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What the different of Thunderbolt 1, Thunderbolt 2, Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and Thunderbolt 5?

Sep 05, 2024

  What is Thunderbolt ?  
Thunderbolt technology is a high-speed data and video transmission protocol jointly launched by Intel and Apple. It was first launched in 2011.





  History of Thunderbolt  
The development history of Thunderbolt technology can be traced back to the 1997s. We have summarized the development status from Thunderbolt 1 to Thunderbolt 5, as shown in the figure below.
 
                What the different 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.

Original Intention: In 1997, Intel released the first generation of PCI bus, which is a high-speed data transmission protocol used inside computers. Subsequently, Intel began to explore how to apply PCI bus technology to devices outside computers. In 2006, Intel released the first chipset using PCI Express bus for connecting external devices to computers.

Light Peak: This envisioned product was originally called Light Peak, using fiber optic transmission technology, aiming to achieve a transmission speed of 100Gbps and a transmission distance of 100 meters. Later, Apple worked with Intel to change the fiber optic cable to copper wire and use the Mini DisplayPort physical interface.

Initial Thunderbolt: In 2009, Apple released the first computer that supports the Mini DisplayPort interface, which can be used to connect monitors and other external devices. Apple then licensed the Mini DisplayPort technology to Intel, which incorporated it into the PCI Express bus technology to form the first generation of Thunderbolt technology.

Thunderbolt 1: In 2011, the first generation of Thunderbolt technology was officially released. It uses PCI Express bus technology and DisplayPort protocol to achieve high-speed data transmission and video output. The transmission speed of this technology can reach 10Gbps, which was one of the fastest interfaces on the market at that time.

Thunderbolt 2: In 2013, Intel released the second-generation Thunderbolt technology, which increased the transmission speed to 20Gbps and added support for 4K video. At the same time, it also supports power supply and can transmit up to 100W of power.

Thunderbolt 3: In 2015, Intel released Thunderbolt 3 technology. Its biggest change is the adoption of USB-C interface and support for transmission speeds up to 40Gbps. It also supports 4K and 5K displays and can transmit 100W of power.

Thunderbolt 4: In 2020, Intel released Thunderbolt 4 technology, the transmission rate is still 40Gbps and using USB C interface, but adding DMA protection technology and Thunderbolt dock management functions, which can support 4K and 8K displays and transmit 100W of power.

Thunderbolt 5: On September 12, 2023, Intel released Thunderbolt 5, which is compatible with the latest USB4 V2. In symmetric mode, it provides 80Gbps of upstream and downstream transmission bandwidth, which is twice that of Thunderbolt 4; in asymmetric mode, the unidirectional bandwidth can reach up to 120Gbps, which is three times that of Thunderbolt 4.



  How it works?  
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.

► Dual-channel serial transmission technology

Dual-channel serial transmission technology, also known as multi-channel technology, means that two independent data channels can be transmitted simultaneously through a single Thunderbolt interface, and each channel supports high-speed data transmission.

► Bidirectional transmission

Each transmission channel can realize bidirectional data transmission, that is, it supports sending and receiving data at the same time. This enables devices to achieve fast two-way communication.

► Independence

Each transmission channel is independent, and there is no cross-interference between them. This means that data can be transmitted in parallel between the two channels, improving the overall data transmission capacity and efficiency.

► Multi-device connection

By supporting the Daisy Chain topology, multiple Thunderbolt devices can be connected in series through one interface to form a chain connection. In this case, each device can independently occupy a transmission channel to achieve high-speed data transmission and multi-device connection.

Through dual-channel serial transmission technology, Thunderbolt technology can provide extremely high data transmission speed and bandwidth, suitable for high-performance applications such as large-scale data transmission, high-definition video playback, external storage device connection, etc. The adoption of dual-channel transmission technology makes the Thunderbolt interface a very flexible and efficient connection standard.



  Supported data protocols  
Thunderbolt technology supports multiple protocol types, including the following:

PCI Express (PCIe): Thunderbolt can transmit PCIe protocol, which is a high-performance bus protocol used to connect various devices and components. Through the Thunderbolt interface, high-speed data transmission can be achieved, supporting the connection of external devices such as storage devices, graphics accelerators, network adapters, etc.

DisplayPort: Thunderbolt also supports the DisplayPort protocol, which is a standard for video and audio transmission. Through the Thunderbolt interface, you can connect a monitor or external display device and achieve high-quality video and audio output.

USB: Thunderbolt is also compatible with the USB protocol, which means that USB devices can be connected through the Thunderbolt interface to achieve high-speed USB data transmission and charging.

Ethernet: Thunderbolt supports Ethernet protocol and can connect to a network adapter through the Thunderbolt interface to achieve high-speed network connection.

FireWire: Early Thunderbolt versions (first generation Thunderbolt) also supported the FireWire protocol, enabling users to connect FireWire devices.



  Frequently asked questions  
What is Intel Certification?

Intel certification is Intel's recognition and permission to use Thunderbolt data cables that meet its technical standards. The certified Thunderbolt data cables have more guaranteed transmission capabilities, stable data without packet loss, smooth picture quality, and no screen distortion or lag.

Intel Certification Lookup Website：https://thunderbolttechnology.net/
Why are Thunderbolt products not common in the market?

Since Thunderbolt products are only used in a few devices such as Apple computers, and Thunderbolt's data transmission speed far exceeds the daily requirements of ordinary people, and there are few electronic devices around computers that support Thunderbolt, another reason is that Thunderbolt products are expensive.
Are Thunderbolt and Type-C compatible?

What we must know is that the TYPE-C interface was only used from Thunderbolt 3, and earlier Thunderbolt versions were not related to TYPE-C.

The type-c we often talk about refers to the USB 3.1 transmission protocol. Thunderbolt 3, the subsequent Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 5 are compatible with the USB 3.1 transmission protocol, so Thunderbolt 3/4/5 can be used on ordinary type-c interfaces, and can support USB 3.1 up to 10Gbps data transfer rate and 100W PD charging. However, USB 3.1 is not compatible with Thunderbolt 3/4/5 protocols, so ordinary type-c devices cannot replace Thunderbolt 3/4/5.
What is the development prospect of Thunderbolt products?

Because Thunderbolt uses the type-c interface, it is more widely accepted by users. At the same time, USB4 is compatible with Thunderbolt 3/4/5, when the 6G and 7G network era comes in the future, our commonly used mobile phones, computers and other devices will have to process massive amounts of data in a short period of time. The connection solution that uses the type-c interface and includes Thunderbolt and USB protocols may become the ultimate version of the connection solution.
 

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