Thunderbolt 3 combines PCI Express and DisplayPort into two serial signals, and additionally provides DC power, all in one cable.
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13 Facts About Thunderbolt 3
1.
2.
Thunderbolt 3 can be implemented on PCIe graphics cards, which have access to DisplayPort data and PCIe connectivity, or on the motherboard of new computers with onboard video, such as the MacBook Air.
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3.
Thunderbolt 3 was commercially introduced on Apple's 2011 MacBook Pro, using the same Apple-developed connector as Mini DisplayPort.
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4.
The main visible difference on Thunderbolt 3-equipped Macs is a Thunderbolt 3 symbol next to the port.
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5.
In July 2011, Sony released its Vaio Z21 line of notebook computers that had a "Power Media Dock" that uses optical Thunderbolt 3 to connect to an external graphics card using a combination port that behaves like USB electrically, but that includes the optical interconnect required for Thunderbolt 3.
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6.
In June 2013, Intel announced that the next version of Thunderbolt 3, based on the controller code-named "Falcon Ridge", is officially named "Thunderbolt 3 2" and entered production in 2013.
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7.
Thunderbolt 3 has up to 15 watts of power delivery on copper cables and no power delivery capability on optical cables.
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8.
Thunderbolt 3 allows backwards compatibility with the first two versions by the use of adapters or transitional cables.
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9.
Devices with Thunderbolt 3 ports began shipping at the beginning of December 2015, including notebooks running Microsoft Windows, as well as motherboards, and a 0.
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10.
On 24 May 2017, Intel announced that Thunderbolt 3 would become a royalty-free standard to OEMs and chip manufacturers in 2018, as part of an effort to boost the adoption of the protocol.
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11.
The Thunderbolt 3 specification was later released to the USB-IF on 4 March 2019, making it royalty-free, to be used to form USB4.
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12.
Backwards compatibility with non-Thunderbolt 3-equipped computers was a problem, as most storage devices featured only two Thunderbolt 3 ports, for daisy-chaining up to six devices from each one.
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13.
Thunderbolt 3 was introduced in late 2015, with several motherboard manufacturers and OEM laptop manufacturers including Thunderbolt 3 with their products.
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