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Thunderbolt 4 Isn’t About Speed, So What’s the Big Deal?


Published: 11-2-2021


CAPTION: Intel

Thunderbolt 3, despite not featuring on that many systems, has been a revolution for external IO. Fast enough to allow for rapid SSD data transfer or external GPU use, there’s seemingly more bandwidth on offer than anyone knows what to do with. It seems the folks behind the standard agree since the speed remains the same. That doesn’t mean Thunderbolt 4 has nothing to offer! There are a few big differences you should know about.

PCIe Performance

External GPUs have been an amazing technology on Thunderbolt 3, allowing laptops to access powerful GPUs when docked, without hauling that bulk around on the go. Unfortunately, despite Thunderbolt 3’s 40Gbps of overall bandwidth, the PCIe bandwidth is limited to 16Gbps. That has lead to high-performance GPUs hitting a performance ceiling and soon mid-range cards will face the same issue. Thunderbolt 4 doubles the available bandwidth to 32Gbps, which promises much improved eGPU performance. Of course, all PCIe over Thunderbolt devices will benefit, including hyperfast SSDs. USB 3.2 speeds remain the same at 10Gbps.

More Displays
Thunderbolt 3 only supports one external display, which limits multi-monitor docked setups, Thunderbolt 4 allows for two 4K monitors, a big boon for creative professionals.

Better Security

Thunderbolt 4 includes Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d). This helps ensure that only authorized users and software access devices or the computer itself over the Thunderbolt 4 connection. You can read more about how it works on Intel’s VT-d page.

Longer Cables

Thunderbolt 3 cables are limited to only one meter in length, or the speed starts to drop. This isn’t a huge problem, since Thunderbolt devices are designed to be daisy-chained. Still, most people would appreciate a little more distance from a PC and, for example, an external monitor. Thunderbolt 4 doubles the maximum cable length to two meters.

Wake From Sleep

Caption: Intel

Thunderbolt 4 now allows the computer to be awakened by a device attached to the dock. This is a surprisingly important feature since many people use a Thunderbolt 3 dock as the entire docking station. With Thunderbolt 4 you’ll no longer have to open up your laptop to wake it up.

USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 Unified

Thunderbolt 4 is fully compliant with USB4. By the way, USB4 is really written like that, with no space between “USB” and “4”! Anyway, if you plug a USB4 (or older) device into a Thunderbolt 4 port, it will work exactly as its supposed to. The reverse is not true, while every Thunderbolt 4 port is a USB4 port, USB4 ports are not Thunderbolt-compatible. So devices that are Thunderbolt-only won’t work in them.

Worth the Upgrade?

If you’re using a desktop system and have open PCIe slots, it may well be worth installing a Thunderbolt 4 expansion card. It will provide an instant boost to any PCIe peripherals you’re using and of course, you can now also add one additional monitor.

If you need to buy a new laptop or an entirely new motherboard, it’s probably not worth the improvements of Thunderbolt 4, but when you next have to buy a new computer it’s certainly worth picking one that offers Thunderbolt 4, which opens up access to much better PCIe peripherals and will also get you ready for the flood of USB4 devices on the horizon.





LIST OF COMPATIBLE WORKSTATIONS





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Titan C261 - 13th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Mobile Mini ITX Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores Titan C261 - 13th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Mobile Mini ITX Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores


A Mini ITX workstation might be small and portable, but that doesn’t mean you have to compromise where it really matters. The Titan C261 is equipped with the latest Intel Alder Lake CPUs and full-sized GPU options, which means you can smash professional computing workloads wherever you set up shop.





13th Gen Intel Core Compact / Portable Workstation Computer for:


CAD/CAM • Graphic Design • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation • Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Gaming

Starting Price: $1,550.00
Titan C361 - 14th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Portable Mini ITX Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores Titan C361 - 14th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Portable Mini ITX Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores


Say hello to the Titan C361 - a powerhouse workstation engineered for professionals in CAD/CAM, 3D rendering, and intensive computing tasks at an even more impressive price. Take it anywhere with you!






14th Gen Intel Core Compact / Portable Workstation Computer for:

CAD/CAM • Graphic Design • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation
• Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Gaming

Starting Price: $1,645.00
Titan C161 - 11th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Compact Workstation PC for CAD Design up to 10 CPU Cores Titan C161 - 11th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Compact Workstation PC for CAD Design up to 10 CPU Cores


Workstation laptops aren’t the only way to take massive computing power with you on the road (or to the next room). Featuring the brilliant portable Lian Li TU150A case, the Titan C161 lets you take the performance to where it’s needed most.






