Thunderbolt Adapters

Thunderbolt adapter - Connect various Thunderbolt devices

People who have used it often find satisfaction in Thunderbolt, as the products boast a seamless connection of compatible devices.

To get the maximum value out of it, you simply need to find the best Thunderbolt cables and -adapters that fit your personal needs.

The clear point here is that compatibility is something you need to think through carefully before you spend any money on purchasing anything.

Based on the wide practical application of Thunderbolt, many cable brands now make good products to meet the demand in the market.

Depending on your preferences, you can use a single connection port to enjoy the seamless connection of multiple devices or peripherals when you want.

As Thunderbolt adapters become more common in laptops, a Thunderbolt docking station becomes a necessary accessory.

Think of a Thunderbolt docking station as a more powerful alternative to a USB-C hub, adding I/O ports for mice, keyboards, external drives, SD cards and, most importantly, monitors.

It can even charge your laptop and smartphone.

As laptops get slimmer, laptop manufacturers are removing older ports and replacing them with a utilitarian USB-C/Thunderbolt port instead.

It may seem unfair, but it also allows you to choose exactly what you need.

Both solutions use the same physical USB-C port on your laptop.

Cheaper USB-C dongles only deliver 10 Gbps bandwidth, enough to connect to a single external 4K monitor at a noticeable 30Hz, plus a couple of other external devices.

Thunderbolt adapters and docks offer 40 Gbps bandwidth, enough for two 4K monitors at pleasant 60Hz plus many external devices.

You can also use Thunderbolt 3 to drive an external GPU for your PC.

There is also nothing stopping you from adding a USB-C hub to a Thunderbolt docking station.

3 things you should know when looking at Thunderbolt adapters

Consider basically what you want to connect to the dock as a guide for purchasing one.

Many prefer devices with built-in adapters (such as HDMI, USB-A and so on), as the USB-C device ecosystem is still in its infancy.

Do you want a basic Thunderbolt docking station with just a couple of HDMI adapters to connect two monitors?

Does an SD card slot matter? How many USB Type A peripherals do you plan to connect?

Will you also use the Thunderbolt cable to charge your laptop?

Cables can also be an unexpectedly important consideration.

Almost every dock comes with a Thunderbolt cable.

But consider the monitors you own (typically HDMI or DisplayPort), and consider whether the dock will accommodate them.

The real confusion sets in because Thunderbolt has always shared its connector with another, already existing technology, leading to misidentification and incompatibility.

#1 - Thunderbolt adapters' speeds

Most USB-C adapters are built on the second-generation USB 3.1 standard, which transfers data at 10 Gbps.

Most Thunderbolt 3 adapters, the most common standard, transfer data at up to 40 Gbps.

Thunderbolt 4 differs slightly in that it supports a theoretical maximum of 32 Gbps when it comes to data transfers, specifically for external storage devices.

There are a few rare exceptions:

A new USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 spec can pair two 10 Gbps channels together, creating a total 20 Gbps hub.

And while the vast majority of Thunderbolt 3-equipped laptops are designed with four PCIe lanes for a total of 40 Gbps, some laptops only come with two PCIe lanes for a total of 20 Gbps.

Basically, a 20 Gbps connection should be enough for a single 4K monitor running at 60Hz, with a little extra bandwidth for other data transfers between connected peripherals.

#2 - The difference between Thunderbolt's various adapters

Think of Thunderbolt 4 as the more restrictive version of Thunderbolt 3, with little room for any gotchas.

Basically, Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 allow up to 40 Gbps maximum bandwidth, enough for two 4K/60 monitors.

“Up to” is the key phrase: Thunderbolt 3 is only required to support a 10 Gbps connection, allowing for a single external 4K monitor (a 16 Gbps PCIe connection, paired with USB 3.2).

Most manufacturers, however, go beyond this, and many recommended adapters support the full specification unless otherwise stated.

Thunderbolt 3 also supports a slower (16 Gbps) PCIe connection for connecting to external storage.

Unless you are editing video or using an external GPU, this probably doesn’t matter.

#3 - How to identify Thunderbolt inputs in computers/other devices

The short answer: Check your device's published specifications to be sure.

A Thunderbolt port may not seem to differ from a USB-C port, as they both use the same physical USB-C connection.

In other words, all Thunderbolt adapters are USB-C, but not all USB-C ports are Thunderbolt-equipped.

Thunderbolt ports are expected to have a small lightning icon to identify them.

But some laptop manufacturers use a similar lightning icon to indicate that a USB-C port can be used to charge your phone and not for Thunderbolt.

To add to the confusion, you may also see USB-C hubs marketed as “Thunderbolt-compatible.”

You can often connect a Thunderbolt adapter to a non-Thunderbolt, generic USB-C port.

But it will be limited by the available bandwidth that the port provides, so it's somewhat misleading in that regard.