Thunderbolt connection. How do I connect my display if there is no Mini DisplayPort connector? Advantages of Thunderbolt over USB and other technologies
Hello friends of our site! Recently we were discussing connectivity and there was a little bit of technology mentioned. Thunderbolt 3. Let's take a closer look at this miracle interface and reveal all the advantages and possibilities.
As we have already said, its speed reaches 40 Gb / s. I can't even wrap my head around how this is even possible. And besides, in addition to information through such a cable, you can power devices with power up to 100 watts with electricity. In the picture you can visually compare how much the speed of this interface is superior to all existing ones.
The speed advantage of Thunderbolt 3 compared to other interfaces
Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C (USB 3.1) Compatibility
Those who have dealt with USB 3.1 have probably noted for themselves that they are visually identical to Thunderbolt 3. And some even think that this is the same interface. The truth is that USB-C (TYPE-C) is a connector type, while USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3 are data transfer standards. But…
… not all USB-C connectors are created equal!
And this is very important. Because some devices connected via a "defective" USB-C connector simply will not work. When buying a laptop with a USB-C connector, you need to read the documentation very carefully. This is how backward compatibility often leads to confusion.
Hopefully, this confusion will only be present during the transition period, and over time, all USB-C devices and cables will operate at high speeds and be fully compatible.
All the technical features of Thunderbolt 3
- Data transfer - up to 40 Gb / s;
- Power supply - up to 100 W;
- Connection between 2 computers using Ethernet 10 technology;
- Supports a 5K (5120x2880) monitor or two 4K (4096x2160) monitors using DisplayPort 1.2 technology;
- You can chain up to 6 different devices;
- Support 4 x PCI-Express-3.
Docks for Thunderbolt 3
Agree, it’s not very cool when you see, say, only two USB-C ports on a laptop. The first thought is something like this:
So what's this? It is not enough for me! I need so much more! What about the other types of connectors???
However, be calm. Even a single USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 support is likely to be enough for you. At least, because there are universal Thunderbolt 3 docking stations that you can connect at any time. And as a maximum, because such docking stations can be connected up to 6 pieces in a chain. Imagine how many devices you can connect to your laptop? And each docking station has on board a wide variety of connectors: audio 3.5mm, USB 3.0/3.1, microSD, SD/MMC, Ethernet, HDMI, VGA, mini Display Port.
Thunderbolt 3 Dock Example
Here is such an interesting new technology, this Thunderbolt 3. What do you say? Is it time to move on or will you wait until the confusion of standards is over? Oh yes, I almost forgot to say that, unlike the USB we are used to, it can be inserted in any direction. Which is quite convenient if you need to connect some device without looking or in the twilight.
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You don't need to know much about Thunderbolt technology, but I will provide enough information so that beginners understand what it is and experienced users refresh their memory.
Thunderbolt was born from the collaboration of two companies - Intel and Apple. So what is it and what are the pros and cons in comparison with other interfaces does it have, such as USB or?
What is Thunderbolt?
Thunderbolt(formerly Light Peak) is not a very new, but now well-established technology that is needed to link various peripheral (external) equipment. Thunderbolt can transmit video, sound, and power. Since it was made based on DisplayPort (it looks like it) and PCI Express, the interface has quite high speeds. You can transfer files, connect hard drives and do everything and it will all work at high speed. Video resolution can be 4K or higher. Thunderbolt ports allow you to supply equipment up to 10W.
What is the difference between Light Peak and Thunderbolt?
In 2009, Intel at the developer forum showed the technology Light Peak, but that was only a code name as the technology was still being developed. It should be noted that code names are given to all new developments. Then, of course, they gave the name Thunderbolt.
It is based on optical and electrical data transmission, although Apple has armed itself with only the latter. Intel thinks that the use of the electric option implies its low cost and power transfer. The optical option is most likely needed for cables longer than 3 m.
How is Thunderbolt related to PCI Express?
