What the heck is a thunderbolt card?

[waterjug]

I just heard about this today, can someone explain what it is, and why one would use it?

 

[smackababy]

From what a quick Google search comes up with, I assume a PCI card with a ThunderBolt connector.

 

[Arkadrel]

I just heard about this today, can someone explain what it is, and why one would use it?

It has a port on it,... where you can plug in thunderbolt stuff.

It would be like buying a PCI card with usb ports in the back, so you could plug in more USB stuff.




Basically thunderbolt came out and was faster than USB3 (superspeed)
(5.0 Gbit/s), but then the guys that make usb standarts, made a new USB3 superspeed+ that comes out to 10 Gbit/s as well.

Now intel is makeing a newer thunderbolt, thats even faster!.....


What people forget is that theres really no use atm for stuff that fast.
Even the fastest SSDs cannot make use of it.

Why does intel have their own standart then? more money, and they have market share enough to lock people into it.

In the meantime USB is cheaper, and backwards compatable.

 

[paperwastage]

thunderbolt has its niche uses:

laptops and small form factors, eg this Intel NUC http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Next-Com.../dp/B0093LINT2

thunderbolt is essentially an extension of PCIe lanes (and displayport)... desktops HAVE pciE slots. laptops/SFFs don't. what happens if you want access to PCIe lanes (for fast SSD or external GPU)? use thunderbolt

 

[frozentundra123456]

thunderbolt has its niche uses:

laptops and small form factors, eg this Intel NUC http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Next-Com.../dp/B0093LINT2

thunderbolt is essentially an extension of PCIe lanes (and displayport)... desktops HAVE pciE slots. laptops/SFFs don't. what happens if you want access to PCIe lanes (for fast SSD or external GPU)? use thunderbolt

Yea, I thought this was supposed to be the interface that was going to make external gpus practical for laptops. I haven't heard much about it yet though.

 

[blastingcap]

I thought daisy chaining high speed stuff is one use??