Ports play an essential role in any device because transfer speed is increasingly important when using USB drives or external hard drives. Initially, the high-speed connections are the USB-C , Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 ports . However, we are sure that you want to know which one is the best of all.
The USB interface has been renewed over time, which has brought with it the appearance of new ports. Being a universal connection gives it a certain status, but users become more demanding over time: they want the fastest connection. At this crossroads enter the USB-C, Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 ports, which we are going to analyze and present to find out which is faster and which is the best
USB-C
It is a 24-pin USB connection that made its first appearance in 2013 and is postulated as the replacement for USB Type-A and Type-B . It was formally adopted by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) in 2016 and was designed and developed by the USB-IF, an organization comprised of Intel, Microsoft, HP, Apple and many more technology companies.
A USB Type-C does not have to implement USB 3.1, since it is not mandatory to have such standards. The first advance was related to the possibility of connecting USB-C from both sides , since USB Type-A can only be connected in one direction.
There is no denying that it came with USB 3.1 under its arm, a connection that doubled USB 3.0 thanks to its 10 Gbps transfer speed, while USB 3.0 only reaches up to 5 Gbps. Similarly, USB 3.1 emerged before USB-C, as it landed on the market in 2013 .
This connection is present in most modern mobile devices, and is being used by many laptop manufacturers as a charging port.
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt is the name of an interface used and developed by Intel in collaboration with Apple , which allows the connection of external peripherals to our PC. It is a connection used for very specific purposes, which usually coincide with professional tasks.
As a detail, the Thunderbolt 1 and 2 connection use the same connector as Mini DisplayPort, just as Thunderbolt 3 uses the same connector as USB-C. In addition, a Thunderbolt port could support up to 6 devices with such a connection through a Hub.
The problem with the Thunderbolt port compared to USB-C and USB 3.0 is that it is unique to Intel . This means that we will not see it in AMD equipment, which greatly limits its use.
Thunderbolt 1
Its first version appeared with the MacBook Pro of 2011 or iMacs of the same year, and was based on the Mini DisplayPort port . It was a connection whose main purpose was the new I / O technology and which offered a total transfer speed of up to 20 Gbps , since each channel offered 10 Gbps . Just this year, Sony launched the Vaio Z21 range of notebooks, which used an optical Thunderbolt to connect EGPUs.
Thunderbolt 2
Thunderbolt 2 would be announced by Intel in 2013 and would be incorporated by the MacBook Pros of the same year. The evolution was to combine 2 channels of 10 Gbps in a single logical channel , which offered 20 Gbps . This version was widely used to transfer video in high resolutions; Also, say that it incorporated a DisplayPort 1.2 support , which allowed the streaming of a 4K video on 2 QHD monitors .
Thunderbolt 3
We go to the Thunderbolt 3 port, perhaps the most used of all and that shared a port with USB-C. Intel’s Skylake architecture would be the first to support this connection, so Thunderbolt 3 appears between 2015 and 2016 . Regarding the MacBook Pro, they would not incorporate it until 2016.
The main improvement was characterized by its bandwidth of 40 Gbps , which multiplied by 2 the transfer speed of the second version. In addition, it reduced power consumption and allowed to connect 2 4K screens at 60 Hz, a 4K screen at 120 Hz or a 5K screen (5120 x 2880) at 60 Hz. Do not be scared by the 5K, this resolution was seen in the iMacs of 2015 .
Its new controller supported PCIe 3.0 , including DisplayPort 1.2 . Say that Thunderbolt 3 was compatible with the two previous versions using adapters, but one of its novelties was in the possibility of feeding the laptop with up to 100W . As a result, laptop manufacturers decided to use this port to eliminate the dedicated battery charging connection.
After 3 years, Intel decided to improve the connection slightly, instead of releasing Thunderbolt 4. Actually, the only notable thing that was improved was the inclusion of DisplayPort 1.4 support .
