Tech

Thunderbolt 3 by Intel- Explained in short

With all the laptops getting thinner and faster, there was not enough space for the manufacturers to put up different ports, for that USB Type – C was introduced which was faster than any previous USB port. But then Intel introduced the next version of Thunderbolt interface which is Thunderbolt 3, it doesn’t only provide with a better speed but also integrates with the functionality of USB Type – C and brings us with a new standard in data transfer.

Thunderbolt was initially developed and marketed under the name Light Peak and first came on the market in February 2011 and MacBook Pro was the first device to use this technology.

What is Thunderbolt?

Thunderbolt is a hardware interface which was developed by Intel and allows the connection of external peripherals to a computer. Thunderbolt 1 and 2 used Mini Display Port whereas Thunderbolt 3 uses USB Type – C. With the introduction of Thunderbolt 3 all we need is one port that can be used for almost any type of connection whether we are to connect display devices, storage devices or any other USB device.

Advertisement

Why use Thunderbolt 3?

  • Thunderbolt 3 provides you with so many options, and you can connect a variety of devices with one type of cable.
  • Thunderbolt 3 can also be used to display two 4K monitors at 60Hz. It is capable of doing so because it uses the latest version of DisplayPort. You just need one port on your computer and a cable that separates into two at some point and that single wire can power two 4K displays.
  • With the introduction of Thunderbolt 3 data can be transferred at a much faster rate. USB Type – C can offer data transfer speed up to 10 Gb/s, whereas Thunderbolt 2 offers a speed of 20 Gb/s. But if that’s not enough Thunderbolt 3 offers a data transfer speed of 40 Gb/s.

Latest MacBook implements the usage of thunderbolt interface and in the near future, this is going to be the go-to technology for connecting external peripherals devices. As the USB Type – C is replacing any other kind of connectors, we will be able to find this fast and versatile interface technology on almost every PC.