What is Thunderbolt 5

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  Thunderbolt 5   

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On September 12, 2023, Intel released the Thunderbolt 5 standard. In symmetrical mode, it provides 80Gbps of upstream and downstream transmission bandwidth, which is twice that of Thunderbolt 4; in asymmetrical mode, the unidirectional bandwidth can reach up to 120Gbps, which is three times that of Thunderbolt 4.






  What is Thunderbolt 5  

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Thunderbolt 5 is a new Thunderbolt interface standard released by Intel. It has a huge improvement in transmission speed and connection capabilities. It provides 80Gbps of bidirectional bandwidth, and can provide up to 120Gbps of bandwidth through the Bandwidth Boost function, which is 3 times higher than the Thunderbolt 4 interface. It can meet the needs of multiple 8K HDR monitors and support 540Hz refresh rate for gamers.
 

The Development History of Thunderbolt 1, Thunderbolt 2, Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and Thunderbolt 5
Time	Protocol standards	Interface	Bandwidth	Characteristic	Connector	Socket
2011	Thunderbolt 1	Mini DisplayPort	10Gbps	Support connecting multiple devices in series
2013	Thunderbolt 2	Mini DisplayPort	20Gbps	Supports 4K displays
2015	Thunderbolt 3	USB Type-C	40Gbps	Support single screen 5K@60HZ (5120*2880), dual screen 4K@60HZ, PCI-E Gen4 16Gbps; DisplayPort 1.4 and below
2020	Thunderbolt 4	USB Type-C	40Gbps	Support single screen 8K@60HZ (7680*4320), dual screen 4K@60HZ; PCI-E Gen 3x4   32Gbps; DisplayPort1.4A (DP1.4A)
2023	Thunderbolt 5	USB Type-C	80Gbps 120Gbps	Support single screen 16K@60HZ (15360 x 8640), dual screen 8K@60HZ; PCI-E GEN4.0x4 64Gbps; DisplayPort1.4A (DP1.4A)
The Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and Thunderbolt 5 provided by P-Shine Electronic Tech Ltd are certified by Intel.

Thunderbolt 5 also supports multiple protocols, including PCI Express (PCIe) and DisplayPort (DP), providing up to 64Gbps of PCIe transmission bandwidth, i.e. PCIe 4.0x4, which is twice the PCIe transmission bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4 32Gbps. This means that Thunderbolt 5 will have significant performance improvements in high-speed storage, external graphics cards (eGPU), etc.



  Thunderbolt 5 has the following main features:  

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The Thunderbolt protocol combines the PCI Express (PCIe) and DisplayPort protocols and uses the Thunderbolt physical interface to achieve high-speed data transmission and connection of multiple devices.

► High bandwidth

Provides 80Gbps bidirectional bandwidth, and can provide up to 120Gbps bandwidth through the bandwidth enhancement function (Bandwidth Boost), which is 3 times higher than the Thunderbolt 4 interface. It can meet the needs of external 8K HDR monitors, achieve faster data backup and archiving, and accelerate workflow and collaboration.

► Support multiple monitor series connection

It can simultaneously support multiple 8K monitor extensions, and a single interface can support three 4K 144Hz monitors at the same time, bringing a maximum refresh rate of 540Hz to gamers.

► Improve device performance

1x increase in PCI Express data throughput, supporting faster external storage and better unleashing external graphics performance. 2x increase in bandwidth for devices such as external SSDs, eGFX expansions (external graphics cards), and creative tools.

► Wide compatibility

The new Thunderbolt 5 is fully compatible with the previous generation Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, and USB standard cables. It is perfectly compatible with USB4, Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.2, USB 2.0, DP2.1 and other standard cables.

► High power supply

supports up to 240W power supply. In the future, gaming laptops can also be directly reverse powered by monitors that support Thunderbolt 5 interface, but the specific power supply specifications depend on the product manufacturer.
 

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Thunderbolt 5 has been on the market for some time. The first batch of Thunderbolt 5 products on the market include laptops, hard disk enclosures, docking stations, data cables, etc. The ultra-high transmission rate brings an unprecedented smooth experience. In the future, more products will adopt the Thunderbolt 5 interface, so let us look forward to it.

 

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