Thunderbolt was earlier thought to be a replacement for USB but with Intel announcing that the forthcoming Thunderbolt 3 will have USB Type-C connectors, the path is much clear for a single port to feed all. In these times when having one of the two ports as a feature specification is becoming a consideration for purchase, device manufacturers are surely very confident about the future of connectivity.
Usb-c Vs Thunderbolt 3 Speed Test
What then is the difference between Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C? They surely can not be the same, and it is probably the reason for unison.
What are they?
The USB-C is a standard, oval-shaped, connector that was developed by the USB Implementers Forum. It is compact and fully reversible, with both the up and down sides similar as well as both ends of its adapter designed to be the same. This implies that you do not have to mind the side of entry when inserting into a port, the way you would for USB-A or USB-B.
Thunderbolt 3, on the other hand, is an emerging technology for connecting external devices to PC that runs on a USB-C connector and cable. It is used to interconnect varying devices such as external hard drives, high-end audio interfaces and monitors, hubs, docks, expansion chases, as you wish; with just a limited amount of cable.
Read More: Everything you need to know about Thunderbolt 3
The difference
Power Supply
Thunderbolt 3 can provide 15 watts of power, with up to 100 watts of optional power, to their devices. USB-C can supply up to 100 watts of power to devices, reducing on the cable burden, and thus is the reason for its embedment in Thunderbolt 3.
Backward Compatibility Batman arkham origins pc cheats game.
Thunderbolt 3 requires a Thunder Adapter to work with Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 devices, just as USB-C’s USB 3.1 standard is compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 with an adapter.
Usb C Or Thunderbolt 3 Dock
Data Transfer Speeds
Thunderbolt 3 offers users a variety of connectors to meet their financial capabilities.
A typical port provides a maximum speed of 40 Gb/s throughout, four times faster than the ports that USB-C connectors use and any other external connector available. Thunderbolt devices transfer both audio and video data, steadily and simultaneously.
Support Features
USB-C cables can ably work with Thunderbolt 3 ports, just as Thunderbolt cables can work well with USB-C ports. The only limitation here is that the thunderbolt platform is only available on Intel processors implying that a cross-connection will not support thunderbolt features.
The notable difference between the two is that Thunderbolt 3 is a technology that uses USB-C for cabling and connections. You got that.
![]() RelatedUsb C Vs Thunderbolt 3 Monitors
USB 3.0 vs. Thunderbolt is an issue for all pro users of recent Macs and, increasingly, high-end Windows systems. They're both standard on all Macs, so the issue is how much can you rely on the cheaper USB 3.0.
Bottom line: For many Mac users Thunderbolt will be overkill. But if you need workstation performance, USB is no substitute.
Availability
Thunderbolt is highly available. In the 18 months I've used my Promise Thunderbolt array, it has gone offline less than half a dozen times--and not at all since I installed Mac OS 10.8 Mountain Lion. Considering the Promise array was purchased shortly after Thunderbolt started shipping, this speaks well for the robustness and maturity of Thunderbolt's underlying Intel technology.
USB 3.0 availability is spotty. Drives drop off for no reason and it takes unplugging and re-plugging or, in serious cases, restarting the system to see them again.
As I use a four-port and a seven-port hub with different chipsets I've found that the four-port--with a newer chip set--is more reliable than the seven-port's older chip set. But I've also found with USB 2.0 that more than four ports are less reliable, which may be the issue with the seven-port USB 3.0 as well.
There are no Thunderbolt hubs; instead, Thunderbolt daisy chains up to six devices together. Overall, the ability to support multiple drives and multiple devices seems to be much more robust on Thunderbolt than on USB 3.0.
Performance
USB 3.0 performance is excellent compared to USB 2.0, which was never as good as the ubiquitous 480Mbps metric claimed. It is faster than any single hard drive and fast enough to saturate almost any single SSD as well.
I haven't been able to max out my Thunderbolt connection yet. The four-drive Pegasus array maxed out at something over 400MBps, well within the 1GBps performance of Thunderbolt. However, the ability to plug a second--and third--monitor into the Thunderbolt daisy chain gives a better idea of the total bandwidth.