We all know that the PCI Express bus in a computer is one of the fastest technologies that connects various equipment, for example, a processor and a video card. In our case, PCI Express for Thunderbolt is used directly, which gives simply impressive performance.
Thunderbolt transfer rate
Finally got to Thunderbolt data transfer speed. Many of you have been waiting for this item. If not considered in practice, then the speed is very fast - up to 10 Gb / s, and this is only one channel, and each of the ports can have two. Thunderbolt is also bi-directional, which means it can send and receive data at the same time. In reality, of course, everything is not so bad, the transfer rate reached 7-8 Gb / s, and this is much more productive than that of.
It should be understood that the transfer rate does not depend on the technology itself, but on the equipment on which it is used. If the equipment cannot squeeze out all the capabilities of the interface, then you need to change it. Consider, for example, drives with interfaces with a maximum speed of 3 Gb / s, the third version of SATA has 6 Gb / s.
Advantages of Thunderbolt over USB and other technologies
As many of you may have guessed, Thunderbolt's performance is the biggest selling point of most of the technologies we've listed above. You can also transfer video, audio, and power through just one port, meaning you only need one cable to do it. To connect all this, of course, you will need an adapter to which you connect Thunderbolt, and already to the adapter of the device itself, for example, a TV and a smartphone, in order to charge it.
What about video and audio over Thunderbolt?
As mentioned above, Thunderbolt is a DisplayPort, and the technology itself is connected directly to PCI Express. What does it mean? Video and audio processing will only go to the maximum. It all depends on the capabilities of the graphics and sound card. On some devices, Thunderbolt allows you to connect up to two high-resolution monitors, and this is only on one port.
How to connect devices, what is the compatibility?
You can use adapters to connect USB hardware and other interfaces, but they won't be faster because USB and other interfaces support their own speed. Thunderbolt just won't limit the device's speed.
How many devices can be connected to one Thunderbolt port?
Up to 6 devices can be connected to any of the ports. If you are linking some devices, then you need to link them in series, but here you need to understand that each of them must have two Thunderbolt ports.
What kind of devices with Thunderbolt currently exist?
Some CES featured Thunderbolt-enabled designs, such as an SSD drive, and MacBooks themselves.
Thunderbolt 2
The most interesting thing is that above we talked mainly only about the first version of Thunderbolt, but there is also the second, and even the third.
the Thunderbolt 2 interface was introduced in 2013 and, of course, it is similar to the first version, that is, it is the same both in appearance and in basic characteristics.
What's added:
Data link aggregation, that is, you are given two channels of 10 Gb / s, but you can combine them into one that will be able to transmit 20 Gb / s.
The use of the second version was seen in the Apple MacBook Pro Retina.
Thunderbolt 3 and what you need to know about it?
So we have reached the latest version of Thunderbolt at the moment. In 2015, a version of Thunderbolt 3 appeared, which is good news. This development provides a really bright future for new technologies and hopefully will stay there for a long time, and all because:
- Data transfer rate is 40 Gb / s (twice as fast as the previous version);
- Connecting two 4K monitors at 60Hz;
- 4 lanes PCI Express Gen 3
- For equipment, power up to 100 W is provided;
- Connecting up to 6 devices (remained at the same level).
Compatibility with, that is, the technology is implemented on this specification. As you can see, the possibilities of the interface are simply off scale. Implementation in various devices has already begun. Thunderbolt 3 has also been said to be supported by Skylake chipsets. Intel also decided to make an optical type, followed by the creation of a cable up to 60 meters.
Thunderbolt price
At the moment, a two-meter Thunderbolt cable costs about 3,000 rubles, maybe cheaper somewhere, but I did not find it. Adapters cost about the same and more.
Whether you want to connect your computer to multiple 4K displays, transfer large files to external drives, or capture RAW video from a camera, you must use Thunderbolt 3. Its maximum speed is 40 Gbps, and it is the world's fastest connection interface today. day. If a high-speed connection matters to you, then in this article I will tell you all the details of the new interface, the differences from Thunderbolt 2, Find out how Thunderbolt 3 is faster than USB 3.1.
