Up to date October 30, 2024: Apple has launched its first Macs to assist Thunderbolt 5. This text has been up to date to mirror this developmet.
In September of 2023, Intel introduced Thunderbolt 5, a brand new replace to the Thunderbolt specification that doubles the bi-directional bandwidth to 80 Gbps (Thunderbolt 4 helps as much as 40 Gbps). A characteristic referred to as “Bandwidth Increase” offers as much as 120 Gbps for video content material.
A couple of 12 months later, the Thunderbolt 5 has made its Mac debut within the new Mac mini and MacBook Professional fashions that embody the M4 Professional processor. Macs which have the common M4 processor nonetheless assist Thunderbolt 4.
The usual is constructed on USB4 V2, DisplayPort 2.1, and PCI Categorical Gen 4 and is absolutely appropriate with earlier Thunderbolt variations. The elevated efficiency is achieved utilizing a brand new signaling know-how referred to as “PAM-3” which ought to allow right now’s printed circuit boards and passive cables (as much as 1 meter) to attain this efficiency.
Intel
In comparison with Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 5 provides three primary advantages. First, it ensures double the bandwidth (80 Gbps) and might assist as much as 120 Gbps in a lift mode. Second, it helps a better variety of higher-resolution shows with larger refresh charges. And third, it mandates assist for larger energy supply—not less than 140W (TB4 required 100W energy supply) with assist for as much as 240W (TB4 might assist a max of 140W).
Apple consists of Thunderbolt 4 connectors on many Mac computer systems and the iPad Professional. The M4 Mac mini (with M4 Professional processor) and M4 MacBook Professional (with M4 Professional processor) are the primary Macs to assist Thunderbolt 5. Home windows laptops with Thunderbolt 5 began transport only a few months earlier, in the summertime of 2024.
Apple sells a 1-meter Thunderbolt 5 cable for $69/£69.