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What Intel’s Thunderbolt 4 means for your next PC Purchase

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Thunderbolt 4: Intel talks speed, security & when it's due - SlashGearIt’s hard to get excited for a new interface protocol, I get it. But Intel’s upcoming Thunderbolt 4 tech could end up making your next PC a lot more capable than today’s systems. Just imagine hooking up two 4K displays to an impossibly thin and sleek ultraportable, which also happens to support data speeds twice as fast as Thunderbolt 3 systems. Surely that’s enough to muster a bit of enthusiasm.

From the beginning, Intel’s Thunderbolt standard has been a way for the chipmaker to offer blazing fast ports that outshine USB in every way. It was originally known as Light Peak and was also co-developed with Apple. You can think of Thunderbolt as a direct gateway to your computer’s PCIe connections, something you’d typically have to tear open your computer to access. The first two generations of the standard used the miniDisplayPort connection, but with ThunderBolt 3 in 2015, Intel switched over to USB-C. That’s when the technology truly hit its stride — besides that slimmer port, it was significantly faster than before and made it easy to connect 4K displays.

At first glance, Thunderbolt 4 doesn’t seem like a huge improvement over its predecessor. They both offer the same maximum bandwidth of 40 gigabits per second and use the USB-C port standard. Where they differ is how they use that bandwidth. Intel is mandating stronger minimum requirements for Thunderbolt 4, so you can be sure that every system supports two 4K displays (or a single 8K screen). That’s not to say that Thunderbolt 3 PCs couldn’t do that, but it wasn’t always a guarantee.

Storage speeds will also jump from 16 Gb/s to 32, making Thunderbolt 4 a godsend for video editors or anyone else moving gigantic files around. Intel is also bumping up security by requiring its VT-d virtualization technology that protects against Direct Memory Access, or DMA, attacks. That includes the recent Thunderspy vulnerability, a complex hack that could allow someone to steal your data, even if your system was locked and had encrypted storage. Every major OS already supports VT-d DMA protection as of last year, but since that security tech is fairly recent, Intel tells us it couldn’t require it when Thunderbolt 3 launched.

So what does all of this mean for you? Probably not much if you’re just browsing the web and not really pushing your PC much. But if you’re the sort of user who regularly connects your notebook to multiple screens, or juggles vast amounts of data, Thunderbolt 4 could make your life a lot easier. Intel is debuting the technology this fall alongside its Tiger Lake chips, which are expected to be powerful in their own right.

You can also look forward to a few other nice bonuses with Thunderbolt 4: Intel is requiring USB-C charging on at least one port, as well as the ability to wake up your PC when it’s connected to a dock. Those accessories will also be able to support up to four Thunderbolt ports, which should make it easier to string together all sorts of gadgets to your desk-bound laptop.

Thunderbolt 4 also supports the upcoming USB-4 standard, which helps to future-proof it a bit. Confusingly enough, USB-4 shares most of the features of Thunderbolt 3 — and don’t forget, they all rely on the same USB-C port. If you’re not paying close attention to the specs of your next PC, it may also be tough to tell if it supports Thunderbolt 4 or 3. You’ll likely only see the small lightning logo on most PCs, with no visible version number, according to Intel.

It’s a shame that after spending years developing an intriguing new protocol, something that could genuinely help consumers, Intel may stumble a bit when it comes to communication. I know plenty of techies who still have trouble dealing with the different types of USB-C ports on their systems. Thunderbolt 4 may just well lead to more confusion.

Still, there’s a lot to look forward to, especially if you push your PC more than most. And maybe, these improvements will lead to more computer makers adopting Thunderbolt. Microsoft has infamously avoided the technology on its Surface machines, which are otherwise some of the best PCs you can buy today. Maybe one day, we’ll finally get a Thunderbolt-equipped version of a Surface tablet that can be powered by an external GPU.

People also ask

Will there be a thunderbolt 4?

Thunderbolt 4 arrives in 2020, but USB will remain the king of PC ports. USB 4 will transfer data just as swiftly, but Intel promises other innovations for Thunderbolt. HP Spectre x360 laptops come with combination Thunderbolt and USB-C ports.

What does a Thunderbolt port do?

Based on the PCI Express and DisplayPort architectures, Thunderbolt allows for high-speed connection of peripherals such as hard drives, RAID arrays, video-capture solutions, and network interfaces, and it can transmit high-definition video using the DisplayPort protocol.

Does Ryzen support Thunderbolt 3?

