USB 3

usb_3While USB 3.0 a year is out, there are only a few manufacturers that have embraced the standard. We see USB 3.0 especially back in high-end systems, but that is under the USB Forum (USB-IF) changes here.

The slow acceptance of USB3.0 would mainly have to do with the cost to implement the technology by system builders. Now the technology will prices fall more attractive to manufacturers as states Jeff Craft Raven USB-IF. He predicts that USB 3.0 in 2012 found in most of the systems way.

Especially the reluctance of motherboard manufacturers enables USB3.0 is still no standard. AMD integrates only in July this year USB3.0 standard in their chipsets and Intel wait still longer and builds until January 2012 in the midrange and high-end motherboards.

USB 3.0 specification achieves a speed of 5 Gbps. The USB-IF showed this year how the technique could be used to stream video from a hard disk.

Wednesday 5 January 2011 – Door: Martijn Verkui

Of course, Apple also continues to sit still and they come with Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt: data pumps to 10 Gbps

Donders quickly

Intel demonstrated the new Thunderbolt standard. image: James Martin / CNet

Apple yesterday introduced the first computer with a Thunderbolt connector, formerly known as Light Peak Intel. But what can you do with it now?

After the launch of the

new mac book pro series from Apple, the first systems on the market meekrijgen a Thunderbolt connector, Intel held itself still a press conference to showcase its technology.

10 Gbps up and down

Light Peak will now be known as Thunderbolt. The technology promises in its first form speeds up to 10 Gbps in both directions. Later that can be increased to a maximum of 100 Gbps when making the transition to fiber optic cables. The first generation of Thunderbolt cables is constructed of copper wires.

Thunderbolt is based on Apple's existing DisplayPort technology and PCI Express. The new cables it is possible to link peripherals with each other so that you can currently connect up to seven devices to one port and use it at the same time. Chaining they call it.

Length vs. power

The copper wires can also power your peripherals. In total, they can be up to 10 deliver watt. The length of the copper cable is limited to three meters. The future optical cables can be more than ten meters long, but they will not provide energy. Thunderbolt cables connectors have the same shape as the Mini DisplayPort connectors Apple.

During the press conference, Intel became a MacBook Pro via Thunderbolt with an external hard drive from LaCie connected. Which can accommodate two SSD drives in raid setup and has as many Thunderbolt ports. On the free port was connected to a monitor. CNet was witness.

Four 1080p streams simultaneously

This set-up was able to send four fully extracted video streams with 1080p resolution for the MacBook Pro, who then sent over the same cable to the display. That happened more than 600 MBps.

Those are impressive speeds that are a lot higher than USB, but Thunderbolt is not designed to replace the current standard. According to Intel USB remains the standard for the consumer. The chipmaker soon indeed is USB 3.0 integrate. Demanding users may make use of Thunderbolt.

Buying new system

The condition is that you buy a computer or motherboard with Thunderbolt ports. Currently that only the new Macbook Pro from Apple, but also other manufacturers offer systems with Thunderbolt Support at the turn of the year.

Upgrading an existing computer with a Thunderbolt expansion card is not immediately there. Intel suggested at the press conference to replace the motherboard and did not respond to questions about expansion cards that can pierce into a PCI Express slot or ExpressCard Thunderbolt ports for laptops.

25 February 2011 | Jan Custers

 

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