I think I might be ready for a new build, and I'm chewing on going Thunderbolt for my UAD Apollo Silverface that I currently run in Firewire mode. I already have the TB2 card on board the Apollo, and I am intrigued by the lower latency of Thunderbolt.
 
I'd be curious to hear any stories from those of you that have done a build like this. Here's a first pass at the primary equipment I'm considering:
 
1. GIGABYTE G1 Gaming GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 (rev. 1.0) LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel
2. Intel Core i7-6700K Skylake Quad-Core 4.0 GHz LGA 1151 91W BX80662I76700K Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 530
3. G.SKILL TridentZ Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3400 (PC4 27200) Intel Z170 Platform Desktop Memory Model
 
I already have an SSD for my boot disk, but will probably throw in a couple of 1TB SSDs for all of my libraries in an effort to reduce the number of USB hard drives I currently use. They go wonkey every now and then and I think it's due to so many USB devices and hubs.

Did you see this recent thread?
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com...-m3571119.aspx#3571167
 

JonD
Did you see this recent thread?
 
http://forum.cakewalk.com...-m3571119.aspx#3571167

 
I did thanks. I get the opinions on Thunderbolt in general, but I'm hoping to actually hear from some that have made the switch. I'm about due for an upgrade anyway; I wouldn't do this just to get Thunderbolt...

I was pointing specifically at Jim Roseberry's comments, since he builds these systems for a living.
 
If you're serious about going this route, especially considering it's not very well-charted territory, it might be worth a phone consult with Jim to go over your parts list and any other Thunderbolt-related questions you may have.
 
Just a thought.

Great advice JonD thanks!

Go Mac if going TB.   I wonder how long this platform will last.

I'm thinking Thunderbolt has some legs, and if it gets widely adopted on PC ultimately USB 3 could suffer...

 I'm thinking the opposite.  USB is more practical and far more affordable.  Check the prices for any Thunderbolt accessory. 

That's what I mean by adoption. If it starts to take off, the prices will come down. TB has the advantage that it is the standard on the Mac, so if peripheral manufactures could make one product that runs on both platforms that would be desirable. It would need a tipping point. If they could sell a PCIe card that would provide Thunderbolt on legacy systems and not require a new mobo, for example, I think it would catch fire.

I just built a new PC.  I had considered one with Thunderbolt capability (I don't have a TB device).  On the Win 10 computer forum www.tenforums.com  I asked some comments on a proposed build and was advised TB "is not ready for prime time" on Z170 motherboards and to not buy one with TB from the gurus on the forum.  I heeded their advice and bought an ASUS motherboard that does not have a TB interface.