With Microsoft officially supporting Thunderbolt 3 (PCIe via Thunderbolt)... it was just a matter of time.
 
The AVB units deliver low round-trip latency connected via USB2 (4.9ms at a 64-sample ASIO buffer size  44.1k)
Assuming MOTU implements "PCIe via Thunderbolt", you'll see PCIe level (sub 3ms) total round-trip latency.

Which is similar latency to an RME using USB3 or firewire....

Good that MS has decided to support Thunderbolt properly though, it should help bring the price of Thunderbolt stuff down in the same way that USB devices and CD drives started off few and expensive until USB equipped computers became the standard.

I'm glad to see this tech moving ahead. Microsoft/Intel is making a gradual difference! What was storage and video monitor tech has finally made it to audio recording land.
 
I'll be looking for another interface in the next few years and Motu is a strong contender.

tlw
Which is similar latency to an RME using USB3 or firewire....

I run a Fireface UFX.  
Round-trip latency is 4.3ms at a 48-samples ASIO buffer size 44.1k
That's excellent performance.
 
For those that want to push the envelope even farther...
PCIe via Thunderbolt would allow you to take the ASIO buffer size down to 32 or even 16-samples.
 

I believe I just read that the new RME UFX+ will support USB3 & Thunderbolt. Looks like that is the future for interfaces.

USB-C can be used for Thunderbolt or USB3.1

This is good. I was reading upstairs about the Octa-Capture having more and more problems working correctly with W-10 updates. This interface isn't that old and was marketed to go with Sonar (yeah I know when Roland owned it). Roland should keep it up to speed. I do not want to have to buy another interface but haven't had problems, however I don't want any. I'll be keeping an eye on this.
I take it that a Thunderbolt for PC would be faster than USB-3 ? I was thinking that USB 3.0 was as good as Thunderbolt but TB is better?
Are the MOTU preamps good? When I have looked in the past their prices seemed to be pretty good... still, I hate buying something new just because a company does not care enough to keep up with drivers for the equipment that they sold me.
 
Thanks for this thread Jim.

Official Thunderbolt (PCIe via Thunderbolt) support for the PC is a positive thing.
It offers PCIe level performance... with an external peripheral.
The single big advantage is that you can run the ASIO buffer size down to 32 or even 16-samples.
 
Otherwise, there's a lot of hype about bandwidth.
The Fireface UFX has 30 channels of I/O... and isn't close to saturating the USB-2 bus.
Simply introducing more bandwidth doesn't equate to greater performance.
Thus far, even though USB-3 has greater bandwidth, no current USB-3 audio interface is outperforming the best
USB-2 units (RME and MOTU).
 
The USB-3.1 controller on the latest Z170x motherboards uses 4 PCIe lanes... and has a total bandwidth of up to 32Gbps.  Note that this is for all USB-3.1 ports (32Gbps total).  Each USB-3.1 port has 10Gbps bandwidth (equal to Thunderbolt 1).
 
Thunderbolt 3 has a bandwidth of 40Mbps... and connects via USB-C.
 
It'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out in the coming months...
To cover all basses, make sure the next machine has USB-3, USB-3.1, and USB-C support for Thunderbolt 3.  
 
If your current audio interface is working well... and not impeding your workflow... there's no need to swap it out.
RME USB-2 audio interfaces can go as low as 4.3ms total round-trip latency at a 48-sample ASIO buffer size/44.1k.
That's good enough for most situations.
To go any lower, you need PCIe level performance.  
Official "PCIe via Thunderbolt" support will bring that level of performance to external units.
You have to be running Win10... and using a motherboard that specifically supports Thunderbolt 3 via USB-C.

As I have said before, I am using a MOTU Ultralite AVB under Windows 10 USB2 and it is absolutely rock solid. Latency is as Jim states, 4.9 ms total RTL from both Reaper and Studio One V3 and when measured by Oblique I'm getting 5.2ms RTL both at 44.1k and 64 samples which is totally usable under reasonable load and not just a pie in the sky number.
 
That approaches my Delta 66 PCI card which is 4.4 ms RTL.
 
Who would have figured that MOTU would become a major player on the PC platform?
Many years ago if you mentioned MOTU it was all Mac and even when they started supporting Windows it seemed, at least to me, half a$$ed.
These days, totally not true.
 
This is a super solid, well constructed, well supported unit with excellent drivers IMHO.
I'm not sure if MOTU develops their own drivers or has a subsidiary company that develops them but it's obvious these are not the typical off the shelf DICE or TheSyscon (sp?) or one of the other driver companies canned drivers.
I "think ??" LynX does something similar which also explains their excellent drivers as well.
 
Compare that to other manufacturers, some of whom brag about USB3 and then post 10ms+ RTL figures when tested.
 
 

Jim Roseberry
It'll be interesting to see how it all shakes out in the coming months...
To cover all basses, make sure the next machine has USB-3, USB-3.1, and USB-C support for Thunderbolt 3.  

 
For sure.
 
USB-C sounds like AT&T back in the day...you lease yourself a pair and you can run any damn protocol you want... I wonder how many protocols/services will jump on the USB-C bandwagon, and how it'll all be managed.