USB 3.0 IS worth the upgrade!

[superakuma]

I am still shocked that some of my peers(other photographer friends) still haven't upgraded to USB 3. I know not everyone can due to their system, but most of them CAN and still haven't because they don't think it is worth the cost.

It cost me about $40 to upgrade to USB 3, this includes the USB 3 PCI-E card and the USB 3 card reader. It is a small fee for a major improvement.

I don't use a mac but I would love to see how fast the new thunderbolt card reader will be(if it ever comes out)

[meinster]

There are many factors in determining the speed of USB..

are you copying to an USB 3 drive?

To give you an idea of thunderbolt.. here is a sample transfer file from a mac to a thunderbolt LAcie Drive.. warning.. going to make you cry..

8 gib file.. Write speed: 369 MB/Sec
Read: 379.1 Mb/Sec

[superakuma]

Yes Thunderbolt is great, I wish that technology would be adopted faster. I know right now Thunderbolt is only on a Mac, but can you even upgrade an older Mac computer to support Thunderbolt? Or do you have to buy a Mac with it built in?

USB 3 an easy and cheap upgrade for most PC desktop user. That is why I think it is worth it.

[wolfd]

I have USB 3.0 on a couple of my pc's and it is a great improvement. For some of my older pc's or laptops it is n not worth the expense. I find that when doing large file transfers that take considerable time it is beneficial to just let them run while I am out of the house. Several of my storage drives are network drives with Gigabit ethernet which is plenty fast for me. The benefits of ethernet are that I can locate the drives up to 100 yards away rather than the maximum 10 feet for USB.

[meinster]

Originally Posted by superakuma

Yes Thunderbolt is great, I wish that technology would be adopted faster. I know right now Thunderbolt is only on a Mac, but can you even upgrade an older Mac computer to support Thunderbolt? Or do you have to buy a Mac with it built in?

USB 3 an easy and cheap upgrade for most PC desktop user. That is why I think it is worth it.

Thunderbolt is a port, so you can not upgrade an older Mac. There are a couple of windows motherboards that support thunderbolt (it was jointly developed by apple and intel). But, to take advantage of it, best to have a newer system.

[Dirk]

newer technology is always compatible downwards
i just have to do it with usb 2.0 . and like wolf i let it run also when out of da house or enjoying a movie / sports on tv

[TheFantasticG]

Originally Posted by Dirk

newer technology is always compatible downwards

I wish someone would tell that to my PS3 that doesn't play PS1 or PS2 games

[allan473]

I just got usb 3.0 for my Mac. I downloaded a card of 181 D800 files in 2:05. It had been taking me over 5 minutes.

[wolfd]

Asus has a new Thunderbolt upgrade card but it only works with certain of its own (Asus) motherboards.

ASUS offers Thunderbolt upgrade card for some 7-series motherboards -- Engadget

[meinster]

Originally Posted by TheFantasticG

I wish someone would tell that to my PS3 that doesn't play PS1 or PS2 games

Downward compatabilty is not the same as backwards. Plus, on video games consoles, the market is different. Can you imagine if PC manufacturers did that? They would have a riot on their hands.