USB4 can only support one display, and manufacturers can choose whether it supports a 20Gbps connection or a 40Gbps connection, according to Thunderbolt dock designer Plugable. USB4 is essentially a subset of Thunderbolt 4, mainly designed as an an I/O specification. Thunderbolt 4 allows for longer cables and more Thunderbolt ports on laptops, too.
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Thunderbolt 4 supports “wake on sleep” from an external keyboard or mouse, which allows you to tap your external keyboard or wiggle your mouse to wake your PC up, which is handy. For external storage, Thunderbolt 4 supports 32 Gbps of data transfer - again, this really only matters for video, external GPU connections, or possibly games. Thunderbolt 4 doesn’t allow for any leeway-you’re getting a full-fledged 40Gbps connection (32 Gbps PCIe + USB 3.2), no questions asked.
Unless you’re editing video or using an external GPU, this probably won’t matter. Thunderbolt 3 also supports a slower (16Gbps) PCIe connection for connecting to external storage.
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Most manufacturers go beyond this, however, and our recommended docks support the full specification (and two 4K displays) unless noted. “Up to” is the key phrase: Thunderbolt 3 is only required to support a 10Gbps connection, allowing for a single external 4K display (a 16 Gbps PCIe connection, paired with USB3.2). Think of Thunderbolt 4 as the more restrictive version of Thunderbolt 3, with little room for any gotchas.Įssentially, Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 allow up to 40Gbps maximum bandwidth, enough for two 4K/60 displays. The longer answer, which we’ll describe below, is that there are differences, and parsing the nuances can be confusing. The short answer: Not that much, and we consider Thunderbolt 3 docks and Thunderbolt 4 docks to be functionally equivalent for most users. What’s the difference between Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4? (A Dell support page, for example, details its four-lane and two-lane laptops.) Essentially, a 20Gbps connection should be enough for a single 4K monitor running at 60Hz, with a bit of extra bandwidth for other data transfers among connected peripherals.
And while the vast majority of Thunderbolt 3-equipped laptops are designed with four PCIe lanes for a total of 40Gbps, some laptops only ship with two PCIe lanes for a total of 20Gbps. There are somewhat rare exceptions: A new USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 spec can pair two 10Gbps channels together, creating an aggregate 20Gbps hub. Thunderbolt 4 differs slightly in that it supports a theoretical maximum of 32Gbps where data transfers are concerned, specifically for external storage devices. Most Thunderbolt 3 ports, the most common standard, transfer data at up to 40Gbps. Most USB-C ports are built on the second-generation USB 3.1 data-transfer standard, which transfers data at 10Gbps. But it will be limited by the available bandwidth that the port provides, so it’s somewhat deceptive in that regard.Ī Thunderbolt 3 “compatible” dock is not a true Thunderbolt dock, but a USB-C hub. You can plug a Thunderbolt dock into a non-Thunderbolt, generic USB-C port. Laptop makers sometimes don’t want to clutter the clean lines of their products by adding additional logos, it seems.Īdding to the confusion, you may also see USB-C hubs marketed as “Thunderbolt compatible.” That’s true. But some laptop makers use a similar lightning-bolt icon to indicate that a USB-C port can be used for charging your phone, and not for Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt ports are supposed to have a small lightning-bolt icon to identify them. Put another way, all Thunderbolt ports are USB-C, but not all USB-C ports are Thunderbolt-equipped. A Thunderbolt port may look indistinguishable from a USB-C port, since they both use the same physical USB-C connection. The short answer: Look at the laptop’s published specifications to be sure. How do I know if my laptop has Thunderbolt? If you’re on the fence about whether a Thunderbolt dock is right for you, knowing the answers to the following questions could help. Consulting the manufacturing specifications is your safest bet. Which laptop offers Thunderbolt? The top one, though it can be difficult to tell. Two laptops, both with USB-C ports, and both with lightning-bolt symbols.
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