Can you use Thunderbolt 3 on an AMD Ryzen PC? Best answer: Yes, but right now, there are only a couple of motherboards that support both AMD CPUs and the Thunderbolt 3 standard. These are the ASRock Phantom Gaming ITX TB3 for Ryzen and the Gigabyte Designare TRX40 for the Threadripper platform.

What is Thunderbolt on laptop?

Thunderbolt is a revolutionary I/O technology that supports high-resolution displays and high-performance data devices through a single, compact port. Thunderbolt is a hardware interface that allows for the connection of external peripherals to a computer. It uses the same connector as Mini DisplayPort (MDP).

Is Thunderbolt better than USB?

Thunderbolt 3 is a proprietary (for now) data and video transfer protocol developed by Intel. … That’s too bad because Thunderbolt 3 is incredibly fast. It’s much faster than current maximum speeds for USB. The current top version of USB is USB 3.1 Gen 2, which is capable of speeds up to 10 Gigabits per second (Gbps).

Is Thunderbolt only Intel?

One computer port can connect you to Thunderbolt devices, all displays, and billions of USB devices. While smartphones and tablets may use the connector, the Thunderbolt platform is only available on devices with Intel processors.

Is Thunderbolt better than HDMI?

When it comes to connecting your laptop to your monitor or TV, HDMI is the preferred connection type capable of transferring high-definition audio and video over a single cable. … Thunderbolt is significantly faster than USB 3.0 or FireWire and provides more video bandwidth than HDMI.

Is Thunderbolt really worth?

Thunderbolt is being built onto more and more computers, but it’s still a niche interface. You’ll pay a lot more for a Thunderbolt-equipped drive than you will for a USB 3-equipped drive, but the performance can be worth it, depending on what you’re doing. Your mileage, as in all things, may vary.

Can I plug a USB into a thunderbolt 3 port?

Can I connect USB devices to a Thunderbolt 3 port? Yes, Thunderbolt 3 ports are fully compatible with USB devices and cables.

Is Thunderbolt 3 the same as USB C?

USBC and Thunderbolt may use the same port, but they are by no means the same connector. There are some key differences that prevent most Thunderbolt 3 products from connecting to USBC ports.

Do I need Thunderbolt 3?

If you want to connect your notebook to multiple 4K displays, attach a graphics amp, transfer giant files to the fastest external drives or grab RAW video from an expensive camera, you should get Thunderbolt 3. With a maximum speed of 40 Gbps, it’s the fastest port on the market today.

What does USB 4 come out?

The USB 4 specification was published in late 2019 and will probably appear in devices in late 2020 or early 2021 – it usually takes around 18 months for devices to come to market once a new standard is published for the first time.

What does Thunderbolt look like?

Thunderbolt ports are identifiable by the small lightning symbol printed on the computer’s case next to the port. Here is an example: Some Macs have what is known as a “Mini DisplayPort”, and the shape and size of the connector is very similar to that of a Thunderbolt port, so they are easily confused.

Can I plug USB C into Thunderbolt?

You can plug a USBC device and cable into a Thunderbolt 3 port whenever you want because Thunderbolt 3 fully supports USBC. So a USBC hard drive you have can be used in any of the Thunderbolt 3 ports on your MacBook Pro, or in the USBC port on your 12-inch MacBook.

Can I add Thunderbolt to my PC?

They come with Thunderbolt ports and I need a Thunderbolt port on my Windows PC. … However, if your motherboard doesn’t have a Thunderbolt-3 Add-In-Card that was specifically designed to work with it, the answer is no. you can‘t just pop in any Thunderbolt-3 Add-In-Card.

What is faster USB or Thunderbolt?

Well, yes, Thunderbolt 2 is faster. USB 3.1 runs at 10Gb/s. USB 3.0 runs at 5Gb/s. Thunderbolt runs at 20Gb/s (well really 16.8Gb/s – it uses 2 PCIe 2.0 lanes to operate).

Which is faster USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt?

Thunderbolt 3 is really fast, transmitting at a whopping max transfer rate of 40Gbps. That makes it four times faster than USB 3.1, eight times faster than USB 3.0, and twice as fast as Thunderbolt 2.

Is Thunderbolt a USB drive?

Thunderbolt is the brand name of a hardware interface developed by Intel (in collaboration with Apple) that allows the connection of external peripherals to a computer. Thunderbolt 1 and 2 use the same connector as Mini DisplayPort (MDP), whereas Thunderbolt 3 re-uses the USB-C connector from USB.

Hope this has answered all your questions.

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