Thunderbolt on existing 12-Core

[Paul Dickin]

[Aaron Robinson] “Thoughts please?”
Hi
Will our thoughts make Apple completely re-engineer the Mac Pro motherboard to include the TB chip (which has to have a direct connection to the CPU/chipset – and the graphics card) a matter of months before a new CPU socket will be introduced by Intel?
Will our thoughts change Intel’s plans for the introduction date of their next multi-processor Xeon which plugs into that socket?

[Sean Kapleton]

I agree! I bought my 12-core in November and now feel stupid…I ask apple to buy mine back for a thunderbolt version?! wouldn’t that be rad, I mean damn talk about bad timing to make a major purchase! I did raid 0, 32gb ram, ssd, etc from OWC I wonder how it would sell used on ebay or amazon.

[Bret Williams]

So why did you buy a 12 core Mac Pro if it was such a bad business decision? JK – I know you were just being sarcastic!

[Bob Zelin]

you are all so young and stupid. Do you understand that it is NEVER a good time to buy new equipment !!! No matter what you buy, no matter what the great deal you get, it will be outdated VERY SOON.
The only reason to buy equipment is
A) you are new to the business and you want to learn
B) you have a client that will assure you that your new gear will be paid for, within the period of the job.

Any other financial decision – be it a camera, drive array, editing system, etc. is just crazy. Apple – and everyone else- will ALWAYS have new equipment, and they will have new fantastic new equipment EVERY YEAR. Do you think that your current (undelivered) Thunderbolt drive array will be very cool 3 years from now ? It will be a BOAT ANCHOR. Anyone “stuck” with 3gig SATA technology drives (basically everyone on every forum on Creative Cow) is stuck with boat anchors – if you search for 3Gig SATA drives on any discount site, their numbers are disappearing quickly, only to be replaced by 6Gig SATA drives, which are INCOMPATIBLE with your 3Gig drive controller cards. This affects EVERYONE.

So stop your whining, because EVERYONE suffers, and everyone will continue to SUFFER – this is the price you pay for being in the glamourous television or pro audio business. Everything you buy is outdated before it’s paid for – so the little that you make, goes to buying new equipment. Then one day, you go to work for UPS, or the pizza store, saying “boy, that was stupid”.

Welcome to show business. Now hand over your wallet.

Bob Zelin

[Matt Callac]

[Bob Zelin] “The only reason to buy equipment is
A) you are new to the business and you want to learn
B) you have a client that will assure you that your new gear will be paid for, within the period of the job.”

you forgot
C) you want to look cool.

-mattyc

[Sam Cole]

. . . and buying thunderbolt technology right now is only copper . . .

Sam Cole
On line Mastering Facility
FCP, Avid, Adobe
Sydney, Australia

[Craig Seeman]

[Bob Zelin] “you go to work for UPS, or the pizza store, saying “boy, that was stupid”. “

Just in time to find packages and pizza will begin to be teleported directly to your house.

BTW, a pizza place with a connection to all the local video facilities might be a good business.

[Andrew Richards]

The PCI-express busses in the current Mac Pro have a heck of a lot more bandwidth than the current crop of Thunderbolt busses. Oh, and you can actually get cards to fill them. How many Thunderbolt products are shipping?

Someday Thunderbolt will obsolete PCI slots altogether, but that day is a ways off and your 12 core Mac Pro will be formidable equipment for plenty of time to make it worth your investment.

Best,
Andy Richards

VP of Product Development
Keeper Technology

[Aaron Robinson]

I do agree. I too expect thunderbolt will only result in cheaper alternatives. Maybe a dual-SAS in my immediate future? Anyway, I have no regrets at all, its a great machine. Regardless, it was a necessary purchase thats fruitfully paying for itself. Just curious to hear others thoughts and possibly similar plights.