Why no cheap thunderbolt multi-bay enclosures?

[Loa]

Hello,

Given that the cost of basic 4 bay enclosures (esata or USB3) are around 100-150$, why don't we see similarly cheap thunderbolt versions? I know the cable is more expensive, but to go from 100$ to 1000$ (with Pegasus) is just insane. I don't understand why nobody is filling this huge gap.

Loa

P.S. I know Pegasus is very high quality and speed, but with the new Mac Pro pushing ppl towards thunderbolt, some of us will only need normal quality and speed enclosures.

 

[jasonvp]

I don't understand why nobody is filling this huge gap.

The demand just isn't there yet, and the few companies that have built them want their R&D money back. So they're going to charge a bunch of money for their respective enclosures.

When and IF the demand goes up enough to cross a certain point, you'll see more manufacturers make enclosures with TBolt and the prices will drop.

 

[theSeb]

Your comparison is unfair. The cheap USB 3 enclosures that you're referring to do not have a RAID controller and are JBOD. Unfortunately no one is making such enclosures with TB yet, or I have not heard of any.

If you make the comparison a little fairer, then things look like this:

LaCie 4TB 2big Quadra USB 3- £366
LaCie 4TB 2big Quadra TB - £432


I am using UK prices because that is where I live. £66 difference? I am happy to pay this "premium" for TB

 

[comatory]

Hello,

Given that the cost of basic 4 bay enclosures (esata or USB3) are around 100-150$, why don't we see similarly cheap thunderbolt versions? I know the cable is more expensive, but to go from 100$ to 1000$ (with Pegasus) is just insane. I don't understand why nobody is filling this huge gap.

Loa

P.S. I know Pegasus is very high quality and speed, but with the new Mac Pro pushing ppl towards thunderbolt, some of us will only need normal quality and speed enclosures.

Licensing.

 

[bsbeamer]

CalDigit may be one of the better "cheap" options out there right now. The T3 is supposed to ship soon, and it's probably only a matter of time before they have an HDPro-style unit with a Thunderbolt interface, currently connects via PCIe. At one time they were developing a Thunderbolt to PCIe adapter, but haven't seen info on that in a long time - maybe this will spur interest in bringing that back?

 

[marzer]

Hello,

Given that the cost of basic 4 bay enclosures (esata or USB3) are around 100-150$, why don't we see similarly cheap thunderbolt versions? I know the cable is more expensive, but to go from 100$ to 1000$ (with Pegasus) is just insane. I don't understand why nobody is filling this huge gap.

Loa

P.S. I know Pegasus is very high quality and speed, but with the new Mac Pro pushing ppl towards thunderbolt, some of us will only need normal quality and speed enclosures.

Thunderbolt is a different type interface than esata or usb3. TB is peer-to-peer architecture that gives it performance advantages over usb3 and esata. But that requires each peripheral device to contain its own controller circuit. Thats why you can daisy chain TB and not usb or esata. And making it more complex and expensive to produce than a usb3 device which only requires a terminal slave interface.

Hence, as you stated, some only need "normal" quality and speed. Thats what usb is for.

 

[theSeb]

CalDigit may be one of the better "cheap" options out there right now. The T3 is supposed to ship soon, and it's probably only a matter of time before they have an HDPro-style unit with a Thunderbolt interface, currently connects via PCIe. At one time they were developing a Thunderbolt to PCIe adapter, but haven't seen info on that in a long time - maybe this will spur interest in bringing that back?

I have been waiting for these Caldigit enclosures for over a year now. It's been "coming soon" for longer than I care to remember.

 

[whtrbt7]

Thunderbolt speeds warrant enough quality to go into the multi-bay enclosures to ensure enough speed as well as enough reliability. While you could just make a RAID array with some base components, you'll end up with an array that's not as fast, not as reliable, and generally not worth the money anyways.

 

[Boomhowler]

You also have the Sonnet products:

http://www.sonnettech.com/product/echoexpresschassis.html

 

[Loa]

Hello,

Good points.

As for the JBOD issue, my guess is that a cheap TB 4bay enclosure that would allow software RAID0 would be quite popular, just like the cheap esata and usb enclosures are. Most people would gladly pay a 100$ or so TB tax for the increased throughput.

Loa