11th Gen Intel Core Compact / Portable Workstation Computer for:

CAD/CAM • Graphic Design • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation • Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Gaming

Starting Price: $1,795.00
Titan C200 - AMD RYZEN 5000 Series Compact Workstation PC up to 16 cores - up to 16 cores & 32 threads Titan C200 - AMD RYZEN 5000 Series Processors Compact Workstation PC - up to 16 cores


AMD’s latest Ryzen CPUs pack more cores in a smaller space than ever, so why not pack those cores into a smaller case than ever? We’ve taken the amazing portable Lian Li TU150A case and equipped it with as many as 16 cores (six as standard) so you’ll never run out of threads no matter where you are.





AMD RYZEN 5000 Series Compact / Portable Workstation Computer for:

CAD/CAM • Graphic Design • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation • Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Gaming

Starting Price: $1,899.00
Titan W161 - 11th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Workstation PC for CAD Modeling up to 16 CPU cores Titan W161 - 11th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Workstation PC for CAD Modeling up to 16 CPU cores


With its sporty twin-fan front intake and clean sports car lines, you’d be forgiven for thinking that our W161 is another hotrod PC meant for entertainment. The truth is this one of our most balanced workstations aimed at accelerating the workflow of CAD/CAM professionals while providing enough multi-core power to remain flexible. Sporting the latest Intel Comet Lake i9 technology, the W161 is a sign that your CAD workstations need an upgrade.






11th Gen Intel Core Compact ATX Workstation Computer for:

CAD/CAM • Graphic Design • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation • Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Gaming

Starting Price: $1,995.00
Titan S261 - 13th Gen Intel Core Series Processors 4U Rackmount Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores Titan S261 - 13th Gen Intel Core Series Processors 4U Rackmount Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores


Designing a server for CAD/CAM users is always a challenge. These workloads benefit from fast single-core performance, but having many cores speeds up CPU-based final rendering. Use a CPU with too many cores, and the minute-to-minute design experience can suffer thanks to low single-core performance.





4U Rackmount Workstation / Server Computer for:

Design & Visualization • Data Analysis • AI / Deep Learning Computing • Media / Video Streaming • Cloud Gaming • Animation and Modeling • Design & Visualization • 3D Rendering • Diagnostic Imaging • Machine Learning

Starting Price: $2,120.00
Titan S361 - 14th Gen Intel Core Series Processors 4U Rackmount Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores Titan S361 - 14th Gen Intel Core Series Processors 4U Rackmount Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores


Meet the Titan S361, a 4U Rackmount Workstation PC designed for the most demanding CAD/CAM applications, when you want to work from anywhere and still get things done.





4U Rackmount Workstation / Server Computer for:

CAD/CAM • Design & Visualization • Data Analysis • AI / Deep Learning Computing • Media / Video Streaming • Cloud Gaming • Animation and Modeling • Design & Visualization • 3D Rendering • Diagnostic Imaging • Machine Learning

Starting Price: $2,120.00
Titan W261 - 13th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores Titan W261 - 13th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores


Dynamite may come in small packages, but the Titan W261 is more like a brick of C4 ready to blow a hole through your workload. With the latest Alder Lake 13th-generation Intel CPU technology, you can crunch the big numbers in the background while getting on with writing those reports (or watching YouTube) in the foreground.





13th Gen Intel Core Compact ATX Workstation Computer for:

Rendering • CAD/CAM • Graphic Design • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation • Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Gaming

Starting Price: $2,145.00
Titan W361 - 14th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores Titan W361 - 14th Gen Intel Core Series Processors Workstation PC for CAD/CAM up to 24 CPU Cores


Embark on a journey of unrivaled performance with the Titan W361, a workstation that epitomizes power and precision. At its core lies the 14th Generation Raptor Lake processors, offering up to 24 cores to breeze through complex computations and multi-threaded applications. Choose between Intel Core i5, i7, or i9 to match your need for speed and efficiency.





14th Gen Intel Core Compact ATX Workstation Computer for:

Engineering • 3D Rendering • CAD/CAM • Graphic Design • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation • Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Gaming

Starting Price: $2,245.00
Titan W480 - Intel Xeon W-1300 Series Processors Workstation PC for CAD 3D Design up to 8 CPU Cores Titan W480 - Intel Xeon W-1300 Series Processors Workstation PC for CAD 3D Design up to 8 CPU Cores


The W480 offers potent multi-threaded performance and lightning-fast dual-Thunderbolt 3 external peripheral support. Making it an affordable way to access hot-swappable high-speed external storage. So whether you’re working through multiple CAD projects or need a hot-swappable editing workstation, the W480 offers an amazing platform to get the job done.





Intel Xeon W-1300 Series Processors Workstation Computer for:

CAD/CAM • Graphic Design • 3D Modeling • CGI • Computer Animation • Video Editing • Design & Visualization • Gaming

Starting Price: $2,279.00
   
 
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