Guides

What is Thunderbolt 3?

1) WHAT IS THUNDERBOLT?
  • Thunderbolt is the name of the hardware interface that is used to connect devices to your computer or laptop at state of the art speed and versatility.
  • Created by Intel and Apple, this technology has always been multiple steps ahead of USB since 2011.
  • Apple was the main company to take advantage of Thunderbolt in the early days of Thunderbolt 2 and 3.
  • Thunderbolt can be used for so many different things. It can transfer data at an extremely high rate, displaying two 4k screens, charge a device and daisy chain multiple devices together.
2) EVOLUTION OF THUNDERBOLT 1, 2, 3
  • Thunderbolt was originally marketed under the name Light Peak. Using an optical cable, Intel was able to stream two 1080p screens and use a storage device all over one 30m optical cable.
  • Though Thunderbolt started off using optical, Intel decided to switch to a cheaper option of copper. This also gave the ability to also carry power.
  • In 2011 Apple introduced it’s new line of computers using the new technology and naming it Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt started off using a mini display port for Thunderbolt 1 and 2 before moving onto USB-C for the latest generation, Thunderbolt 3.
3) ADVANTAGES OF THUNDERBOLT 3
  • The main advantage where Thunderbolt really shines is speed. Thunderbolt 3 has a transfer rate of up to 40Gbps compared to USB 3.2 which is half the speed at 20Gbps.
  • Thunderbolt can charge at 100w, support PCI-E so you can connect a graphics card to it and daisy chain up to 6 devices all on the single port.
  • With a Thunderbolt port, you know exactly what you are getting. A lot of USB-C ports on laptops today are not clear on what they can do. If you get a laptop with a Thunderbolt port, you know it will charge and support video.
4) ALOGIC THUNDERBOLT PRODUCTS
  • With Intel making Thunderbolt 3 royalty-free, a lot more devices are taking advantage of this technology. ALOGIC is here to help you take advantage of this; our docks, adapters and cables will let you take full advantage of this great technology.

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