thunderbolt

[rayben]

Just bought a new iMac and it has thunderbolt connections, please excuse my ignorance but could some one explain what thunderbolt connections are and what they are used for.
regards ray

 

[MacInWin]

Here is Apple's explanation. Nothing more needs to be added.

 

[rayben]

thank you for your reply very helpful

 

[chscag]

To add to Jake's reply.....

I can backup my entire internal drive (PCIe) using a Thunderbolt 3 port on my new iMac to an external Samsung T5 SSD in 2.5 minutes or less. That's fast.

 

[ferrarr]

To add to Jake's reply.....

I can backup my entire internal drive (PCIe) using a Thunderbolt 3 port on my new iMac to an external Samsung T5 SSD in 2.5 minutes or less. That's fast.

How many GB or TB?

 

[chscag]

My iMac has a 500 GB PCIe drive. I also have one of those newer real thin Seagate drives which are supposed to be fast and that drive takes around 10 minutes to do the same thing.

The nice thing about the Samsung T5 is that booting from it is likewise fast.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Just bought a new iMac and it has thunderbolt connections, please excuse my ignorance but could some one explain what thunderbolt connections are and what they are used for.
regards ray

Your new Mac has both the very latest USB-C (Thunderbolt/USB3.1) ports, as well as the older USB 3.0 ports.

https://www.apple.com/v/imac/f/images/overview/stay_connected_large.jpg

USB-C ports can be used to connect to just about anything and everything, with the highest speeds currently available. Monitors, external hard drives, etc. You might need adapters to connect to these. Apple has a bunch of adapters available, but I usually look to Monoprice:
HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more! - Monoprice.com
first for reasonably priced cable adapters.

Some things, like printers and scanners, don't need the extra speed of a USB-C connection, and for those it's natural to use a common USB cable and to attach them to a USB 3.0 port.