Even a 10Gbps USB 3.0 will still have less than half of the total cross-sectional bandwidth of today's Thunderbolt. But tomorrow's Thunderbolt is coming soon.
Flexibility
This is why most professionals will choose Thunderbolt in addition to USB 3.0. Need Fibre Channel? SDI? PCIe slots? Genlock? RED workflow? You're the target market.
Don't know what most of those are? You aren't.
The Storage Bits take
USB 3.0--the version most systems will have for the next two to three years--is plenty fast for casual users who need an external drive for capacity or backup. It should work well for direct connection to a small RAID array as well. And, of course, it's compatible with all the USB 2.x peripherals you already own.
But if your livelihood depends on your system and you need external storage, displays, and/or specialized hardware, you'll appreciate the robustness and performance of Thunderbolt. It allows a small notebook--in my case, a MacBook Air--to be a capable desktop replacement.
Will USB 3.0 crush Thunderbolt? It's instructive to consider FireWire's fate.
While the FireWire market was much smaller, it also had a number of specialized products that worked well for professionals, many of which are still available. Thunderbolt replaces FW800 nicely and is well populated with unique products that offer performance that USB 3.0 can't match today.
Yes, Thunderbolt products cost more, but you get more. And if you need more--whatever 'more' is--Thunderbolt is the way to go.
Comments welcome, of course. Check out my review of the Thunderbolt Display/MacBook Air combo or more on my experience with Thunderbolt. What say you, fellow Thunderbolt users?
Related Topics:Hardware iPhone Mobility Smartphones Tablets iOS
With more and more manufacturers opting to include USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports on their laptops and other devices, many people are wondering exactly how these ports differ and what the terms actually mean. To help explain how the two technologies work, let's take a quick look at the history of each, and how they apply to our devices today.
What are the different types of USB?
The numbered designations of USB cables are revisions that have been made over the years. USB 1.1 was the first commercially available, USB 2.0 came a couple of years later, and we've since moved into USB 3.0, USB 3.1 Generation 1, and USB 3.1 Generation 2. Both generations of USB 3.1 might be called SuperSpeed, but their speeds are 5Gbps and 10Gbps respectively.
Each revisions upped the speed of data transfer, as well as the amount of power that could be delivered. With these revisions have also come some different shapes of connector and port. New revisions have remained backward compatible with older technology, albeit with the use of adapters, hubs, and dongles.
USB-A
USB-A, also known as USB Standard-A or USB Type-A, is a rectangular connector and has been around from the start as USB moved through the numbered specifications. USB-A ports are found on countless devices, including many desktop PCs and laptops. Your keyboard and mouse probably use USB-A to connect.
USB-B
USB-B, also known as USB Standard-B and USB Type-B, is a more squared connector with beveled edges at the top, and it is compatible with USB 1.1, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, and USB 3.1. While nearly every computer over the past decade has been equipped with USB-A ports, practically everything that you would plug the other end of that USB cable into sported one of the various types of USB-B ports. The vast majority of printers and scanners even today are equipped with the original style of USB-B, which is nearly square. Most non-iPhone smartphones up until the past two years were equipped with USB Micro-B (more commonly known as Micro-USB), while a smattering of devices are equipped with USB Mini-B ports (like all but the most recent GoPro cameras).
USB-C
USB-C, also known as USB Type-C, signifies the shape of the connector and port that is the latest evolution in the line of USB-A and USB-B. USB-C uses a small, rectangular connector with rounded edges that can be inserted into a port facing up or facing down.
As for the specification, USB-C is most commonly USB 3.1, which is capable of delivering up to 10Gbps transfer speeds. It can also deliver up to 100 watts of power — enough to rapidly charge even a high-power laptop. Do you have a phone that uses a USB-C port? What about a laptop? The Lumia 950 and ASUS ZenBook 3 are both examples of devices that use USB-C to both charge and transfer data.
What is Thunderbolt?
