Thunderbolt 5 vs Thunderbolt 4: Learn the Key Differences in 10 Seconds

LaptopMedia.com Highlights Thunderbolt 5 vs Thunderbolt 4: Learn the Key Differences in 10 Seconds

From: Simeon Nikolov 31 October 2024 / 11:55 | 0

Thunderbolt 5 is the successor to the widely-used Thunderbolt 4, commonly found in high-end computers, offering speeds up to 80 Gbps for data, and 120 Gbps for display output – three times the maximum bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps).

Thunderbolt 5 supports dual 8K displays at 60 Hz or three 4K displays at 144 Hz vs up to two 4K@60Hz monitors for Thunderbolt 4.

Thunderbolt 5 increases maximum power delivery from 100 W to up to 240 W, so you can use it for charging powerful laptops.

Here’s a quick comparison table:

Feature	Thunderbolt 4	Thunderbolt 5
Bidirectional Bandwidth	40 Gbps	80 Gbps
Bandwidth Boost	N/A	Up to 120 Gbps
Display Support	Two 4K displays at 60 Hz One 8K display	Two 8K displays at 60 Hz Three 4K displays at 144 Hz
PCI Express Data Throughput	32 Gbps (PCIe Gen 3 x4)	64 Gbps (PCIe Gen 4 x4)
Power Delivery	Up to 100 W	Up to 240 W
Supported Cable Length	Passive cables up to 0.8 m	Passive cables up to 1 m (via PAM-3)
DisplayPort Support	DisplayPort 1.4	DisplayPort 2.1
Backward Compatibility	Thunderbolt 3, USB, DisplayPort	Thunderbolt 3 & 4, USB, DisplayPort