{"id":63862,"date":"2020-07-16T11:43:52","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T16:43:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=63862"},"modified":"2020-10-02T09:36:27","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T14:36:27","slug":"are-my-thunderbolt-3-products-obsolete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/63862-are-my-thunderbolt-3-products-obsolete\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Your Thunderbolt 3 Products Obsolete? Not So Fast…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Thunderbolt<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As we mentioned in an earlier Rocket Yard post, “Intel Introduces Thunderbolt 4: What Is It and Does It Matter?<\/a>” Intel released the specifications and expectations of Thunderbolt 4 last week. This has caused quite a stir, initiated a lot of conversation, and even created a bit of fear in those who are heavily invested in Thunderbolt 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many people are wondering if their Thunderbolt 3 devices will work with Thunderbolt 4 equipped computers, or if this is just another crazy ploy to get everyone to purchase all new gear. Spoiler Alert: I’m happy to report that you don’t have to do anything \u2013 all your TB3 equipment will work fine<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the USB-C port standardization, it’s not going to be like it was when we went from Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3. Remember how painful that was? If you’d like to relive that experience, then I am sorry to report that it won’t happen this time \u2013 TB4 is backward compatible<\/strong> with all your TB3 devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thunderbolt 3 vs. Thunderbolt 4<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let’s break it all out and answer a few specific questions you may have about your Thunderbolt gear and if it will play nice in the Thunderbolt 4 sandbox…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will my Thunderbolt 3 products benefit from Thunderbolt 4?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The short answer is “maybe,” because it depends entirely on the device. There are two important things to keep in mind regarding your Thunderbolt 3 products; speed and video support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Port Speed<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"USB-C<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There may be a speed benefit in that any TB3 device you currently have will work at its peak performance<\/strong> on a TB4 host if it isn’t already. For instance, if you have a TB3 device that can run at 40Gb\/s, but the TB3 port on your computer is only capable of 20Gb\/s, your device would be limited to the TB3 port speed. With TB4, 40Gb\/s is mandated on the host, so the rate your TB3 device achieves will increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is not really going to impact Mac users because Apple has (for the most part) always had 40Gb\/s TB3 ports. But it will be of great benefit to PC users. Not only do port speeds vary from computer to computer, but they are often not disclosed, making it difficult to know for sure what you are buying. Is it 40Gb\/s or 20Gb\/s? Does it support one or two displays? With Thunderbolt 4, you will always know what you are getting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video Requirements<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There may also be a benefit for certain products with the DisplayPort 1.4 requirement of Thunderbolt 4. As an example, let’s look at the OWC ThunderBay 4<\/a> and the OWC ThunderBay Flex 8<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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OWC ThunderBay Flex 8<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n