Firewire Surfboards manufactures advanced performance surfboards. We use innovative materials and construction methods to improve sustainability. I recently purchased a new Mac mini and it does not have a FireWire or Thunderbolt port. You will also have the same problem if you have purchased a very recent model MacBook Pro or iMac. The problem is I have quite a nice 3CCD Panasonic video camera that has a FireWire port on it. I need a Firewire to USB-C adapter but Apple don’t make one. One of the most interesting improvements to the new Mac mini models announced Tuesday is that the mini’s single FireWire 400 port has been replaced by a faster FireWire 800 version.
– Connect FireWire 400 devices to computers with FireWire 800 port.
– Works with standard 6-pin male FW400 cables.
– Specially tapered design allows for easy connection.
- Provides a simple way to connect FireWire 400 devices to the latest Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac and all other computers with a FireWire 800 port
- 9-pin male (FW800) to 6-pin female (FW400) connector adapter works with standard 6-pin male FW400 cables
- IEEE 1394 compliant
- Specially tapered design allows for easy connection of cables to adjacent ports
- 1 Year NewerTech Product Limited Warranty Register Here
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The main difference between FireWire and Thunderbolt is that Thunderbolt provides a higher data transferring rate than FireWire.
FireWire and USB are standard interfaces to establish communication between electronic devices. FireWire provides a data transferring rate of 400 to 800 Mbps. On the other hand, Thunderbolt provides a data transferring rate of 10Gbps. It is around 12 times faster than FireWire 800 version. Therefore, Thunderbolt is faster and performs better than FireWire.
Key Areas Covered
1. What is FireWire
– Definition, Features
2. What is Thunderbolt
– Definition, Features
3. What is the Difference Between FireWire and Thunderbolt
– Comparison of Key Differences
Key Terms
FireWire, Thunderbolt, USB
What is FireWire
FireWire is an interface that allows high-speed communication and data transferring among devices. It is the Apple version of the IEEE 1394 standard. There are two types in FireWire as FireWire 400 (IEEE 1394a) and FireWire 800 (IEEE 1394b). FireWire 400 provides a data transfer rate up to 400 Mbps, and it is a 6 pin connector. FireWire 800 provides a data transfer rate up to 800Mbps, and it is a 9 pin connector. There are future versions such as FireWire 1600 and 3200 that can support much faster speeds.
FireWire provides multiple advantages. It has thin serial cables. Moreover, it is possible to connect devices together without terminators or complicated setup requirements. Most importantly, it builds the pathway to connect peripherals such as external hard drives, video cameras, audio interfaces, etc.
What is Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt is an interface to connect external devices to a computer. It combines PCI Express and Display port into two serial signals. Therefore, it supports both data devices and displays with high resolutions. Thunderbolt provides a data transferring rate of 10Gbps in both directions. It is a higher rate compared to FireWire. Also, this interface is capable of supporting eight 720p video streams at the same time.
Thunderbolt provides power to connected devices. In other words, it is possible to power an external device that requires 10 watts or less power. Moreover, we can connect multiple devices to one Thunderbolt port in sequence. Thus, it is also called daisy chaining.
Difference Between FireWire and Thunderbolt
Definition
FireWire is Apple version of a standard, IEEE 1394, high-performance serial bus for connecting devices to personal computers. Thunderbolt, on the other hand, is a hardware interface that allows the connection of external peripherals to a computer. Thus, this is the fundamental difference between FireWire and Thunderbolt.
Designer
Apple Inc. is the designer of FireWire while Intel and Apple are the designers of FireWire.
Firewire Cable Mac To Mac
Speed
Speed is the main difference between FireWire and Thunderbolt. That is; the FireWire provides 400-800 Mbps data transferring speed whereas the Thunderbolt provides 10Gbps data transferring rate.
Daisy Chain
Also, it is possible to daisy chain up to 63 devices in FireWire. However, it is possible to daisy chain up to 6 devices in Thunderbolt. Hence, this is a difference between FireWire and Thunderbolt.
Maximum Voltage
Moreover, one important difference between FireWire and Thunderbolt is that the maximum voltage of FireWire is 30V and the maximum voltage of Thunderbolt is 18V.
Maximum Current
Maximum current is also an important difference between FireWire and Thunderbolt. The maximum current of FireWire is 1.5A while the maximum current Thunderbolt is 0.55A.
Popularity
FireWire is more commonly used than Thunderbolt.
Conclusion
FireWire and Thunderbolt are interfaces to allow communication between electronic devices. The main difference between FireWire and Thunderbolt is that the Thunderbolt provides higher data transferring rate than FireWire.
Reference:
Apple Thunderbolt To Firewire Adapter
1. “IEEE 1394.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Dec. 2018, Available here.
2. “Thunderbolt (Interface).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Jan. 2019, Available here.
3. “Firewire.” P2P (Peer To Peer) Definition, Available here.
4. “Thunderbolt.” P2P (Peer To Peer) Definition, Available here.
Image Courtesy:
Macbook Firewire Port
1. “FireWire cables” By Mikkel Paulson – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Thunderbolt 3 interface USB-C ports” By Amin – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia