

How is Thunderbolt 4 different from USB4? It's about time everything switches to USB-C, with high-performance capabilities on par with Thunderbolt 3. The main takeaway here is that USB4 wants to unify ports across devices. USB4 will allow for dual 4K displays or a single 5K display, as well as up to 100W of charging power. With USB4, the lanes can be shared for whatever purpose, allowing you the potential to hit the bandwidth ceiling with, say, the best laptop docking stations. Previous USB versions split bandwidth between all connected devices and relied on split lanes for data and video with no crossover. And while you can still find both USB-A and USB-C forms for USB 3.0, USB4 is going strictly with the USB-C form factor. Whereas USB 3.0's best version hit a ceiling of 20Gbps, USB4 is capable of 40Gbps, just like Thunderbolt 3 (and 4). USB4 is built on a Thunderbolt 3 backbone, so many of its capabilities are the same. USB4 was made partly possible by Intel essentially giving up its Thunderbolt 3 rights to be used without all the licensing. USB4 is built on the backbone of Thunderbolt 3, giving it many of the same capabilities. And now comes USB4, which is backwards compatible down to USB 2.0. SuperSpeed USB is USB 3.2 Gen 1, SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps is USB 3.2 Gen 2, and SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps is USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. See how confusing this is? At least the USB-IF was kind enough to add more digestible names. Otherwise, you were looking at 5Gbps and 10Gbps respectively for the first two standards. There's also a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 standard released more recently with speeds up to 20Gbps. Previous USB versions have been on a wild naming ride, with USB 3.1 Gen 1 becoming USB 3.2 Gen 1 and USB 3.1 Gen 2 becoming USB 3.2 Gen 2.
#Intel thunderbolt 3 hub serial#
USB4 is the next update to the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard, as named by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). USB4 is the next high-performance USB standard

Thunderbolt 3 is still an excellent alternative and can do a whole lot, but buying Thunderbolt 4 is the way to go if you want the best option heading into the future. The bottom line here is that laptops with Thunderbolt 4 can guarantee better port performance. And laptops below the 100W charging mark will need to include at least one port capable of charging. Thunderbolt 4 will also work with cables that measure up to two meters, with longer support expected in the future.
#Intel thunderbolt 3 hub Pc#
If you have a desktop setup, you'll be able to pull your PC out of hibernation just by touching the accessories. The best Thunderbolt 4 docking stations add support for up to three downstream Thunderbolt 4 ports, and it adds Direct Memory Access (DMA) protection via Intel's Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) to help deal with threats. This extra bandwidth will also help anyone who uses an external GPU to turn their Ultrabook into a gaming machine. If you often use removable storage - like something from our best external hard drive collection - you should see theoretical transfer speeds up to about 3,000MB/s with Thunderbolt 4. There's also double the amount of PCIe bandwidth required, bumping Thunderbolt 4 up to 32Gbps from Thunderbolt 3's 16Gbps. Thunderbolt 4 takes things to the next level with a new set of minimum performance requirements for video support, PCIe bandwidth, and more. Thunderbolt 3 can handle dual 4K displays with the right setup, but it only needs to handle at least a single 4K display to be called Thunderbolt 3. The Thunderbolt ™ 3 connection is single-link.Minimum video support has been upped, with Thunderbolt 4 now boasting at least support for two 4K displays at 60Hz or one 8K display at 30Hz. Only Windows® 10 supports external graphics GPUs. A cable with a 3 on it runs up to 40 Gbps. Number of displays supported with a single to dual display adapter +Įxample of a single to dual display adapter:

The following table shows which Intel® NUCs have Thunderbolt™ 3 and how many displays each device supports with a single to dual display adapter. Supports DisplayPort Alternate Mode (DP Alt Mode).Cable is symmetric/reversible - there's no wrong way to plug it in.External Graphics Card (eGPU) plug-and-play support (ex: Razer Core*, PowerColor Devil Box).Daisy-chain up to six devices (not including displays).External device power - up to 15W (hubs, hard drives, audio interfaces, etc.).Thunderbolt™ 3 Features on Intel® NUC Kits and Mini PCs