Thunderbolt, like USB, has gone through a few revisions before arriving at the latest, Thunderbolt 3. The original Thunderbolt had a top speed of 10Gbps, Thunderbolt 2 had a top speed of 20Gbps, and Thunderbolt 3 now has a top speed of 40Gbps. While the first two Thunderbolt revisions used a Mini DisplayPort connector and port, Thunderbolt 3 has teamed up with USB-C.
Think of Thunderbolt 3 as borrowing someone else's car — in this case, a USB-C car — and being able to drive it very quickly. When that speedster isn't driving the car, speeds return to normal.
The lightning bolt next to the USB-C port signifies that it is Thunderbolt 3 capable.
Thunderbolt 3 cables can work as regular USB-C cables, and vice versa. However, the port on your device must have a Thunderbolt 3 chip in order to take advantage of the extra speeds. For example, plugging a USB-C cable into a regular USB-C port and expecting Thunderbolt 3 features will leave you sad.
Why do we want Thunderbolt 3? Well, it's four times faster than the top 10Gbps speed of USB 3.1, plus you can have up to eight lanes of DisplayPort 1.2 data going back and forth, as well as four lanes of PCIe Generation 3 going back and forth.
Have you seen those external GPUs some new laptops use? They're most likely connecting through a USB-C port that is Thunderbolt 3 enabled, taking advantage of the PCIe lanes. Have you seen multiple external monitors connected to the same laptop with a single cable? They could be using the DisplayPort lanes granted with Thunderbolt 3.
TL;DR
USB-C is a relatively new USB connector that can deliver up to a 10Gbps transfer speed and up to 100 watts of power. It's also fully reversible — nor more worrying about plugging it in the right way.
Thunderbolt 3 is a completely different technology that uses USB-C connectors and ports. With Thunderbolt 3, you can expect speeds up to 40Gbps, as well as multiple PCIe and DisplayPort lanes for connecting things like external GPUs and multiple, high-res external monitors through a single cable.
Have more questions? Be sure to drop them in the comments section.
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Among billions of devices and peripherals, there are many connectors for connecting one device to another, to charge, and transfer data. All this happens with the help of Port we find in the various devices. The most popular one is the Universe Serial Bus or USB. Another one who got attention from techie is Thunderbolt 3. Its predecessor performed quite well, but the cost made it difficult to gain popularity. Most of the devices lack Thunderbolt cable to keep selling price low. Intel comes up with a new solution as standard passive USB C cables. Apart from all this, let’s have a comparison on both USB and Thunderbolt 3 connector. So here we are going to compare Thunderbolt 3 vs USB CÂ Cable. So just check it out,
Table of Contents
About USB C –
Universal Serial Bus C or only USB C, also USB type-C is a highly demanding and favorite peripheral connection type that we find in today’s device. This 24-pin connection system is different from another connection peripheral due to its two-fold rotational-symmetrical connector. It makes sure that transmission between the devices is appropriately done with substantial speed.
The primary feature of any connecting peripheral is to supply efficient transmission of data with speed along with appropriate durability, the rate of transmission, etc. The predecessors already served excellent work but now passing out a legacy, the current and the latest USB-C is highly improved and able to deliver much better data or charge. No doubt, it is efficient enough beating predecessor and providing the better user experience.
Many versions and types of USB are available today. However, USB C is faster twice than USB 3.1. Apart from all this, it looks quite the same as a micro USB connector but actually, it is more oval-shaped and a little thicker.
About Thunderbolt 3 –
Intel is a great player of tech products. It utilizes the power of Moore’s Law to bring smart, connected devices to every person on earth. The company is driven to take a risk in a disciplined manner. With Thunderbolt 3 interface, Intel proved it know to create something that people will accept, and now it has developed a sharp image, a close bond with its customers.
Intel announced this entirely before that merges with USB C to deliver faster data transfer. There is no competition between both of them; instead, it combines together to make a perfect blend. Thunderbolt 3 is a superset of USB C which shows that we will have one port and cable to connect all peripherals in the future. It allows you to connect hard drives, displays including 4K and 5K resolutions, and other peripherals, like PCIe Gen 3 expansion cages, to your desktop or laptop. Apple embraced Thunderbolt 3 and released a few devices with the same port. After all, it is widely known for the luxury brand, so if adopted this technology because of extensive features.