Here are 8 things you need to know about the new Thunderbolt 3 interface.
Thunderbolt 3 is 4 times faster than USB 3.1
Thunderbolt 3 is capable of transferring data at 40 Gb/s, which is much faster than USB 3.1, which has a maximum speed of 10 Gb/s, or USB 3.0, which has a maximum speed of 5 Gb/s. The 3rd generation doubled the throughput of Thunderbolt 2 (maximum 20Gbps). With this amount of bandwidth, you can afford to use an external graphics amplifier like the Razer Core and turn a lightweight laptop into a full-fledged gaming PC, since the system will work in conjunction with the GPU at the same speed as if it were connected directly to the motherboard.
Interface speed comparison with Thunderbolt 3
You can copy files to an external SSD faster than the vast majority of internal drives. The same speed benefits can be used when you record video directly from a professional grade 4K camcorder.
Thunderbolt 3 uses a USB Type-C connector
All Thunderbolt 3 ports are made in the USB 3.1 Type-C form factor, which will allow you to connect any USB Type-C media to any Thunderbolt 3 port. I want to remind you that the Type-C standard implies the use of symmetrical connector connectors, which allows you to connect to them cables from absolutely any side and regardless of orientation.
However, not all USB Type-C ports and wires support Thunderbolt 3. For example, the Apple MacBook and Lenovo ThinkPad 13 have USB Type-C ports that do not support the faster standard, while the G1 HP EliteBook Folio and Dell XPS 13 do support Thunderbolt 3 .
Connect to two 4K monitors at the same time using DisplayPort
Thunderbolt 3 can transmit video over DisplayPort (DP) 1.2 and therefore has an advantage over DP without Thunderbolt 3. The fact is that DP with Thunderbolt 3 offers two connections in one wire. So while one DP 1.2 cable can only handle one 4K monitor while running at 60Hz, one Thunderbolt 3 DP is capable of driving two 4K monitors at 60Hz or one 4K monitor at 120Hz or one 5K (5120 x 2880) monitor at 60 Hz.
You can connect a single monitor to a Thunderbolt 3 port using a Thunderbolt 3 DP cable. However, if you want to use multiple monitors connected via a single cable, you will need a Thunderbolt docking station such as the Dell Thunderbolt Dock or the HP Elite Thunderbolt 3.
Dock station
High Speed Peer-To-Peer Network
You can connect two computers together using a single Thunderbolt 3 wire and get an Ethernet connection at speeds up to 10Gbps. This is 10 times faster than most twisted pair Ethernet connections. So, if you need to quickly copy a giant file to a colleague's laptop, then Thunderbolt 3 is just right for you.
Peer-to-Peer
Equipment Compatibility
How do I know if a wire or peripheral supports Thunderbolt 3 and not regular USB 3.1? Look for a logo on the wire connectors or labels if it's a laptop.
Thunderbolt 3 symbols
Uncertified products don't have this logo and emblem, but that doesn't mean they can't use Thunderbolt 3. The Razer Blade Stealth Ultrabook is one example that has Thunderbolt 3 support unlabeled.
Ultrabook Razer Blade Stealth
Energy efficient laptop charging
Thunderbolt 3, being a USB standard, can provide 100W of energy to power peripherals or recharge gadgets and even laptops. For example, on some ultra-slim laptops such as the G1 HP EliteBook Folio and the Razer Blade Stealth, the Thunderbolt 3 port is the laptop's only charging port.
Thunderbolt3 port
External graphics accelerator via Thunderbolt 3
The first generation of external graphics accelerators are not designed to work with every Thunderbolt. It's all about marketing intrigue. For example, Asus does not guarantee that its upcoming discrete XG Station 2 will work with anything other than ASUS branded laptops. However, unless the PC vendor specifically blocks external accelerators, it is possible that they will work on uncertified Thunderbolt 3 laptops as well.
