2010 imac & thunderbolt external HD

[appleman108]

i want to get a external HD to work with my 27" imac that i purchased last summer.
should i get one with Thunderbolt technology?
Also, would i hook this external up through my router or directly to the imac
neither of which have the thunderbolt connection port....
so, i'm wondering if there's any advantage getting one with TB

thanks for your thoughts

 

[miles01110]

Clearly if your computer does not have a Thunderbolt port it makes no sense to buy a Thunderbolt external hard drive.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

If you ever plan to upgrade your iMac to a newer model, you will most likely get one with TB already built in, thus you can then use the TB port.
But as you have FW800 as fastest port (or Gigabit Ethernet) on your current iMac, get an external HDD with Firewire.
TB HDDs aren't out yet, only announced.

 

[Richdmoore]

i want to get a external HD to work with my 27" imac that i purchased last summer.
should i get one with Thunderbolt technology?
Also, would i hook this external up through my router or directly to the imac
neither of which have the thunderbolt connection port....
so, i'm wondering if there's any advantage getting one with TB

thanks for your thoughts

First of all, as far as I know no thunderbolt accessories are actually for sale yet. Maybe in a month or two.

I don't know of any router that has thunderbolt yet either.

Only advantage of getting a thunderbolt drive would be future compatiblity. (As long as it has multiple outputs in addition to thunderbolt, like USB/FireWire.). Thunderbolt items initially might cost too much to be worth it, at least until the price goes down.

If you want the fastest for your current mac, FireWire 800 is the way to go for your current system. USB only devices are slower, but usually cost less.

 

[appleman108]

thanks guys
it's amazing how quickly things change
just got this imac in aug 2010
and already the connection ports are becoming outdated

truth be told, FW800 is more than adequate
it's a psychological thing
wanting the latest and greatest