Firewire and Thunderbolt are data ports similar to USB. Tunderbolt is faster than USB 3, its able to transfer 12GB per second thus its used for a wide variety of accessaries including HD video and audio devices, HD displays, fast hard drives, docking stations and so on.
Thunderbolt ports are now widely seen in newer Windows PC models. Firewire is an older data standard, not so long ago it was faster than USB 2.0 but now USB 3.0 has come along and I think - if memory serves me correctly - USB 3.0 is around 6 times faster than Firewire though this speed might be lost in some areas such as those times when you have to transfer data from one machine to another in a recovery emergency etc, that’s where Firewire still comes into play for now at least. > On 12 Nov 2014, at 3:31 am, Fanus <buys.fa...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Hello > Thanks for the info but what is a firewire port and a thunderbolt port? For > what are they used? > Regards > Fanus > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Armando Maldonado" > <armando.maldonado0...@gmail.com> > To: "'PC Audio Discussion List'" <pc-audio@pc-audio.org> > Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2014 6:27 PM > Subject: RE: Mac Mini Update > > > Hello, the Mac Mini is indeed as you described. In addition to the 4 USB 3.0 > ports, you also have a firewire port, HDMI, Thunderbolt port, one input > line-in, one speaker jack and a memory card reader. Hope this helps. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Pc-audio [mailto:pc-audio-boun...@pc-audio.org] On Behalf Of Fanus > Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2014 8:24 AM > To: PC Audio Discussion List > Subject: Re: Mac Mini Update > > Hello Dane > It sounds very interesting but forgive my lack of knowledge. Am I correct > that the Mac Mini is a fairly small box with no built-in keyboard or screen, > in other words, one plugs in a keyboard and a screen if one needs one. What > other ports does the mini have? > Regards > Fanus > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dane Trethowan" <grtd...@internode.on.net> > To: "PC Audio Discussion List" <pc-audio@pc-audio.org> > Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2014 6:18 PM > Subject: Mac Mini Update > > > Hi! > > I’ve had my new Mac Mini for about a month now and thought I’d share some > observations with you. > > The Mac Mini is fast turning into my main computer of choice because of its > speed and power, here’s an example which I think illustrates the point > rather well. > > I’m testing a Mp3 player, I deleted all my Mp3 collection a few weeks back > so I needed to create or download some more, given I have a good FLAC > collection it made sense I guess to convert some of those, I started with > the Beatles Singles collection 4 CD set from 1962-1970 which contains more > than 40 tracks. > > Conversion was over in around 30 seconds and I was using the highest > settings with the LAME MP3 encoder to get the best I could out of it, on my > Windows desktop and other machines such a conversion task would have taken > around 20 minutes or even longer. > > I spoke to someone about this and he reckoned it would have only taken 5 > seconds or so with his Mac Pro machine and so it ought to given that his > machine contains 8 quad core i7 processors <smile>, mine only contains one > but I think the major contributing factor here is the Fusion Drive that my > Mac Mini uses, put simply a fusion drive is a 1TB standard hard drive with a > 128GB SSD drive incorporated into the design, when idle the operating system > decides what resides on the SSD and what doesn’t based on the most accessed > files, most run applications and so on. > > Now I’m not writing this post as an advertisement for Mac Mini machines as I’m > sure similar can be accomplished with Windows PC’s, I’m writing this because > I’m amazed at just how far we’ve come, encoding and creating of MP3 files > used to take hours if not many minutes not all that long ago. > > > ********** > > Dane Trethowan > grtd...@internode.on.net > Skype: grtdane12 > Phone US (213) 438-9741 > Phone U.K. 01245 79 0598 > Phone Australia (03) 9005 8589 > Mobile: +61400494862 > faceTime +61400494862 > Fax +61397437954 > Twitter: @grtdane > > > > > > > > > ********** Dane Trethowan grtd...@internode.on.net Skype: grtdane12 Phone US (213) 438-9741 Phone U.K. 01245 79 0598 Phone Australia (03) 9005 8589 Mobile: +61400494862 faceTime +61400494862 Fax +61397437954 Twitter: @grtdane
