Maximum PC - USA (2019-06)

(Antfer) #1
BY CHRISTIAN GUYTON

When it comes to transferring data and power, choice of bus is king. The battle between
aging champion Universal Serial Bus and plucky new contender Thunderbolt has been
an exciting one to watch, and now we’re here to put it to bed—for a little while, at least.
USB might have had more time to integrate itself into as much technology as possible, but
Thunderbolt from Apple and Intel is hot on its heels, and both have their advantages and
failings. Which is truly superior, though? Let’s take a look....

Thunderbolt vs. USB


Performance
It’s hard to argue that USB can out-
perform Thunderbolt. Looking at the
most recent iterations of each (USB
3.2 and Thunderbolt 3), Thunderbolt
blows USB out of the water by offering
a super-fast 40Gb/s via two aggregated
bi-directional channels, in comparison
to USB 3.2’s 20Gb/s. USB’s 3.2 version
(confusingly referred to as 3.2 Gen 2x2)
still hasn’t reached proper market
penetration, though, so USB 3.1 and
3.0 are the current popular standards,
which only offer 10Gb/s and 5Gb/s
respectively. Some motherboards still
ship with USB 2.0 ports, which are only
capable of 480Mb/s. Thunderbolt 3 is
ideal for daisy-chaining devices, too,
but every device must be Thunderbolt-
compatible; adding a DisplayPort or
USB device ends the chain there.
Both current versions can feed DC
power both ways at the same maximum
rate: 100W for mains system power;
15W for device or peripheral charging
from a “master” system. These are
theoretical maximums—actual power
supply alters based on many factors,
such as available power or cable, and
connector quality and type. Power
supply doesn’t impact on data delivery
speeds in either format. While USB 4
might be on the horizon, promising
Thunderbolt 3-level speeds, right now
it’s a clear win for Thunderbolt.

Winner: Thunderbolt

Value
Our first showdown is easy: It’s USB,
without a doubt. Even the more recent
3.1 and 3.2 iterations aren’t much more
expensive than USB 3.0, affordable
both for manufacturers to implement
and for consumers to purchase—USB
drives and cables are almost ubiquitous
now, an open platform usable by just
about anyone. Thunderbolt, on the
other hand, was created as a joint
venture between Intel and Apple, and
still requires certification from Intel
for manufacturers to use. The initial
connection with Apple may have
harpooned Thunderbolt from the start,
if the tech giant’s pricey history with
its proprietary Lightning connectors is
anything to go on, anyway.
Both buses require purchase of
control chips for hardware developers,
but USB is cheaper, and doesn’t require
accreditation from Intel to implement.
While Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C use
the same connector model—meaning
that Thunderbolt 3 cables and devices
can connect to a computer with a USB
Type-C port—to ensure compatibility,
manufacturers must shell out to add
Thunderbolt tech to their hardware to
reach the higher speeds it offers. USB
might not be as powerful or flashy as
Thunderbolt, but when it comes to
examining consumer demand, it offers
greater satisfaction against cost.

Winner: USB

Versatility
USB is everywhere. It’s a staple of
modern tech, a well-established
standard. Thunderbolt 3 is a superset
of USB, but is far from seeing the same
widespread use. Part of this is due to
USB’s history. Seven companies—
including Intel and Microsoft—banded
together to create a new standardized
interface. As such, USB has
always been versatile and effective,
connecting everything from interactive
peripherals to speakers, monitors, and
drives. Thunderbolt is more purpose-
built; ideal for daisy-chaining monitors
or downloading data to external drives.
Flash drives with native Thunderbolt
interfaces are rare; drives that connect
via a Thunderbolt 3 cable are more
common, but expensive. Type A USB-
connector thumb drives are common,
with USB-C versions becoming more
popular. USB-C is compatible at full
speed with Thunderbolt 3 ports, while
the reverse is not the case.
Copper versus optical cabling was
an interesting debate in the early years
of Thunderbolt. All versions of USB
have used copper, limiting maximum
range to five meters. Thunderbolt 1
and 2 utilized optical cables to reach
maximum lengths of 60 meters, but
this functionality was discontinued
for Thunderbolt 3—although using
adapters, it can still be managed.

Winner: USB

ROUND 1 ROUND 2 ROUND 3


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