move a lot of data around, ThunderBolt is a godsend. It’s other features remain the same.
There’s not a whole lot out there in terms ThunderBolt 2 devices, but they’re coming. The good news is that if you have invested in ThunderBolt devices and cables, they will work just fine.
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Like this:
Related
This entry was posted on October 24, 2013 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Apple, Intel, ThunderBolt. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.