Staying informed about the latest connectivity standards is crucial for maximizing your devices' performance and your productivity. With various options like USB-A, USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and the newly introduced Thunderbolt 5, understanding their differences can help you make the best choices for your tech setup. In this post, we’ll break down the key features, speeds, and capabilities of these connectivity standards to help navigate the ever complicated world of USB connectivity.

USB-A (USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2)

> USB 3.1 Gen 1:

• Speed: Up to 5 Gbps

• Backward Compatibility: Yes, with USB 2.0 and 1.1

• Power Delivery: Up to 900mA at 5V (4.5W)

• Connector Type: Standard USB-A

> USB 3.1 Gen 2:

• Speed: Up to 10 Gbps

• Backward Compatibility: Yes, with USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and 1.1

• Power Delivery: Up to 900mA at 5V (4.5W), but can support higher power delivery with USB Power Delivery (USB PD) specifications

• Connector Type: Standard USB-A

USB-C

• Speed: Supports USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) and USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)

• Backward Compatibility: Yes, with proper adapters for USB-A

• Power Delivery: Supports USB Power Delivery, allowing up to 100W (20V, 5A) for charging and power

• Connector Type: Reversible USB-C connector, more compact than USB-A

• Additional Features: Supports alternate modes such as DisplayPort and HDMI

Thunderbolt 3

• Speed: Up to 40 Gbps

• Backward Compatibility: Yes, with USB-C, USB 3.1, and USB 2.0

• Power Delivery: Up to 100W for charging devices

• Connector Type: Uses USB-C connector

•Additional Features: Supports PCI Express (PCIe) and DisplayPort protocols, allows daisy-chaining of up to six devices, supports dual 4K displays or a single 5K display

Thunderbolt 4

• Speed: Up to 40 Gbps

• Backward Compatibility: Yes, with USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1, and USB 2.0

• Power Delivery: Up to 100W for charging devices

• Connector Type: Uses USB-C connector

•Additional Features: More stringent requirements than Thunderbolt 3, including support for dual 4K displays or a single 8K display, mandatory PCIe data rate of 32 Gbps, and support for docks with up to four Thunderbolt 4 ports

USB 4

• Speed: Up to 40 Gbps

• Backward Compatibility: Yes, with USB-C, USB 3.2, USB 2.0, and Thunderbolt 3

• Power Delivery: Up to 100W for charging devices

• Connector Type: Uses USB-C connector

•Additional Features: Integrates Thunderbolt 3 protocol, offers improved bandwidth allocation for video and data, supports multiple data and display protocols for better performance

Thunderbolt 5

• Speed: Up to 80 Gbps

• Backward Compatibility: Yes, with Thunderbolt 3 and 4, USB 4, USB-C, USB 3.2, USB 2.0

• Power Delivery: Up to 240W for charging devices

• Connector Type: Uses USB-C connector

• Additional Features: Enhanced bandwidth and performance, supports dual 8K displays or multiple 4K displays, improved power efficiency, better support for external GPUs and high-performance peripherals

Comparison Chart

Specification Speed Power Delivery Connector Type Additional Features
USB 3.1 Gen 1 Up to 5 Gbps Up to 4.5W USB-A Backward compatible with USB 2.0/1.1
USB 3.1 Gen 2 Up to 10 Gbps Up to 4.5W+ USB-A Backward compatible with USB 3.0/2.0/1.1
USB-C Up to 10 Gbps Up to 100W USB-C Reversible connector, supports alt modes like DP and HDMI
Thunderbolt 3 Up to 40 Gbps Up to 100W USB-C PCIe, DisplayPort, daisy-chaining, dual 4K or single 5K display
Thunderbolt 4 Up to 40 Gbps Up to 100W USB-C Dual 4K or single 8K display, PCIe 32 Gbps, up to 4 TB4 ports
USB 4 Up to 40 Gbps Up to 100W USB-C Integrates TB3, improved video/data bandwidth allocation
Thunderbolt 5 Up to 80 Gbps Up to 100W USB-C Dual 8K or multiple 4K displays, better support for high-performance peripherals

Choosing the correct connectivity standard for your needs as technology advances becomes increasingly essential. Whether you’re seeking high-speed data transfer, robust power delivery, or seamless compatibility with multiple devices, understanding the distinctions between USB-A, USB-C, Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and Thunderbolt 5 will empower you to make informed decisions.

Questions?

Connect with our North American based support team at support@plugable.com.

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Thunderbolt, Thunderbolt™ 3, Thunderbolt™ 4, USB, USB 3.1, USB-C, USB4

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