Mo Jonez Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 Updating my audio interface, currently a Presonus FireStudio w a Firewire connection. Looking at USB-C vs Thunderbolt for a win 10 PC... which is better... which is faster... which do you like/recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted May 26, 2021 Share Posted May 26, 2021 In practice, it doesn't really matter. Really. I use Firewire here, have done so for many years and it works great. However, if I had to buy a new interface today I'd go with USB-3, just because support for it is built into Windows and every computer comes with at least one USB-3 port. If you ever want to run your DAW on a laptop as a portable rig for onsite live recording, every laptop has a USB port. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsinger Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 USB-C is a form factor, it can be USB-2 or 3. Check the specs. From what I've read on Windows USB 3 isn't any faster than USB 2, but it has higher bandwidth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeringAmps Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 Recently upgraded to an RME UFX+ (was running the UFX). Using the USB-C port on an ASUS ThunderboltEX3 card (ASUS Z370 MoBo). The USB cable came with the UFX+, (too lazy to buy a TB cable?) hence using the USB-C. The UFX would run at 48 samples, the UFX+ runs at 32; probably under a heavier load (but again, too lazy to "benchmark" it) Pretty sure @Jim Roseberrywill chime in and lets us know if the "C" or "TB" is the way to go. On the RME forum, the administrators basically say its "system dependant"; read that as YMMV. I never ran the UFX via firewire, although I do have a Tascam FW1884, (just use the control surface since going RME). It never could handle the loads that the RME's do, but its "drivers, drivers, drivers", so why are we not surprised? It has a 32 sample setting, but try and use it; "no dice son, you got to work late". t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluzdog Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 14 hours ago, rsinger said: From what I've read on Windows USB 3 isn't any faster than USB 2, but it has higher bandwidth. USB 3 is approximately 10 times faster than usb 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsinger Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, bluzdog said: USB 3 is approximately 10 times faster than usb 2 My bad, USB 3 and USB 2 have the same latency. USB 3 will move more data. Edited May 27, 2021 by rsinger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Prokap Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 On 5/27/2021 at 12:29 PM, rsinger said: My bad, USB 3 and USB 2 have the same latency. USB 3 will move more data. Which is way overkill for audio needs either way. USB buffers more than FW or TB (at least it used to). The TB interfaces will get a faster RTL on paper, whether it's fast enough for you to notice is a different question Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Roseberry Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 If you've tended to all the details, you can achieve lower round-trip latency with Thunderbolt. Think of Thunderbolt as "external PCIe" Under ideal circumstances, you can achieve PCIe level performance with an external audio interface. The best USB audio interfaces achieve round-trip latency of ~4ms. The best Thunderbolt audio interfaces can achieve round-trip latency of sub 1ms. All USB audio interfaces I've seen/used/tested that connect via USB-C... are actually USB-2 devices. I've been running Thunderbolt audio interfaces on PC for a couple years. UA Apollo, RME UFX+, Presonus Quantum, and Antelope Orion Studio Synergy Core (can they make the name a little longer? ?) All have been rock-solid. If you're getting a new machine, be aware that there are currently issues with Thunderbolt-4 controllers. Ironically, TB4 is not working well with Intel based machines... but works just fine on the Asus ProArt B550 Creator (AMD 5950x Vermeer CPU). Ultimately... this will be ironed out. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haydn12 Posted May 31, 2021 Share Posted May 31, 2021 I'm running a Thunderbolt Quantum 2626 interface. I'm glad I made the switch as performance and low latency is amazing compared to the USB-C interface I was using before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeringAmps Posted June 1, 2021 Share Posted June 1, 2021 4 hours ago, Jim Roseberry said: best Thunderbolt audio interfaces can achieve round-trip latency of sub 1ms. What you’re saying is I should get off my lazy ***** and buy a TB cable? t why did I upgrade to the UFX+ if not to take full advantage of its capabilities? why am I asking you ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Roseberry Posted June 1, 2021 Share Posted June 1, 2021 1 hour ago, DeeringAmps said: What you’re saying is I should get off my lazy ***** and buy a TB cable? You should get a Thunderbolt cable. ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeringAmps Posted June 1, 2021 Share Posted June 1, 2021 8 hours ago, Jim Roseberry said: You should get a Thunderbolt cable Today! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Prokap Posted June 1, 2021 Share Posted June 1, 2021 16 hours ago, haydn12 said: I'm running a Thunderbolt Quantum 2626 interface. I'm glad I made the switch as performance and low latency is amazing compared to the USB-C interface I was using before. This interface has caught my attention, what does Cakewalk report the RTL to be on a 32 sample buffer at 48 KHz? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Roseberry Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 On 6/1/2021 at 7:02 AM, Gordon Prokap said: This interface has caught my attention, what does Cakewalk report the RTL to be on a 32 sample buffer at 48 KHz? At 96k with 32-sample ASIO buffer size, the round-trip latency is 1ms. It's going to be right about 2ms at half the sample-rate (48k). I've measured this with a loopback test... so it's accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeringAmps Posted June 4, 2021 Share Posted June 4, 2021 This is what I'm seeing with the UFX+ via USB3 and the Thunderbolt EX3 USB port t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Stoner Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 I have the new MOTU Ultralite Mk5 for my downsized home studio. It is USB-C. My Gigabyte Designare Z390 motherboard does not have a designated USB-C port but does have two Thunderbolt III ports. I just got it and other than connecting and some quick tests I haven't done anything with it. Latency is the same whether its connected to the Thunderbolt III or USB 3.0 or 3.1 on the Designare motherboard. I have a Laptop with USB 3.0 port and latency is the same as the desktop. Speaking of latency, the Mk5's latency at 64 samples is slightly more than it was with an older MOTU 896Mk3 Hybrid at 64 samples. I had to go down to 32 samples to get a better input latency. Reported latency at 32 samples (44.1Khz): Input 1.34 ms/59 samples, Output 4.24 ms/187 samples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitekrazy1 Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 On 5/31/2021 at 12:37 PM, Jim Roseberry said: If you've tended to all the details, you can achieve lower round-trip latency with Thunderbolt. Think of Thunderbolt as "external PCIe" Under ideal circumstances, you can achieve PCIe level performance with an external audio interface. The best USB audio interfaces achieve round-trip latency of ~4ms. The best Thunderbolt audio interfaces can achieve round-trip latency of sub 1ms. All USB audio interfaces I've seen/used/tested that connect via USB-C... are actually USB-2 devices. I've been running Thunderbolt audio interfaces on PC for a couple years. UA Apollo, RME UFX+, Presonus Quantum, and Antelope Orion Studio Synergy Core (can they make the name a little longer? ?) All have been rock-solid. If you're getting a new machine, be aware that there are currently issues with Thunderbolt-4 controllers. Ironically, TB4 is not working well with Intel based machines... but works just fine on the Asus ProArt B550 Creator (AMD 5950x Vermeer CPU). Ultimately... this will be ironed out. That is like a first for AMD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Roseberry Posted June 5, 2021 Share Posted June 5, 2021 3 hours ago, Paul Young said: That is like a first for AMD. It is a bit ironic. ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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