Significant Features –
Thunderbolt 3 come into existence as a light peak which was too costly and even used to work slower. But Thunderbolt 3 is entirely different which delivers the super speed of 40 GB/s. Intel wants to provide not only a faster port but also a more unaffected, versatile port. USB seems difficult to sustain but undoubtedly it’s affordability will keep it between us. It is expected that in the upcoming days, people will hardly find any laptop or PC without Thunderbolt 3 port.
Basic Uses of Thunderbolt 3 –
Currently, Thunderbolt technology is available on Intel processor which is absent in most of the mobile device. We have listed some uses of Thunderbolt 3 below.
Connection to USB Camera:
With the help of an adapter, USB camera can be connected with Thunderbolt 3 port and thus making the connection process go effortlessly.
Connection to TV:
For using your TV as a display device there is a minimum effort needed to do so.
Connection to Old VGA:
For connecting with a VGA display, you will need an adapter for this also. It will cost a little but worth to do when such a feature you want to enjoy using. Moreover, you will even get a USB-A port for connecting a USB device at the cost of around $79. It works as a USB C charging port too to keep your laptop battery healthier.
Connection to 3.5mm Jack:
The only way for connecting to 3.5 mm jack is to use type-C to 3.5 mm adapter or type-C headphones. A vast range of laptops exists with Thunderbolt 3 technology. Adapters are profoundly significant while making a connection with other connectors.
Some devices support Thunderbolt 3 which are as follows. The list would be too long if we listed all.
(Guide) Thunderbolt 3 vs USB C Cable: Which is the Best?
So here we are going to show you the comparison on Thunderbolt 3 vs USB C Cable. So you will get to know everything about Thunderbolt 3 vs USB C. So just check it out,
Power:
Data Transmission Rate:
Reversibility:
USB Power Delivery:
Epson expression home xp-420 driver. Conclusion:
USB C lacks the capabilities of Thunderbolt while the latter has the capacity of USB C. Both are equal in terms of design. When it comes to speed and video quality Thunderbolt 3 gives a more excellent performance in comparison to USB C. Frankly saying, Thunderbolt 3 surpass USB C at some point, and there’s a chance that it will be adopted in future by the majority of people. We can conclude that Thunderbolt 3 has a bright future and a new era is going to begin. So this is everything about this comparison Thunderbolt 3 vs USB C article. Hope you like this Thunderbolt 3 vs USB C comparison.
If you any query or want to add something in this Thunderbolt 3 vs USB C comparison guiding article then let us know through the below comment section.
Problems with chained displays, waking up from sleep / restarts
This adapter does NOT duplicate the functionality of the Thunderbolt ports on MacBook Airs and legacy MacBook Pros when daisy-chaining accessories together. For This adapter does NOT duplicate the functionality of the Thunderbolt ports on MacBook Airs and legacy MacBook Pros when daisy-chaining accessories together. For example, I have a external hard drive chained to a DisplayPort monitor. On my old MacBook Air, the two would be recognized right away. I could wake up my computer from sleep (clamshell shut, hooked to external monitor and keyboard / mouse) and the hard drive would spin up and the monitor would turn on. With my new MacBook Pro and this adapter, however, waking up the computer from sleep, with the exact same connections, and the hard drive turns on but the monitor doesn't. If I open the lid of the laptop, then magically both displays will start working. Similarly, if I try to restart the computer in clamshell mode when the monitor is recognized and working (again, daisy-chained to the hard drive), upon being restart the monitor isn't recognized. If I try to open the lid of the laptop, then the MacBook Pro's own display won't even turn on, making me have to restart it. In short, this adapter doesn't work unless you have the most basic Thunderbolt setup. Don't expect anything daisy-chained to work. Don't expect restarts to work. Don't expect waking up from sleep to have your plugged-in accessories to work the same as when you put your computer to sleep.
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