Demystifying Thunderbolt™ 3

What is Thunderbolt 3?

Thunderbolt 3 technology is currently the fastest, most versatile protocol on the market capable of high-speed transfers 8x faster than USB 3.0, connecting multiple displays/monitors and daisychaining storage devices through a single Thunderbolt 3 port.

One Port To Do It All

Connector
Thunderbolt 3 uses the versatile USB-C™ connector - it doesn't matter which end you connect to your PC - making connecting easy.

Performance
Thunderbolt 3 delivers transfer speeds of up to 40Gb/s with a portion of the bandwidth reserved for video transmission like dual 5K monitors. That still leaves ample bandwidth for access from storage devices, and other peripherals.

Daisy Chaining
Daisy chain up to 6 devices through a single Thunderbolt 3 port (ex. storage + network + monitor + power), leaving other ports available for additional peripheral devices.

Single-Cable Versatility
A single Thunderbolt 3 cable can be used for high-speed data transfers or supply up 100W of power.

Better Bus Power
Thunderbolt 3 delivers up to 15W of power for connected bus-powered devices. This is required for high-performance NVMe SSDs like our G-DRIVE PRO SSD.

Browse Thunderbolt 3 Products

How Thunderbolt 3 is Different from Others?

Protocol	Thunderbolt 3	USB 3.2	Thunderbolt 2
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	Mini DisplayPort
Performance	Up to 40Gb/s¹	Up to 20Gb/s¹	Up to 20Gb/s¹
Daisy Chaining	Up to 6 devices	-	Up to 6 devices
USB Power Delivery	Yes	Yes	-
Bus Power for Connected Devices	Up to 15W	Up to 7.5W	Up to 10W

Aaron Lieber

Cinematographer

Aaron, is an award-winning surf cinematographer and filmmaker based in Oceanside, California. He works with the world’s best athletes including John John Florence, Kolohe Andino, Mick Fanning, Bethany Hamilton, Rob Machado, Carissa Moore, and Alana Blanchard.

The speed and reliability of Thunderbolt™ 3

With ever-evloving media storage requirement, Aaron relies on the speed of Thunderbolt (TM) 3 to complete his projects quickly. Staying ahead of the technology curve is critical for Aaron’s work, where fast transfers and effective data management can save thousands of dollars in his shoots.