TWO NEXT GENERATION INTERFACES
Both USB 3.2 and Thunderbolt™ 3 offer a greater level of flexibility and performance compared to the iterations that came before them, but what are the major differences?
| USB 3.1 | This version of USB offers performance up to 5Gb/s and is ideal for connecting to various USB accessories that don’t require fast performance. |
| USB 3.2 | This version of USB offers performance up to 5Gb/s and is ideal for connecting to various USB accessories that don’t require fast performance. |
| Thunderbolt™ 3 | Thunderbolt™ has doubled from 20Gb/s to 40Gb/s and incorporated 100W power delivery. This extra bandwidth is ideal for people who need maximum performance from their devices without any compromises. |
Displays
One of the biggest new features is the ability to connect a display to a USB Type-C port. It was not capable of powering a display and was predominantly used for storage devices and accessories.
Thunderbolt™ 3 now has the ability to support up to two streams of DisplayPort 1.2 video bandwidth. It can be two 4K@60Hz monitors simultaneously or one 5K@60Hz. Previous generations of Thunderbolt™ only allowed users the ability to support one 4K@60Hz monitor or up to two 4K@30Hz monitors in the entire Thunderbolt™ daisy chain. Thunderbolt™ 3 provides professional users with a simple way of connecting two displays thanks to the 40Gb/s throughput.
Storage
| RAID | Thunderbolt™ 3 takes the potential performance of ultra-fast hard drives such as SSDs and allows them to shine. The 40Gb/s throughput allows for unbelievable performance. The CalDigit T4 RAID with SSDs can reach speeds of 1370MB/s making it an ideal storage device for applications that require fast storage. Thunderbolt™ 3 also allows the T4 RAID to offer DisplayPort for adding a 4K monitor and provides 85W power delivery for charging a laptop. |
| DESKTOP | The latest USB 3.2 technology allows desktop storage devices to advance their functionality and reach new limits. The AV Pro 2 not only offers storage, but it will also charge a laptop up to 30W, and provides two USB 3.2 ports for connecting extra devices to your laptop. |
| PORTABLE | USB 3.2 is the best interface for a portable drive and the tuff nano’s universal connectivity options allow the device to be used on virtually any computer. The Type-C connectivity allows the tuff nano to be used on Thunderbolt™ 3, USB-C and USB-A computers. The 10Gb/s throughput is more than enough bandwidth for a single-drive storage solution. |
POWERING COMPUTERS
USB 3.2 and Thunderbolt™ 3 provide up to 100W of power. This allows expansion docks like the CalDigit USB-C Pro Dock the ability to power and charge the computer it is connected to.
NETWORKING
One feature only available on Thunderbolt™ 3 is peer-to-peer networking at 10 GbE speeds in order to transfer files and to even share storage.
EXTERNAL GRAPHICS
Thunderbolt™ 3’s 40Gb/s throughput is so powerful that users can even connect external graphics cards to their laptops in order to achieve faster graphical performance for their older laptops.
DAISY-CHAIN
As with previous generations of Thunderbolt™ users can daisy-chain up to 6 devices to a Thunderbolt™ 3 daisy-chain.
WORKING TOGETHER
USB-C cables can be shared between USB 3.2 Type-C and Thunderbolt™ 3 computers. However, if you are using a Thunderbolt™ 3 device on a Thunderbolt™ 3 computer you must use a Thunderbolt™ USB-C cable in order to utilize the full 40Gb/s throughput.
In order to tell if a USB-C cable is a Thunderbolt™ cable, there will be a Thunderbolt™ logo on the cable. If a USB-C cable does not have a Thunderbolt™ logo it will be a regular USB Type-C cable.
| USB 3.2 Device | Thunderbolt™ 3 Device | Thunderbolt™ 2 Device | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max. Throughput | 10Gb/s (Gen2) | 40Gb/s | 20Gb/s |
| Support 4K@60Hz Display | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Connect 5K@60Hz Display | ✗ | ✔ | ✗ |
| Power Laptop | ✔ | ✔ | ✗ |
| Compatible w/ USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen1/Gen2) Computer | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Compatible w/ Type-A (USB2.0/3.0) Computer | ✔ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Compatible w/ Thunderbolt™ 1 & 2 Computer | ✗ | Yes. With the use of an Adapter | ✔ |
| Compatible w Thunderbolt™ 3 Computer | ✗ | ✔ | Yes. With the use of an Adapter |
| Daisy-Chain | ✗ | Yes (6 Devices) | Yes (6 Devices) |
| Expandability | Through USB Hub | Daisy-Chian up to 6x TBT3 devices or ends with USB device | Daisy-Chain up to 6x TBT 1/2 devices |
| 10 GbE Networking | ✗ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Ideal For | Bus-Powered Storage, Docking Stations, Charging Computers, Flexibility PCIe SSD | 4K / 5K / 8K Workflows, RAID Storage, Daisy-Chaining, Networking, Docking Stations, PCIe SSD, Gaming | 4K Workflows, RAID Storage, Daisy-Chaining, Networking, Docking Stations, PCIe SSD |