XG Station
Let's hope that in the near future, we will see graphics amplifiers that can work with any computer that has a Thunderbolt 3 port.
Connect up to 6 devices
You can connect up to six computers or peripherals side by side with a Thunderbolt 3 cable. Imagine connecting a laptop to a high-speed hard drive, then a wire from the hard drive to a monitor, and a third wire from the monitor to a high-speed camera. If all devices in such a chain have two Thunderbolt 3 ports, then you can assemble such a chain.
Thunderbolt technology - a joint development of Apple and Intel, one might say - began to spread along with the latest generation of MacBooks. You probably know that Apple is in no hurry to include raw technologies in its equipment, but Thunderbolt cannot be called such. What attracted this ultra-high-speed data transfer technology to Apple? In this article, you will find everything you need to know about the latest communication standard.
What ?
Thunderbolt(formerly known as Light Peak) is a fairly new peripheral connectivity technology developed by Intel and Apple that allows data, video, audio, and power to be transmitted through a single port. Built on the PCI Express and DisplayPort architectures, Thunderbolt allows high-speed data transfer while interacting with external peripherals such as hard drives, RAID arrays, video capture devices, network interfaces and other equipment. The port allows you to transmit high-definition video using the DisplayPort protocol. Each Thunderbolt port delivers up to 10W total power to connected equipment.
Is there a difference between Thunderbolt and Light Peak?
Light Peak it's just a code name for Thunderbolt, given by Intel when the technology was still under development - such names are given to any technology. The only thing worth noting is that Thunderbolt implies optical and electrical data transfer, but Apple uses only electrical circuitry. Intel expects most manufacturers to use electrical circuitry due to low cost and power transfer capability. Optical versions are more likely to be needed in cases where cables over three meters long will be used.
How does Thunderbolt use PCI Express?
PCI Express it is a high-speed architecture that is used to interconnect various components within a Mac, such as the processor, graphics card, and storage. As you might guess, PCI Express allows these components to exchange data with each other quite quickly. Due to the fact that Thunderbolt uses PCI Express as a bus for a direct connection, the technology is impressive in its speed.
How fast is Thunderbolt?
In theory, very fast. The Thunderbolt channel provides 10 Gb/s data transfer rate, and each port can include two channels. Thunderbolt is also bi-directional, meaning it can receive and transmit data at the same time. Even in practice, the speed reaches 8 Gb / s, which is much faster than FireWire 800 and USB 3.0. Not to mention the eSATA connection on many Windows personal computers.
Of course, as with any other high-speed interface, the performance of each connected device will be lower due to limitations in the device itself. For example, many SATA drives have a peak speed of 3 Gb / s, and even SATA 3.0 is theoretically limited to 6 Gb / s. Even intermediary devices can “eat up” a fairly serious piece of speed.
Why is Thunderbolt better than FireWire, USB, eSATA and others?
The biggest advantage is of course the aforementioned performance. But an even bigger selling point is that Thunderbolt supports data, video, audio, and power through just one port - and therefore through one cable - to many peripherals. At a minimum, you should be able to connect enough devices and adapters with Thunderbolt.
So Thunderbolt is something like the old Apple Display Connector technology?
Not exactly, although the idea is similar to the Apple Display Connector (ADC). Although Thunderbolt supports video, audio, data, and power transmission - thus reducing the number of cables sticking out of the computer - it does not provide enough power to connect a large display. (ADC delivers 100 watts of power to carry power, video, audio, and USB signals). On the other hand, ADC connection requires specialized - and expensive - video cards, while Thunderbolt uses standard Mini DisplayPort.
What type of physical connection does Thunderbolt use?
Handy enough - on all recent Macs, Thunderbolt uses a Mini DisplayPort port, and on the latest MacBook models, a separate Thunderbolt port, Mini DisplayPort is excluded from the available ones.
