Thunderbolt 3 Explained

If you wish to connect your device to multiple 4K displays, transfer large files to fastest external drives, or maybe grab RAW video from an external camera, the latest version of Thunderbolt maybe be the perfect option for you.

Thunderbolt was introduced in 2011 by Intel, when the USB 3.0 was the latest trend and it could transfer at a speed of 5Gbps which was very impressive back then, the introduction of Thunderbolt however, brought about a change with a transfer speed of 10Gbps, twice the speed of USB 3.0, plus, it was not restricted to just serial data, it could transfer multiple types of data. It could also daisy-chain devices together, for example, a hard drive to your computer and a display to your hard drive.

Thunderbolt's features in detail:

Speed is much higher than a USB connection.

The latest version of Thunderbolt, the Thunderbolt 3 is capable of transmitting data at a speed of 40Gbps, which is lot better than the USB 3.1 rate of 10Gbps and USB 3.2 of 5Gbps. It also has double bandwidth than its previous version Thunderbolt 2. Using the peer-to-peer networking option, one can copy large amount of data between two computers, so when you upgrade into a new computer and need to move your entire older data, you don't have to wait overnight to complete the process.

Uses Type 3 USB connectors

All the Thunderbolt ports are also type C reversible connectors. It is possible to connect any USB Type-C device to the Thunderbolt port. Thunderbolt is in fact an alternate mode for the USB.

Can connect to two 4K monitors at once

Thunderbolt can transmit video via DisplayPort. A single DisplayPort can handle single 4K monitor at one time, however a single Thunderbolt 3 connection can manage to output two 4K monitors equally at 60Hz, one at 120Hz or one 5K monitor at 60Hz.

Networking at High Speed.

You can now transfer data at a very high transfer rates from another laptop. At an ethernet speed of 10Gbps, you can connect two PCs together, which is 10 times faster than the average wired Ethernet

Tiny Lightning Bolt to look for compatible Logo.

To know all the compatible devices with the Thunderbolt 3, check for the tiny lightning bolt logo on it to make sure complete utilisation for both the devices is done. Only the certified products can use the logo.

Daisy chain up to 6 devices.

Using the Thunderbolt 3 cables, you can connect up to six different computers and accessories. It is like connecting your laptop to a high-speed hard drive then sending another wire out to a monitor while a third wire from the monitor tot a high-speed camera. It is possible, if all the devices in the centre have two ports.

Apple and all the other manufacturers including Asus ZenBook line, Alienware gaming laptops, Dell XPS 13, HP Spectre and Spectre x360, Razer Blade Stealth, Lenovo ThinkPads and many others have now embraced the Thunderbolt 3 not only because of its USB-C connector but its features of fast data transfer and storing large data files.