Thunderbolt 5: The Next Generation of High-Speed Connectivity
When will Thunderbolt 5 be available?
Intel has unveiled Thunderbolt 5, the next generation of its high-speed connectivity standard. Thunderbolt 5 is built on industry standards, including USB4 V2, DisplayPort 2.1, and PCI Express Gen 4, and it will offer up to three times the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4.
Thunderbolt 5 will deliver 80 Gbps of bi-directional bandwidth, and Bandwidth Boost will provide up to 120 Gbps for the best display experience. This will allow for multiple 8K displays at 60Hz, or up to three 4K displays at 144Hz. Thunderbolt 5 will double the PCI Express data throughput for faster storage and external graphics.
In addition to its increased speed, Thunderbolt 5 is also designed to be more power-efficient than previous versions. It can deliver up to 240 watts of power, enough to charge a laptop or power an external GPU.
Thunderbolt 5 is fully compatible with previous versions of Thunderbolt and USB so that users can connect their existing devices to Thunderbolt 5 devices without any problems.
Thunderbolt 5 is expected to begin shipping in 2024.
Benefits of Thunderbolt 5
Thunderbolt 5 offers a number of benefits over previous generations of Thunderbolt, including:
- Up to three times the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4
- Support for multiple 8K displays at 60Hz or up to three 4K displays at 144Hz
- Doubled PCI Express data throughput for faster storage and external graphics
- More power-efficient design
- Full compatibility with previous versions of Thunderbolt and USB
Potential applications of Thunderbolt 5
Thunderbolt 5’s high bandwidth and power delivery make it ideal for a variety of applications, including:
- Connecting multiple high-resolution displays to a computer
- Using external GPUs for gaming and other graphics-intensive tasks
- Connecting external storage devices, such as SSDs and RAID arrays
- Charging laptops and other devices
- Powering external docks and other devices
Thunderbolt 5 is a significant advancement in high-speed connectivity, and it is expected to have a major impact on how we use computers and other devices.
