Thunderbolt 5 products utilizing the ultra-speed connectivity standard are now out, nearly one year after the standard was formally introduced. The world’s first Thunderbolt 5 cable comes from Cable Matters, which not only offers the complete 120 Gbps raw video bandwidth but also comes in 1ft, 1.6ft, and 3.3ft.
Cable Matters Thunderbolt 5 Cable
The cable made by Lintes Technology is now available from Cable Matters’ Amazon shop. Depending on length, 1ft costs $22.99, 1.6ft costs $26.99, and 3.3ft costs $32.99. Since it is a single standard, the cable supports all Thunderbolt 5 functionalities, such as up to 240W power delivery, Thunderbolt 4, and Thunderbolt 3 Type-C ports that are compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and Thunderbolt 3, as well as USB 4 and USB Type-C connectors. It also offers 120 Gbps maximum video bandwidth in bandwidth boost mode and up to 80 Gbps bi-directional bandwidth.
The most recent version of the Thunderbolt standard, Thunderbolt 5 was unveiled as the most sophisticated consumer-based connectivity standard last year. Thunderbolt 5 is constructed on the standard of USB 4 Version 2.0 and includes all of those features, as well as the exclusive-to-Thunderbolt bandwidth boost mode.
This configures three of these four 40 Gbps lanes in transmit mode, providing over the 80 Gbps limit assigned for all USB 4 V2.0 applications, with a total of 120 Gbps particularly for displays. Thunderbolt 5 can thus support numerous 8K displays, ranging up to 4K at 540Hz or 8K at 120Hz, surpassing DisplayPort 2.1 by 50% in bandwidth.
Additionally, Thunderbolt 5 utilizes PCIe Gen 4 for the first time, offering up to 64Gbps of bandwidth tailored for data-intensive PCIe devices like SSDs and external graphics cards (eGPU docks).
While Cable Matters leads with the first Thunderbolt 5 cable, there are currently no Thunderbolt 5-enabled products on the market. Anticipated releases for Thunderbolt 5 PCIe cards, docking stations, and other devices are expected in late 2024 or 2025, with no announcements at Computex 2024 indicating immediate availability.
FAQs
What is special about the Cable Matters Thunderbolt 5 cable?
The Cable Matters Thunderbolt 5 cable offers 80Gbps of bandwidth, supporting Thunderbolt 5’s capabilities such as high-speed data transfer and power delivery.
When will Thunderbolt 5 devices be available for purchase?
While the Thunderbolt 5 cable is now available, Thunderbolt 5-enabled devices such as PCIe cards and docking stations are expected to debut by late 2024 or 2025.
