But are there any real benefits for having Thunderbult on a PC?
I have a few expensive firewire audio equipment that I can no longer use. Sure, they were faster than USB when I first bought them but now they are just paperweights. So next time I am buying high-end equipment I am going to "think different" and go with the majority (i.e. USB 3.0)...
Buy a thunderbolt monitor and you'll then realize the benefits. I plug one cable in and I have two 34" monitors running at near 4K resolution, gigabit Ethernet, external storage, and a gamut of USB3 ports. Sure, a lot of that can be done with USB3, but not all. Thunderbolt performance is significantly higher too and the cable is very solid and durable.
I think you missed my point. Firewire was also significantly faster than USB when it was announced and see where we are now. I paid extra for a laptop with Firewire ports and then paid extra for equipment that had firewire ports, they are all now expensive paperweights. I am not falling into that trap again.
Also, out of curiosity, do you believe that this laptop has the horsepower to run your 2 x 4K monitors with reasonable performance? Without the fans spinning at max speed all the time?
Not sure, but a 13" MacBook Pro w/ integrated graphics certainly does. I've only done two cinema displays with a 13" MacBook Air so sadly can't comment on it, will try that tonight if I get a second, but the specs of this put it more in the MBP category anyway.
Also, USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3 are merging together in a similarish fashion as how MiniDP/TB2 did, so within a few years time for adoption the point will be rather mute hopefully.
Comments
But are there any real benefits for having Thunderbult on a PC?
I have a few expensive firewire audio equipment that I can no longer use. Sure, they were faster than USB when I first bought them but now they are just paperweights. So next time I am buying high-end equipment I am going to "think different" and go with the majority (i.e. USB 3.0)...
Buy a thunderbolt monitor and you'll then realize the benefits. I plug one cable in and I have two 34" monitors running at near 4K resolution, gigabit Ethernet, external storage, and a gamut of USB3 ports. Sure, a lot of that can be done with USB3, but not all. Thunderbolt performance is significantly higher too and the cable is very solid and durable.
I think you missed my point. Firewire was also significantly faster than USB when it was announced and see where we are now. I paid extra for a laptop with Firewire ports and then paid extra for equipment that had firewire ports, they are all now expensive paperweights. I am not falling into that trap again.
Also, out of curiosity, do you believe that this laptop has the horsepower to run your 2 x 4K monitors with reasonable performance? Without the fans spinning at max speed all the time?
Not sure, but a 13" MacBook Pro w/ integrated graphics certainly does. I've only done two cinema displays with a 13" MacBook Air so sadly can't comment on it, will try that tonight if I get a second, but the specs of this put it more in the MBP category anyway.
Also, USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3 are merging together in a similarish fashion as how MiniDP/TB2 did, so within a few years time for adoption the point will be rather mute hopefully.