Nine External Thunderbolt Storage Devices, Rounded Up

[acku]

We compare nine different Thunderbolt-based storage solutions, delivering scorching sequential throughput. Of the nine, three submissions rise to the top. Although it remains pricey, in the applications where it makes sense, Thunderbolt cannot be beat.

Nine External Thunderbolt Storage Devices, Rounded Up : Read more

 

[saiyan]

No benchmark for 8-drive Thunderbolt deivces such as Areca ARC-8050 ?

 

[acku]

No benchmark for 8-drive Thunderbolt deivces such as Areca ARC-8050 ?

What the R6 isn't expensive enough? Honestly, we couldn't include the ARC-8050 (http://www.areca.com.tw/products/thunderbolt.htm) because it's not readily available for purchase (yet).

Cheers,
Andrew Ku
TomsHardware.com

 

[mayankleoboy1]

storage is OK, but an externally powered GPU is the most interesting application of thunderbolt.

with the external PCI-E device specification coming soon, i believe the days of thunderbolt are limited.

 

[web2dot0]

[citation][nom]mayankleoboy1[/nom]storage is OK, but an externally powered GPU is the most interesting application of thunderbolt.with the external PCI-E device specification coming soon, i believe the days of thunderbolt are limited.[/citation]

Thunderbolt IS ePCI-E. Well, using Intel's implementation. You think the specification will somehow make things cheaper? Nope.

 

[chovav]

Thank you Andrew for this review, it certainly makes it clear whether you should invest in thunderbolt or not.

Could you maybe do add a random read/write graph comparing GoFlex Desk with USB3 and Thunderbolt?

I was also wondering what the CPU usage is during read/write - is there any impact at all? or does the thunderbolt controller bear all the processing grunt-work?

Thanks again, great article.

 

[CaedenV]

[citation][nom]web2dot0[/nom]Thunderbolt IS ePCI-E. Well, using Intel's implementation. You think the specification will somehow make things cheaper? Nope.[/citation]
thunderbolt is a medium that allows for multiple interconnect protocols to be transmitted over the same wire. It can send PCIe, it can send DP, it was supposed to be able to send USB 1/2/3, as well as Ethernet, all over the same wire... but we have not seen that happen over the copper version that was released.

The external PCIe will be cheaper and easier because it will be hosted directly by the mobo chipset, or the CPU by tapping into already existing hardware. Chip makers will not have to add a new and expensive tech to the device, the connection will just siphon off lanes that are already there. And because it is already standardized and cheap technology it will be easier and cheaper to implement. Finally it will be an open standard that multiple manufacturers can adopt. Thunderbolt (as much as I love the idea) is made and operated by Intel, and Intel wants to charge a premium for it. Until there are multiple chip makers who can make it, then it will continue to be too expensive... and when multiple chip makers can make it then Intel will be the only one worth buying (much like their network interfaces) because nobody can do quality like intel, but at least the price will come down.

 

[mayankleoboy1]

^ like the Marvell SATA controllers.

And thunderbolt is not going optical fibre in the coming years. the cable is too expensive and cant carry much power.

and the fact that apple is using it gives some clues about its price, compatibility, usability and openness.

i remember how TB was promoted : one single wire from your PC to a TB brick. and from that brick you added USB, ethernet, firewire, DP, HDMI. basically it was touted as "1 wire for everything". supposed to be magical, and we all know how that turns out.

 

[acku]

[citation][nom]CaedenV[/nom]thunderbolt is a medium that allows for multiple interconnect protocols to be transmitted over the same wire. It can send PCIe, it can send DP, it was supposed to be able to send USB 1/2/3, as well as Ethernet, all over the same wire... but we have not seen that happen over the copper version that was released.The external PCIe will be cheaper and easier because it will be hosted directly by the mobo chipset, or the CPU by tapping into already existing hardware. Chip makers will not have to add a new and expensive tech to the device, the connection will just siphon off lanes that are already there. And because it is already standardized and cheap technology it will be easier and cheaper to implement. Finally it will be an open standard that multiple manufacturers can adopt. Thunderbolt (as much as I love the idea) is made and operated by Intel, and Intel wants to charge a premium for it. Until there are multiple chip makers who can make it, then it will continue to be too expensive... and when multiple chip makers can make it then Intel will be the only one worth buying (much like their network interfaces) because nobody can do quality like intel, but at least the price will come down.[/citation]

Read http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thunderbolt-performance-z77a-gd80,3205.html Thunderbolt can externalize anything. It just has to have the controller. It is external PCIe. External USB 3.0 and ethernet are possible but unlikely because they are already on the mobo.

From a practical standpoint, external PCIe may cheaper, but it's pointless from a performance standpoint http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express#External_PCIe_cards. Everything is limited to a PCIe 1.0 x1 connection. The new ExpressCard standard (v2.0) ups bandwidth to slightly more than PCIe 1.0 x2, which still isn't that fast compared to TB (PCIe 2.0 x4 uplink). Plus ExpressCard only lets you connect a single device. It's one and done after that. For a mobile user, Thunderbolt is the way to go. Worse, you can't count on EC to be available. I'm already seeing Ultrabooks with TB. It makes sense because it doesn't require a lot of space. EC requires more space, hence it will be a greater rarity now that TB is out.

It looks expensive now but be patient. TB is something you will want. Many people need to look past the role Apple played. It clearly is a performance oriented technology that opens up a whole new world, especially on the mobile side.

