New 27" iMac w/ extra 27" Thunderbolt Display FW800?

[califlorida]

If I got a 27" thunderbolt Cinema Display and attached it to the new iMac 27", could I then use its FW800 port at full speed to connect several FW800 drives I have? Would performance suffer? If not, I think this would be a solution to kill two birds with one stone (xtra monitor/FW connectivity) rather than having to buy 3 or 4 new USB 3.0 or thunderbolt external HD's.

[overanalyzer]

Oops, wrong post

[MCAsan]

Apple is dropping it from newer machines so I would not invest another dime on it. Swap out the FW drive enclosures for USB 3 enclosures and get a couple of good USB 3 hubs. You can get employ enclosures at NewEgg, MicroCenter, and likely Amazon.

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Apple is dropping it from newer machines so I would not invest another dime on it. Swap out the FW drive enclosures for USB 3 enclosures and get a couple of good USB 3 hubs. You can get empty enclosures at NewEgg, MicroCenter, and likely Amazon.

[califlorida]

Originally Posted by MCAsan

Apple is dropping it from newer machines so I would not invest another dime on it. Swap out the FW drive enclosures for USB 3 enclosures and get a couple of good USB 3 hubs. You can get employ enclosures at NewEgg, MicroCenter, and likely Amazon.

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Apple is dropping it from newer machines so I would not invest another dime on it. Swap out the FW drive enclosures for USB 3 enclosures and get a couple of good USB 3 hubs. You can get empty enclosures at NewEgg, MicroCenter, and likely Amazon.

I know this and fully intend to take advantage of USB 3.0.

My point is - Since I want dual monitors anyways I'm wondering if this will save me from having to go buy all new external drives now.

If my FW transfer speed won't suffer this route can save me $400 in the short term.

Display + drives I currently own =$850
Vs
Display + 4 new external USB 3.0 1tb drives = $850 + $400 = $1250

[eagandale4114]

Originally Posted by califlorida

I know this and fully intend to take advantage of USB 3.0.

My point is - Since I want dual monitors anyways I'm wondering if this will save me from having to go buy all new external drives now.

If my FW transfer speed won't suffer this route can save me $400 in the short term.

Display + drives I currently own =$850
Vs
Display + 4 new external USB 3.0 1tb drives = $850 + $400 = $1250

The TB bus should have enough bandwidth to handle the display + the drives.

[califlorida]

Originally Posted by eagandale4114

The TB bus should have enough bandwidth to handle the display + the drives.

Thank you- that's what I assumed, as I know companies are starting to release thunderbolt docking stations for just this purpose. Rather spend $850 on a 27" cinema and get double the connectivity, instead of $300 on a docking station and $500+ on another companies monitor. Appreciate the confirm.

[JVo]

Is there a reason you wouldn't want to just use these:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD464ZM/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter

[califlorida]

Originally Posted by JVo

Is there a reason you wouldn't want to just use these:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD...rewire-adapter

I was under the impression that would negate the ThunderBolt data transfer speeds, and revert to the lowest level FW800 speeds?

Am I correct in thinking this? Never been a big fan of adapters in the past, always would rather have the correct connection for best function.

If I didn't want dual monitors this would be a very inexpensive alternative though...

[eagandale4114]

Originally Posted by califlorida

I was under the impression that would negate the ThunderBolt data transfer speeds, and revert to the lowest level FW800 speeds?

Am I correct in thinking this? Never been a big fan of adapters in the past, always would rather have the correct connection for best function.

If I didn't want dual monitors this would be a very inexpensive alternative though...

No loss in speed. TB has a 10,000 mbps transfer rate while FW 800 has about 800 mbps.
This isn't usb were those issues existed.