New Macbook Pro vs. Refurb Mac Pro

[Jay Soriano]

That is a much better solution!(not the cotton buds 😉 So I’m wondering if the 2011 Macbook Pro’s would be able to take advantage of Thunderbolt’s optical fiber speed of 100gbps once available? ie: is the current TB port limited to10gbps or will it be able to take advantage of 100gbps optical fiber in the future?

[Andy Mees]

[Jay Soriano] ” I’m wondering if the 2011 Macbook Pro’s would be able to take advantage of Thunderbolt’s optical fiber speed of 100gbps once available?”

That’s a good question … unfortunately the answer, as far as I can tell, is no they wont. The first showing of Thunderbolt as seen in the 2011 MBP’s is built purely on the copper connectivity spec, it’s not built for optics. Intel are apparently still working on that, although in the meantime they look to be introducing some optical cabling later this year that should extend existing connectivity well beyond the current 3 meter limit.

Couple of quick links for you:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbolt_(interface)
https://www.reviewsofelectronics.com/thunderbolt-technology-explored/227057/

Cheers
Andy

[Jay Soriano]

So it’s the current port’s limitation and not the cable? When optical fiber cables are available, the 2011 Macbook Pros will still be limited to 10Gbps?

[Andy Mees]

Yep, thats the way it reads to me Jay … but keep an eye on Gary Adcock’s blog for more info, he tends to be pretty well informed and just posted that he’ll be reviewing the new Thunderbolt tech in his blog.

https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/8/1123186