The Best Connector EVER? - Thunderbolt 5

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Thanks to Ben Benson and Intel for their help with this episode!

Learn about the new Thunderbolt 5 connector and how it builds upon USB 4 v2.

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[johnsnow]

Thunderbolt 5 offers what I've wanted out of USB for years - a simple naming convention.

[Chasm]

Who would have thought standardization of electronics would result in better user experience, compatibility and everything else.

[jeevana.]

I replied to a couple of comments, but thought I'd make a main one for more to see.

USB has to be configurable for it to be a universal port. There's a reason why the minimum specs are so low. Phones don't need 80gbps or 240w, so manufacturers would be spending extra money on nothing. Now think of something even more mundane like a port on a controller or keyboard. Do those need Displayport Alt mode?

What USB really needs are clear marketing guidelines that have to be strictly followed. That's the reason why Thunderbolt still exists - it's an easy way for consumers to understand they're getting nearly a full fledged port, but it's also why you don't see it on nearly as many devices.

[yo.adrian]

At least "USB 4 v2" isn't called USB 4 V2 Ultra Max Super Saiyan 5 and Knuckles" or whatever naming scheme they'll come up next.

[buddybleeyes]

man usb standard is so confusing it unbelievable. Would love if they just stuck to thunderbolt versions!

[jivewig]

I really hope the 80gbps speed and 240w charging becomes a standard. Finally we can have gaming laptops game from type c. And also no reliance/dependency on Asus to make fast External GPU alternatives.

[willum]

Can somebody please teach USB-IF how basic integers work ?

[Alex-hvir]

Honestly. Anything past USB 3 confuses me.
Every iteration has a slightly different name and slightly niche features.

And I know Riley just explained the differences between Gen 4 v2 and thunderbolt 5 but I understood nothing. The differences are so little it barely feels an upgrade and also… why do we have 2 separate USB C naming schemes (gen 4v2 and thunderbolt 5) if they basically are the same cable?

[GameCyborgCh]

mind you we're talking about 80Gbps both ways over copper, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if the next or the version after that will be based on a hybrid cable with optical data and copper for power just to maintain signal integrity.

Kinda funny as Thunderbolt was originally planned to be such a cable

[D.y]

I will never settle for anything non-Thunderbolt again. They just do right what USB does not. No weird naming schemes and looking at 20 different spec sheets when comparing devices.

[aflury]

You say that TB4’s minimum suppported charge rate is 100watts compared to TB5’s 140watts for host charging and 15watts for peripherals. However, Thunderbolt 4’s MAXIMUM rate is 100 watts, with its minimum also being 15watts (without distinguishing host/peripheral charging). Sorry I know no one cares…

[thezcamaroman]

With some hope, perhaps USB 5.0 will just copy Thunderbolt 5's requirements and the terms will be interchangeable. It would be a win for consumers since there'd be less confusion: buying advice would be "just look for the version 5.0 cable".

[james.telfer]

And will the labels be useless and confusing? Thought So.

[FengLengshun]

Maybe USB5v3 will have enough speed, bandwidth, stability, and power for eGPU. One can certainly dream, when the path is still so far ahead...

[iFix.]

The only thing I want is for all those features to be mandatory instead of a “suggestion” so the logo on the box actually means something and I don’t have to google the damn spec sheet to know it it does what I want it to do

[Psychx_]

OCuLink can do PCIe 4.0x8. TB/USB4 are way too slow, esp. for eGPU. Bidirectional 120Gbps+ or GTFO.

[leafan]

As someone who has gone back and forth with eGPU setups, I really want them to come back. We have yet to see the true potential eGPUs can offer. In the GTX 9xx and 10xx days, the pcie bottleneck wasn't all that bad, but most non-gaming laptops were still pretty short on processor power. Since then, processor power in regular laptops has increased a ton and no longer represents a serious bottleneck in most games, but the graphics cards of today are severely limited by the thunderbolt 3/4 spec. I fear that, by the time Thunderbolt 5 is mainstream, even double the pcie performance won't be enough and that in a year or two more, we will be in the same spot we are now.

[ZhuJo]

Biggest problem in implementation is for laptops.
Having to support at least 140 W means that in TB 5, your laptop would need to have a HUGE power brick just because of TB 5. Which, especially for PC laptops is already a big problem (literally).
On battery, you will probably don't have TB5 port at all, just because of power requirements.

[CreativeMindsAudio]

What I want to see is a thunderbolt cable that can have long cords. but yeah this is still really sweet! I'll hold off on upgrading my laptop until this comes out!

[SNIVY]

Wonder if any other laptop will come out supporting the full 240W of the PD 3.1 spec before the Framework 16