WHAT IS THUNDERBOLT TECHNOLOGY?
Thunderbolt™ technology, created by Intel®, steps up USB port technology by supporting both high‐speed data and video. Harnessing Thunderbolt technology through a USB-C port created in partnership with USB-IF, Thunderbolt 3 is the fastest port available. It connects Thunderbolt devices, all HD and 4K displays, and billions of USB devices using 1 compact, reversible plug—transferring 4x the data and 2x the video bandwidth of any other cable.1
HISTORY OF THUNDERBOLT
- 1995
- USB 1.0 consolidates and simplifies low‐speed data ports.
- 2000
- USB 2.0 increases data speed (480 Mbps).
- 2008
- USB 3.0 increases data speed (5 Gbps).
- 2010–11
- Thunderbolt consolidates and simplifies high-speed data and video ports (10 Gbps). Notebooks featuring Mini DisplayPort are announced.
- 2013
- Thunderbolt 2 increases data and video speed (20 Gbps). USB 3.1 increases data speed (10 Gbps). More devices featuring Mini DisplayPort are announced.
- 2014
- Type-C (USB-C) connector introduces a new small, reversible connector.
- 2015
- Thunderbolt 3 brings Thunderbolt and USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) to USB-C (40 Gbps).
WHY IS THUNDERBOLT BETTER?
The increasing mobility of the workforce coupled with the decreasing size of devices created a challenge within the tech sphere: How to support desktop speeds and applications—on mobile devices. Thunderbolt was developed as a solution to this challenge. Up to 8x faster than USB 3.0, Thunderbolt 3 technology supports the fastest data and most video bandwidth on a single cable.
1. Ethernet 2. Firewire 3. Thunderbolt 2
4. VGA 5. HDMI 6. USB3
MORE PROTOCOLS
Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, PCI Express, and USB
MORE SPEED
Up to 40 Gbps file transfer rate
MORE PIXELS
Supports dual 4K displays
MORE POWER
Up to 100W power delivery
THUNDERBOLT DOCKS
Streamline your workspace with Thunderbolt, technology designed to enable desktop-level performance on a mobile computer. Need to simplify your workspace with Thunderbolt™ 2 (Mini DisplayPort)? The Thunderbolt 2 Express Dock HD connects to 8 separate devices, supports dual displays and 4K resolution, and transfers files at up to 20 Gbps. Want more power for your MacBook using Thunderbolt™ 3 (USB-C)? The Thunderbolt 3 Express dock has 2x the speed of Thunderbolt 2 and 85W of power, giving you the power of a desktop—in your laptop.
Part #: F4U095tt USB-C port with Thunderbolt 3 technology
40 Gbps data transfer rate
Dual 4K video output
Connects 8 devices through a single cable
Up to 85W of power to your computer
Single-cable docking solution
Part #: F4U085tt Mini DisplayPort with Thunderbolt 2 technology
20 Gbps data transfer rate
Supports dual displays and 4K cinema resolution2
Connects 8 devices through a single cable
Works with:
- MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2016)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
Works with:
- MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015)
- iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014)
- Mac mini (Late 2014)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013) and later
- MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013) and later
- Mac Pro (Late 2013)
THUNDERBOLT SOLUTIONS
Take full advantage of Thunderbolt technology with attach products from Belkin.
Thunderbolt™ 3 Express Dock HD
Attach Products
Thunderbolt™ 2 Express Dock HD
Attach Products
Cheat Sheet
Gbps (stands for gigabits per second)
A unit of data transfer rate measuring bandwidth speed by the billions of bits transferred per second.
Standard USB (stands for Standard Universal Serial Bus)
The most common universal connector on the “other end” of most current USB cables, Standard USB is often suitable for use with computers, car chargers, wall chargers, and many other devices.
USB port (stands for Universal Serial Bus port)
A port designed for use with an industry standard connector to communicate data and supply electric power between devices.
USB 3.1
USB 3.1 is the updated, Gen 2 version of USB 3.0. Gen 2 successfully doubled the transfer speed rate of Gen 1(USB 3.0), taking USB from 5 Gbps to 10 Gbps.
USB-C (also known as Type-C)
A new type of USB connector, hailed as the new standard. Smaller, faster, and more user-friendly than previous USB types, USB-C has widespread support from industry leaders, meaning USB-C will come to replace all other USB types.
USB-IF (stands for USB Implementers Forum)
A non-profit organization founded by the companies that developed the Universal Serial Bus (USB) specification. The USB-IF’s mission is to support and advance USB technology.
4K (short for 4,096 pixels of resolution)
Quickly becoming the new standard for high-quality digital video, 4K refers to a horizontal resolution of 4,096 pixels, or “4K” pixels.
Mini DisplayPort
A miniaturized version of the DisplayPort interface, Apple developed audio-visual digital interface Mini DisplayPort in 2008.
- https://thunderbolttechnology.net/sites/default/files/Thunderbolt_3_Overview_Brief_FINAL.pdf
- Second display must be Thunderbolt enabled.
- 80x faster than 2.0 USB