Jump to content


Please note: You can easily log in to MPN using your Facebook account!

OT: USB4 will converge Thunderbolt 3 and USB protocols


Recommended Posts

' USB4 converges the Thunderbolt and USB protocols as part of Intel's goal to make Thunderbolt available on a royalty-free basis, which should result in wider and cheaper availability of Thunderbolt accessories like docks and eGPUs.'

 

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190304005215/en/USB-Promoter-Group-Announces-USB4-Specification

 

' As USB4 is based on Thunderbolt 3, it offers data transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps, which is twice as fast as the bandwidth of the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 specification. USB4's underlying Thunderbolt 3 protocol also means the specification supports up to two 4K displays or one 5K display over a single cable.

 

The simplest way to view USB4 is as Thunderbolt 3, but royalty free for manufacturers. Intel will continue to offer Thunderbolt 3 on a standalone basis with a few advantages over USB4, including more support with reference designs and technical issues for manufacturers, according to The Verge.

 

USB4 will use the USB-C connector design and will be backwards compatible with USB 3.2 and USB 2.0 specifications.

 

The USB4 specification is on track to be published around the middle of 2019. Over 50 companies are actively participating in the final stages of review of the draft specification, which should include Apple, Intel, and Microsoft, but it might take a few years until the first USB4 devices are released.'

 

This is old news but was news to me.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Replies 5
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

I knew it was coming but often the final form isn't known until it is.

So thanks for posting!

 

I am in Thunderbolt 2 world now and will stay there for as long as I can. HUGE improvement over Firewire 800, USB 2 and 3 are not in the same league at all.

 

Someday, I will be forced/able to switch. On the cutting edge there is pain, by the time I get there it should be pretty well worked out.

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I

I am in Thunderbolt 2 world now and will stay there for as long as I can. HUGE improvement over Firewire 800, USB 2 and 3 are not in the same league at all.

 

True Thunderbolt is PCIe and connected directly to the processor, bypassing mainboard´s "chipset" (PCH / southbridge),- at least on PC.

It always had and has higher priority than any USB for data transfers.

 

Actually, any combined Thunderbolt/ USB3 connections aren´t true Thunderbolt and run thru the chipset,- they are true USB instead and consequently not that good for true realtime performance hardware.

So I fear, when USB4 appears, we´ll see that in most laptops sooner or later and only a few manufacturers will use the (above so called) "standalone" Thunderbolt version for hi-end products offering true realtime performance still.

 

A.C.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I

I am in Thunderbolt 2 world now and will stay there for as long as I can. HUGE improvement over Firewire 800, USB 2 and 3 are not in the same league at all.

 

True Thunderbolt is PCIe and connected directly to the processor, bypassing mainboard´s "chipset" (PCH / southbridge),- at least on PC.

It always had and has higher priority than any USB for data transfers.

 

Actually, any combined Thunderbolt/ USB3 connections aren´t true Thunderbolt and run thru the chipset,- they are true USB instead and consequently not that good for true realtime performance hardware.

So I fear, when USB4 appears, we´ll see that in most laptops sooner or later and only a few manufacturers will use the (above so called) "standalone" Thunderbolt version for hi-end products offering true realtime performance still.

 

A.C.

 

So the latest and greatest could be "better" yet worse? Ugh...

It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I

I am in Thunderbolt 2 world now and will stay there for as long as I can. HUGE improvement over Firewire 800, USB 2 and 3 are not in the same league at all.

 

True Thunderbolt is PCIe and connected directly to the processor, bypassing mainboard´s "chipset" (PCH / southbridge),- at least on PC.

It always had and has higher priority than any USB for data transfers.

 

Actually, any combined Thunderbolt/ USB3 connections aren´t true Thunderbolt and run thru the chipset,- they are true USB instead and consequently not that good for true realtime performance hardware.

So I fear, when USB4 appears, we´ll see that in most laptops sooner or later and only a few manufacturers will use the (above so called) "standalone" Thunderbolt version for hi-end products offering true realtime performance still.

 

A.C.

 

So the latest and greatest could be "better" yet worse? Ugh...

 

Insert standard head-shaking screed about how pro audio users are a vanishingly small percentage of the user base the builders, ESPECIALLY of laptops, are trying to hit.

Dr. Mike Metlay (PhD in nuclear physics, golly gosh) :D

Musician, Author, Editor, Educator, Impresario, Online Radio Guy, Cut-Rate Polymath, and Kindly Pedant

Editor-in-Chief, Bjooks ~ Author of SYNTH GEMS 1

 

clicky!:  more about me ~ my radio station (and my fam) ~ my local tribe ~ my day job ~ my bookmy music

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More reading...

 

Benefits:

 

'The new USB 4 standard will have three main benefits over prior versions of USB.

 

40 Gbps Maximum Speed: By using two-lane cables, some devices will be able to operate at up to 40 Gbps, the same speed as Thunderbolt 3.

 

Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 devices: Some, but not necessarily all USB 4 implementations will also work with Thunderbolt 3 devices.

 

Better Resource Allocation for Video: If you"re using a USB 4 port to transport both video and data at the same time, the port will allocate bandwidth accordingly. So, if the video only needs 20 percent of the bandwidth to drive your 1080p monitor that"s also a hub, the other 80 percent will be free for transferring files from your external SSD.

 

...don"t expect to see devices with USB 4 until at least late 2020, but more likely 2021 and beyond.'

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...