Longer Thunderbolt cables will be possible, too. Thunderbolt PCs will be able to connect to either “compact” or “full” docks with up to four Thunderbolt ports. Thunderbolt 4 will guarantee that a pair of 4K displays will work with a Thunderbolt dock, and require Thunderbolt 4-equipped PCs to charge on at least one Thunderbolt port. We now know it will support 40Gbps throughput, but with tighter minimum specs. Thunderbolt 4 will debut later this year as part of Intel’s “Tiger Lake” CPU platform, as Intel originally announced during CES in January. AMD, which has traditionally never associated Thunderbolt with its Ryzen platforms, pooh-poohed Thunderbolt demand but said it meets the spec’s security restrictions. Bandwidth remains unchanged from Thunderbolt 3, though executives said to expect new types of docks and longer cables. When more of the best laptops start adopting it, who knows, we may not even notice the gradual transition.Intel unveiled Thunderbolt 4 on Wednesday, tightening the existing I/O specification for docks, some displays, external storage and GPUs.
WHAT IS INTEL THUNDERBOLT 3 PC
In the meantime, a majority of us can stick with our Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C-compatible PC peripherals until the upgraded interface becomes commonplace. Laptops from notable brands are already starting to drip-feed impressive devices fitted with Thunderbolt 4 connectivity, which can be a perk for users who will benefit from upgraded video output and external connectivity. Thunderbolt 4 is already here, but it will take time for Intel’s new-and-improved universal port to take over the PC market. There was no lag, stutters, or hiccups when booting up Halo 4 on Xbox Game Pass for PC, and this was all done while the dock quickly charged a smartphone. When testing the connection on dual Asus monitors using the provided Thunderbolt 4 connection, it easily turned a laptop into a three-monitor desktop setup. One of the best examples of Thunderbolt 4 connectivity is in Kensington’s SD5700T Thunderbolt 4 docking station. This means games can be transferred and stored onto an external drive and be played from there, rather than having to transfer the files to the system instead. Those with a compatible Thunderbolt 4 system can run games from an external NVMe SSD, as they use PCIe. Thunderbolt 4 and PCIeįor external devices that use Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe), Thunderbolt 4 will work like a charm. VT-d was recommended on PCs with Thunderbolt 3 ports but is now required on those with Thunderbolt 4. This is achieved using DMA remapping (DMA-r), which creates an isolated memory region for every device you connect to a system so they can only access assigned memory, not memory from the entire machine. The company claims VT-d can prevent physical DMA attacks by blocking PCIe peripherals (storage, external graphics, memory cards, etc) from unauthorized access to memory. You’ll find many docking stations and USB-C hubs can deliver 4K via HDMI, but never at 60Hz.Īs previously reported, Intel wants to reassure you (and Microsoft) that Thunderbolt 4 is secure by requiring Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d). What does this mean? More room for higher transfer rates and better performance.įor example, those looking to connect to external monitors and get dual 4K resolution at a refresh rate of 60Hz, or up to a single 8K resolution input at a refresh rate of 60Hz, will want to seek out Thunderbolt 4-compatible laptops. However, Thunderbolt 4 stands out by increasing Thunderbolt 3’s minimum PCIe data requirements from 16Gbps to 32Gbps. You’ll find that Thunderbolt 3 delivers the same speeds, which allows data to be moved to and from external drives at high speeds and up to five Thunderbolt devices to be connected. When it comes to speed, Thunderbolt 4 ports have a 40Gbps bidirectional bandwidth. It’s the one cable connection to rule them all. Better yet, it is backward compatible with previous versions of Thunderbolt and connects via USB Type-C. Thunderbolt 4 is compatible with plenty of connections including DisplayPort, PCle and USB 4.