Thunderbolt is a bus interface (like USB) developed by Intel and Apple that is capable of high transfer speeds and daisy-chaining. It is based off of the PCI Express and MiniDisplayPort technologies.
Questions tagged [thunderbolt]
273 questions
68
votes
4 answers
Speed comparison between USB 2.0, USB 3.0, eSATA, Firewire and Thunderbolt
Which external connection has the highest data throughput with respect to the headers used? I would appreciate a slowest to fastest list including USB 2.0, USB 3.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, eSATA and Thunderbolt considering bandwidth that is…
Moshe
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45
votes
5 answers
Is there a difference between "Thunderbolt" and "Mini DisplayPort" cables?
TB-to-TB cables seems to be more expensive than mDP-to-mDP cables.
Is there any actual difference besides the branding?
This is for use in connecting a MacBook Pro to a dock with multiple ports (USB 3.0, FireWire, Ethernet, Audio, etc.)
d0g
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42
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4 answers
how do I connect an Apple Thunderbolt display to a PC?
I have this Apple Thunderbolt display.
it works fine with my Macbook Pro. I also want to connect it to my Windows laptop via HDMI. I bought this converter, which converts the HDMI signal to DisplayPort. Everything plugs in just fine, but the display…
wes
- 531
37
votes
4 answers
Is it possible to connect two PCs via USB C?
I'm trying to connect a single PC with limited storage (Mini ITX) to a much bigger PC full tower that has a lot of hard drive storage. Both machines have USB-C on them so I was just wondering if I can just get a USB-C to USB-C cable to connect them…
Brian
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35
votes
2 answers
Can I connect a DisplayPort monitor to the Thunderbolt port on a Mac, and vice-versa?
Does anyone know if a monitor equipped with a DisplayPort (e.g. the Dell U2311h LCD screen) can be connected to the Thunderbolt port on a Mac?
I want to connect two of these LCDs (one via Thunderbolt, the other via HDMI) to my Mac Mini 2011 and am…
qqtime
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14
votes
1 answer
Is there any way I can test the capabilities of a USB-C cable, perhaps with an external device?
I have a USB-C cable that has absolutely no markings on it. I don't know where it came from, so I don't know what kind of cable it is. I think it's a Thunderbolt 3 cable, but I'm not sure. It doesn't have the characteristic lightning bolt icon on…
Bri Bri
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13
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2 answers
What can a program find out about a USB-C cable attached to the computer?
I plug an unknown USB-C cable into my computer.
Theoretically, could a program read information about that cable? In particular:
What version of USB it supports: 2.0, 3.1, etc.
Whether it supports Thunderbolt, etc.
Whether it supports Power…
Nicolas Raoul
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11
votes
1 answer
System doesn't detect hot-plugged display port(through thunderbolt connector)
My external display(connected to my laptop through thunderbolt) works fine if connected before boot-up. However, once it's unplugged or disconnected by any means, xrandr won't detect the reconnected monitor anymore.
I am running Arch Linux, using…
Chong
- 586
11
votes
1 answer
Do Thunderbolt-capable USB-C ports support all DisplayPort alternate modes as well?
The new Thunderbolt 3 connectivity standard uses USB Type-C plugs and cables. As per Intel's presentation (if I interpret slides 13-15 correctly), all Thunderbolt ports also support the DisplayPort alternate mode, so that at every Thunderbolt 3…
lxgr
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8
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2 answers
Why does USB 3.1 only use two of the four available data lines?
Looking at the specifications for USB-C, I notice that there are four SuperSpeed differential pairs for data transfer, as seen in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB-C#Specifications. The Wikipedia article also says that only two of these pairs are…
brendon-ai
- 195
8
votes
7 answers
How to check if my laptop is thunderbolt 3 enabled?
I just bought a recent ASUS laptop.
The seller clearly stated on its website that this laptop USB type-C connector was "thunderbolt 3" compatible.
Since, my USB connector doesn't have the usual little lightning logo, I'm having doubt that's this…
Fabien
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8
votes
4 answers
For what is the Thunderbolt AIC connector used?
What does "AIC" mean? What does the connector do? Is it like a USB pin header where you can connect for example your USB ports for your case? Or do you need something else?
Also there are expansion cards, but I don't know if you need the AIC…
testing
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7
votes
5 answers
How to connect two Dual-link-DVI displays to a Thunderbolt MacBook Pro
I want to connect two 2560x1440 displays to a summer 2012 MacBook Pro Retina (MBP from now on). The best way to do it would be to buy two Apple thunderbolt displays, which would connect
Display2 ← Thunderbolt ← Display1 ← Thunderbolt ←…
user13727
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7
votes
3 answers
Does G-Sync work through a docking station?
Assuming Thunderbolt 3 to the docking station and either Thunderbolt 3 or DisplayPort (1.2 or higher) to the display, does G-Sync pass through a docking station, or does the intermediary hardware prevent G-Sync from working?
dawsonc623
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7
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6 answers
Issues with Thunderbolt hotplugging and unplugging in Ubuntu Linux 15.10
I have a Dell Precision M3800 and an OWC Thunderbolt 2 Dock. They both work together beautifully and everything seems to just work.
I haven't tried the FireWire yet, but the Ethernet, USB3, DisplayPort and sound work great out of the box.
My system…
Amias
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