Thunderbolt 4
We come to 2020 with few improvements to offer, as all eyes were looking towards a higher transfer speed , but Thunderbolt 4 will have the same as its previous version: 40 Gbps . On the other hand, its connector will remain USB-C.
It was announced at CES 2020 and its final specifications were seen in July, but its news is as follows:
- USB 4 protocol support , which will only work at 20Gbps.
- Support for 2 4K displays or one 8K .
- Intel VT Shortcut Protection.
- 32 Gbps PCIe.
That said, it doubles the speed of the fastest USB of all : USB 3.2 2×2, which is 20Gbps.
USB 3.0
Finally, we have to talk about the most used USB connection of the moment: USB 3.0 . Although it sounds “new” to us, it is not, since it appeared in 2010 and was developed by Microsoft, Intel, NEC, Texas Instruments, HP and ST-Ericsson. The main novelty was its speed: 5 Gbps .
To put ourselves in context, the first decade of the 21st century was starred by USB 2.0 , a connection with a transfer speed of 480 Mbp s. So, imagine the change from 480 MBps to 5000 MBps: 10 times faster.
This connection stood out for having a bluish color , which was used to differentiate it from USB 2.0 ports. Think that both used a USB Type-A , so the color was the only thing that differentiated them at first glance.
With USB 3.0 came the name ” SuperSpeed ” or “SS”, which was a new type of transfer. Another novelty was the use of 2 unidirectional data paths , compared to USB 2.0, which used only one.
USB 3.1
The year 2013 was presented as a threat to this interface, at least in professional environments. With Thunderbolt 2 and its 20 Gbps speed, the USB 3.1 standard emerged whose objective was to replace USB 3.0. The speed was doubled to 10 Gbps and the support in USB-C port was added , surviving the USB Type-A.
Both USB 3.1 and USB 3.2 have their Gen 1 and Gen 2 versions. In this case, USB 3.1 SuperSpeed corresponds to USB 3.1 Gen 1, while USB 3.1 SuperSpeed + refers to USB 3.1 Gen 2, which is the one with the highest speed (10 Gbps vs 5 Gbps of Gen 1).
Say that the USB 3.1 standard is backward compatible with USB 3.0 and 2.0. Mainly, it is a connection that is summarized in these 2 transfer modes :
- Gen 1 SuperSpeed: 5 Gbps.
- Gen 2 SuperSpeed +: 10 Gbps.
USB 3.2
Despite being launched in 2017 , we see how many manufacturers resent using it . ASRock is one of the companies that has bet the most to implement this standard on its motherboards, but the competition has not followed suit.
This is the USB 3.0 generation that comes closest to Thunderbolt in terms of speeds, offering 20 Gbps through a USB-C port . Its transfer modes are as follows:
- USB 3.2 Gen 1 × 1 (compatible with USB-A and USB-B and USB-C): up to 5 Gbps .
- USB 3.2 Gen 2 × 1 (compatible with USB-A, USB-B and USB-C): up to 10 Gbps .
- USB 3.2 Gen 1 × 2 (with USB-C only): Up to 10 Gbps .
- USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (with USB-C only): Up to 20 Gbps .
The last two transfer modes are characterized by incorporating 2 lanes with 8b / 10b coding.
Which is the best and the fastest?
With all that said, the fastest ports are Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 , both of which use the USB-C port and DisplayPort 1.4. They are closely followed by the USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port, which offers up to 20Gbps and is only compatible with USB-C, but this USB 3.0 standard falls short of Thunderbolt speeds.
However, Thunderbolt ports can only be found on Intel computers, which limits their use. On the other hand, USB 3.0 can be found in any fairly modern equipment . Not only that, the Thunderbolt port is not as widely used today, being reserved for certain professional purposes, or the use of an EGPU.
Therefore, we would say that the most practical of all is USB 3.0 , either in Type-C or Type-A. If we want more speed, we will have to force ourselves to use USB-C.