How do I connect my display if there is no Mini DisplayPort connector?
Since Thunderbolt handles both data and DisplayPort video, you can connect your Mini DisplayPort display - or another display with a Mini DisplayPort adapter - to the Thunderbolt port, or daisy chain it to other Thunderbolt devices as described below.
What are the video and audio capabilities of Thunderbolt?
Remember that each Thunderbolt port includes both a DisplayPort and a PCI Express connection. This means that Thunderbolt can handle the same types of video and audio - at 1080p resolution and 8 channels of audio - as DisplayPort. When it comes to video, the biggest limitation is the graphics card. For example, the new MacBooks support an external display with a resolution of 2560 by 1600 pixels and millions of colors in addition to the built-in display or in dual display mode. On a desktop Mac, the Thunderbolt port supports two high-resolution displays. You can directly connect a Mini DisplayPort display or with a DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI or VGA adapter.
Is Thunderbolt compatible with USB and FireWire?
Adapters are already available so you can connect USB, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 devices to the Thunderbolt port. The new port won't make devices faster, but it won't limit them in speed either. FireWire 800, for example, will not be able to transfer data faster than 800 Mbps.
What about other types of connections?
As noted above, Thunderbolt can transfer data, video, audio, network data, and power, so adapters are indispensable. For example, adapters for audio and Gigabit Ethernet are already available.
Can I connect multiple devices to the same Thunderbolt port?
You can connect up to six devices to each of the Thunderbolt ports by daisy chaining them, i.e. using a daisy chain connection. Of course, it follows that each device in the chain must have two Thunderbolt ports (or two other types of data ports with a Thunderbolt adapter).
Does connecting multiple devices affect performance, as is the case with USB 2.0?
Unlike USB 2.0, where connecting to a low-speed device or USB 1.0 can degrade the performance of the entire USB bus, Thunderbolt is purpose-built to work with many devices without compromising the channel itself. Of course, these devices will share the overall bandwidth of the Thunderbolt link, which can limit the performance of an individual device if it transfers a lot of data, but at the same time, the performance of the Thunderbolt link itself will not suffer.
How does connecting a non-Thunderbolt device affect performance?
Depends on a lot. If you connect these devices to the end of your Thunderbolt chain, they may degrade the performance of faster hardware that receives data from your computer. If you connect a device without a Thunderbolt port in the middle of a ring chain, it all depends on how you connect it.
For example, if you use two FireWire-Thunderbolt adapters to connect a FireWire hard drive in the middle of a Thunderbolt ring chain, the performance of the rest of the chain that transfers data to the computer will be limited by the FireWire bus, which physically cannot transfer data faster than Thunderbolt .
If there is no adapter to bypass this limitation (or create a T-branch), the last device in the chain should be the display.
Will all Macs get Thunderbolt?
Apple hasn't commented on future products, but the fact that Thunderbolt is being given due attention is that the standard is included in the current MacBook Pro line - and even in the entry-level model. The company hopes for widespread adoption of Thunderbolt technology. A far more interesting question is...
Will Thunderbolt replace FireWire and USB on a Mac?
It is possible, but in any case, it will take some time. Thunderbolt isn't quite as mature yet, and will be in its "new" state until it becomes as commonplace as USB and FireWire.
However, we all remember the original iMac when Apple ditched ADB connectors in favor of USB - long before USB peripherals were commonplace and inexpensive. In any case, the idea of a single port and connector appealed to Jobs and appealed to Apple. Just look at the port that the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are equipped with.
Will iOS devices get Thunderbolt?
As noted above, Thunderbolt is built on PCI Express, the architecture that underpins the Mac and many personal computers. But iOS devices do not use PCI Express, so it will be quite difficult to enable the Thunderbolt port on the iPhone. Plus, the 30-pin port on iOS devices has a lot of possibilities. Most likely, Apple will sell optional cables connecting the Thunderbolt and the dock connector for charging and syncing.
