Arthur Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 Source: Intel (via Neowin) Today, Intel announced Thunderbolt 4, it's newest connectivity standard. You might recall that the company is actually letting go of Thunderbolt 3, with its 40Gbps speeds being offered up to USB 4.0. Thunderbolt 4 isn't wildly different from its predecessor, but it does increase the minimum specs. Thunderbolt 3 supported speeds of 40Gbps and dual 4K displays, but what's different here is that it's now a minimum spec for Thunderbolt 4. You might recall that there were a bunch of ultrabooks that used Thunderbolt 3, but with only half of the bandwidth. OEMs won't be able to do that anymore with the new standard. There are some other improvements though. Thunderbolt 4 now supports cables that are up to two meters, and you can also connect it to an 8K display. Docks can now have up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports, and when a mouse or keyboard is connected to the dock, you can click to wake your PC from sleep. Intel isn't changing up its Thunderbolt branding. As seen in the image above, there are plenty of ways to recognize the different kinds of USB ports, but only one for Thunderbolt. With Thunderbolt 3, it was easy because it used USB Type-C, while its predecessors had used Mini DisplayPort. Of course, Thunderbolt 4 still uses USB Type-C. As for when you'll be able to buy a Thunderbolt 4 PC, the answer should be later this year. The new technology will be integrated into Intel's 11th-generation 'Tiger Lake' chips.
sted Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 oh good more usb c looking cables that wont all do the same thing lol i only have 1 cable thats capable of running a video signal from my laptop to a screen the rest will only charge / data transfer its going to get like hdmi where looking at the cable tells you jack o is that a hdmi 1.4 or 2.1 who knows. they need to colour code the ends or something 1
Roberto Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 oh good more usb c looking cables that wont all do the same thing lol i only have 1 cable thats capable of running a video signal from my laptop to a screen the rest will only charge / data transfer its going to get like hdmi where looking at the cable tells you jack o is that a hdmi 1.4 or 2.1 who knows. they need to colour code the ends or something obligatory XKCD
DalekSec Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 oh good more usb c looking cables that wont all do the same thing lol i only have 1 cable thats capable of running a video signal from my laptop to a screen the rest will only charge / data transfer its going to get like hdmi where looking at the cable tells you jack o is that a hdmi 1.4 or 2.1 who knows. they need to colour code the ends or something Whats the alternative? Another new connector taking up more space on the device, requiring new cables to be made along with more eWaste. As long as manufacturers label or document correctly what version their port/cable is i don't see an issue.
LeMarchand Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 Whats the alternative? Another new connector taking up more space on the device, requiring new cables to be made along with more eWaste. As long as manufacturers label or document correctly what version their port/cable is i don't see an issue. That's the problem; they don't. Probably because people get a new cable "just to be on the safe side" - which doesn't help the eWaste situation, but does mean more people buying stuff. Also, one suspects that unscrupulous vendors can pass off old kit. It wouldn't take much to print/stamp/mould the version number on to the connector. Otherwise it's up to the consumer to try to write very small or deploy an ugly sticker/tag that will inevitably get torn off.
flyinghaggis Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 (edited) The main thing that I take away from this is that when we get USB 4.0 it'll be a complete rolloup of all the USB 3 standards, will use a USB-C connector and will also include Thunderbolt 3 support so given that in theory we can be reasonably sure it'll be compatible with anything that isn't Thunderbolt 4. I don't see many manufacturers bothering to offer Thunderbolt 4 devices given USB3/Thunderbolt 3 is already capable enough for most things. Especially once USB 4.0 is available. Edited July 9, 2020 by flyinghaggis
sted Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 That's the problem; they don't. Probably because people get a new cable "just to be on the safe side" - which doesn't help the eWaste situation, but does mean more people buying stuff. Also, one suspects that unscrupulous vendors can pass off old kit. It wouldn't take much to print/stamp/mould the version number on to the connector. Otherwise it's up to the consumer to try to write very small or deploy an ugly sticker/tag that will inevitably get torn off. thats why i like the idea of colour coding. so a usb c data cable has blue ends, one that caries video has green and so on
LeMarchand Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 thats why i like the idea of colour coding. so a usb c data cable has blue ends, one that caries video has green and so on HDMI would still need some sort of in place numbering, though.
DalekSec Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 (edited) The main thing that I take away from this is that when we get USB 4.0 it'll be a complete rolloup of all the USB 3 standards, will use a USB-C connector and will also include Thunderbolt 3 support so given that in theory we can be reasonably sure it'll be compatible with anything that isn't Thunderbolt 4. I don't see many manufacturers bothering to offer Thunderbolt 4 devices given USB3/Thunderbolt 3 is already capable enough for most things. Especially once USB 4.0 is available. Apple have already announced they are supporting Thunderbolt on their new ARM chips, would expect it's TB4 thats why i like the idea of colour coding. so a usb c data cable has blue ends, one that caries video has green and so on Yeah that would be handy, i know a few manufacturers use the colour coding for USB A ports. Not aware of any for USB C though. Least with TB you know what you're getting due to the standards, seeing a non labelled USB-C port could mean anything. With it being labelled (or documented) as a TB3/4 you know what you can do with it simple enough. Edit to include picture: Edited July 9, 2020 by DalekSec
sted Posted July 9, 2020 Posted July 9, 2020 Least with TB you know what you're getting due to the standards, seeing a non labelled USB-C port could mean anything. With it being labelled (or documented) as a TB3/4 you know what you can do with it simple enough. its less the port i have issue with than the cable. i go into my drawer and grab a usbc cable now and theres a high chance it will work to charge my phone but wont allow my laptop to connect to a monitor
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now