Cheers,
Andrew Ku
Tom's Hardware.com

 

[web2dot0]

[citation][nom]CaedenV[/nom]thunderbolt is a medium that allows for multiple interconnect protocols to be transmitted over the same wire. It can send PCIe, it can send DP, it was supposed to be able to send USB 1/2/3, as well as Ethernet, all over the same wire... but we have not seen that happen over the copper version that was released.The external PCIe will be cheaper and easier because it will be hosted directly by the mobo chipset, or the CPU by tapping into already existing hardware. Chip makers will not have to add a new and expensive tech to the device, the connection will just siphon off lanes that are already there. And because it is already standardized and cheap technology it will be easier and cheaper to implement. Finally it will be an open standard that multiple manufacturers can adopt. Thunderbolt (as much as I love the idea) is made and operated by Intel, and Intel wants to charge a premium for it. Until there are multiple chip makers who can make it, then it will continue to be too expensive... and when multiple chip makers can make it then Intel will be the only one worth buying (much like their network interfaces) because nobody can do quality like intel, but at least the price will come down.[/citation]

Thank you for your Wikipedia quote. Everybody can quote from the spec sheet. The trouble is you make it seem like Intel are bunch of morons building a interconnect that nobody uses. That's is plain wrong. Just like SSDs, they will come down in price and next thing you know, you'll be asking yourself why in the world would I not use Thunderbolt. Imagine running a external GPU on your Retina Display MacbookPro when you dock your laptop. There'll be a lineup of people buying that technology at a premium price.

Partnering with Apple is no accident. 2 giant corporations backing the initiative is nothing to sneeze at. Give it a few years, and you'll soon find out the true power of Thunderbolt. USB 3.0 complements Thunderbolt.

 

[mayankleoboy1]

edit

 

[acku]

[citation][nom]mayankleoboy1[/nom]@ Aku the wiki link you gave is even more critical of TB than we are![/citation]

? Depends how you are making the comparison. PCIe 3.0 vs Thunderbolt? Or did you read the section specifically discussing external PCIe. Those are two seperate conversations.

On the desktop, TB doesn't make a lot of sense except for long display connections. Performance wise it's better to go pure native and drop in RAID, graphic cards, etc.. directly into a PCIe slot.

On the mobile side, space is a luxury. TB opens up a world of possitiblities that ExpressCard can't. TB is a PCIe 2.0 x4 uplink that allows daisy chaining. ExpressCard (current form) supports a single device on a PCIe 1.0 x1. The new ExpressCard standard (v2.0) is slightly faster than PCIe 1.0 x2. I don't forsee laptops having multiple ExpressCard slots. It's just not feasible. With TB, you need a single port, and you can get a lot of performance.

Let's be clear, TB is still in its infancy. What we've been hearing about in press releases are about its potential. Now that TB is finally available, it's up to Intel and its partners to come up with innovative solutions that are readily available for purchase.

Cheers,
Andrew Ku
TomsHardware.com

 

[TeraMedia]

What, no eSATA? If you have an eSATA III port, I would expect that to provide the same 6 Gbps throughput you get inside the case (drive performance notwithstanding). And since that's the most likely interface that these external drives employ, eSATA has a shot at better latency. Throughput will still match single-disk unless you use a port replicator, but 600 MB/s is nothing to sneeze at anyway.

So for mobile, I can see the benefit of TB over eSATA to reduce form factor. But for desktops and WSs, I don't see the benefit.

 

[esrever]

thunderbolt still looks as useless as ever to the general public.

 

[rjranay]

you guys sure you want to recommend Promise's solution:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3181015?start=165&tstart=0

 

[hrath]

I want them!

 

[acku]

[citation][nom]rjranay[/nom]you guys sure you want to recommend Promise's solution:https://discussions.apple.com/threa [...] 5&tstart=0[/citation]

If you read the whole thread, you'll find plenty of people without problems. Every product has its quirks. We can only go by what we experience first hand obviously.

Cheers,
Andrew Ku
TomsHardware.com

 

[Guest]

No benchmark for Drobo !

 

[WyomingKnott]

Why is Promise's solution so incredibly slow in writing to RAID5?

 

[Guest]

what storage device is actually going to give you write speeds close to 10Gb/s?

 

[rismay]

So If cost is a matter:

The Western Digital’s My Book Thunderbolt Duo 6 TB is now available for only $599 from Amazon.

I got a special $590 price for some reason. Compared to the LaCie 2Big for $750 I'm wiling to cope with the slower drives.

Please post updates on prices!

 

[ToastyMozart]

You might want to fix the title of the G-RAID, as I don't think an array of HDDs totaling at 8GB would be particularly useful.

 

[rslane32]

[citation][nom]web2dot0[/nom]Thunderbolt IS ePCI-E. Well, using Intel's implementation. You think the specification will somehow make things cheaper? Nope.[/citation]
I like the cube from One Stop Systems (www.maxexpansion.com) because you can configure it with thunderbolt or other PCIe connections (up to gen3 x16 if you can afford it). you can put a GPU in it or memory devices. whatever you want.

 

[mikeaaron33]

i found a LaCie D2 4TB for only $379.....
http://www.compsource.com/ttechnote.asp?part_no=9000303&vid=238&src=F

 

[Eric Boudreau]

I would love to know what brand of Blu Ray Drive you got to work with the GoFlex Thunderbolt adapter. I've tried two, and the computer seems to recognize them in About This Mac, but won't load any disks...