What Thunderbolt-connected devices are available today?
The boom in Thunderbolt-connected devices came only at CES 2012. Elgato An SSD costing £349.95 for the 120GB version and £569.95 for the 240GB model. Another interesting option - from MSI - GUS II. The external device has a Thunderbolt interface and an internal PCIe slot. Another Thunderbolt-enabled accessory is the design from Belkin, it allows users to connect multiple USB devices to a single docking station. It is expected that the product will appear on the market in September 2012 and will cost $299.
Back in February on sale vault LaCie 2big Thunderbolt. The novelty is available in versions of 4 TB (cost $ 650) and 6 TB (cost $ 800). LaCie 2big provides data transfer speeds up to 327 Mb / s, offers quick replacement of drives, allows you to create RAID arrays and, of course, create a chain between them via Thunderbolt ports.
For comparison, let's say that LaCie 2big offers three times the data transfer rate compared to FireWire 800 and in combination are capable of transferring up to 676 Mb / s.
And as an example of the chain that a Thunderbolt channel allows - - 24 terabytes in one chain of drives.
IDF already this year should start selling special docks that simplify the connection of various devices with various types of data transmission.
Whatever the design features of the interface for connecting peripherals, it must have two characteristics: versatility and high data transfer rate. The combination of only these two qualities makes it truly effective. An example of such an interface is Thunderbolt, a new technology for connecting peripherals, created jointly by the two leading companies Apple and Intel.
What is Thunderbolt?
So what exactly is Thunderbolt and what are its benefits? Without going into technical details, it can be described as a universal standard that provides the most convenient and efficient communication between computers and tablets with various external devices. In more accessible terms, Thunderbolt is an alternative to USB technology, only, according to Apple, even more advanced.
Thus, the goal of creating a new standard is to eliminate the shortcomings of USB, and in the future to replace it. Among computer equipment manufacturers, however, the idea of such a replacement did not receive wide support, and the main reason for this was the relatively high cost of Thunderbolt components, which has a significant impact on the final price of computers. Currently, the new standard is used mainly in Mac computers.
Pros of Using Thunderbolt
The main advantages of the new technology are the ability to daisy-chain, that is, without the use of a hub or switch, connecting several high-performance peripherals at once to one compact two-channel port, as well as high data transfer speed. Combining DisplayPort and PCI Express technologies, the new standard allows you to connect external hard drives, high-resolution monitors, camcorders and other peripheral devices to your PC without fear for the stability of their work and the safety of the transmitted data.
Thunderbolt transfer speeds are at least twice as fast as USB transfers, and that's just the beginning. And although the technology has not become widespread among computer equipment manufacturers, it continues to develop successfully. The first version was followed by the second, and after it by the third, capable of supporting data exchange at speeds up to 40 Gb / s.
It should also be noted that the standard allows you to simultaneously transmit and receive data. Thunderbolt supports connecting displays with Mini DisplayPort or with a DisplayPort adapter, HDMI, DVI, VGA, compatible with USB devices, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 (connection is made through an adapter). At the same time, however, you need to understand that the new interface will not make devices faster, but it will not slow down data transfer either.
Thunderbolt 3 interface
At the moment, the third version of the standard is already available, although the devices themselves based on the new technology will appear on sale in 2016. Thunderbolt 3 got rid of the MDP connector by switching to a double-sided USB-C, and at the same time doubled the data exchange speed, and if in the second version it was up to 20 Gb / s, now it will be possible to transfer files from one device to another at speed 40 Gb/s. This means that a 4K video file can be transferred in less than half a minute.
Features of the new version also include compatibility of the new version with the USB 3.1 standard, support for powering devices up to 100 W, connection of two 4K resolution displays, various peripherals and Ethernet network at a speed of 10 Gb / s. By the way, if you connect one display, then the resolution can be increased up to 5K.
