What is Thunderbolt?

Thunderbolt is a high-speed I/O interface developed by Intel (originally codenamed "Light Peak"), combining PCIe data transfer, DisplayPort video output, and power delivery into a single port. It uses the USB-C physical connector from Thunderbolt 3 onward.

How fast is Thunderbolt?

Thunderbolt 1/2: 10 Gbps (1) → 20 Gbps (2)

Thunderbolt 3/4: 40 Gbps peak bandwidth, supporting data transfer, dual 4K displays (or single 8K), and 100W power delivery 238.

Thunderbolt vs. USB-C: What’s the difference?

Physical similarity: Both use USB-C connectors.

Functional difference: Thunderbolt supports PCIe tunneling (for external GPUs/storage) and DisplayPort Alt Mode, which standard USB-C may not. All Thunderbolt 3/4 cables work for USB-C devices, but USB-C cables cannot fully support Thunderbolt features 48.

Tag：Thunderbolt