Thunderbolt v3 Expansion & Connectivity Options
Article ID = 174Article Title = Thunderbolt v3 Expansion & Connectivity Options
Article Author(s) = Graham Needham (BH)
Article Created On = 19th October 2016
Article Last Updated = 19th October 2016
Article URL = https://www.macstrategy.com/article.php?174
Article Brief Description:
An list of Thunderbolt v3 expansion and connectivity options/products
Thunderbolt v3 Expansion & Connectivity Options
Thunderbolt (codenamed Light Peak) is an interface technology developed by Intel and adopted by Apple in 2011. Modern Apple Mac computers now only have Thunderbolt/USB-C ports with MagSafe, Ethernet, DisplayPort, HDMI, standard USB and FireWire ports having been dropped altogether. The newest Mac models with Thunderbolt 3 have limited internal expansion capabilities too so this article has a list of some of the best external Thunderbolt adapters and expansion options available. We'll regularly update the article with up-to-date product information so please do check back.Thunderbolt cables are available as copper or optical and Thunderbolt carries PCI Express (PCIe) and DisplayPort (DP) as one signal alongside electrical power, transmitted over one cable. Up to six peripherals can be supported by one connector through various topologies as long as the expansion device has a Thunderbolt connector on it itself otherwise the device becomes the "end of the line".
There are currently three versions of Thunderbolt:
- v3 - up to 40Gbit/s - supports 2x4K monitors and up to 100W power (launched 2nd June 2015 with USB-C connector)
- v2 - up to 20Gbit/s - supports 1x4K monitor (launched 2013)
- v1 - up to 10Gbit/s (launched 2011)
Q. Which Mac do I have?
A. You can check "Processor", "Memory" and macOS/OS X/Mac OS X "Version" by going to Apple menu > About This Mac > Overview tab if necessary (hint - clicking on the version number will give you the "build" number).A. To check your Mac's "Model Name" go to Apple menu > About This Mac > Overview tab if necessary > check for the computer name in the top line e.g. "MacBook Pro" (this can only be checked with OS X 10.7 or later)
A. To check your Mac's model date version go to Apple menu > About This Mac > Overview tab if necessary > check the details after the Model Name e.g. "Early 2015" (this can only be checked with OS X 10.7 or later) - to be more specific and exact you can check what "Model Identifier" your Mac has by:
- If you are running Mac OS X 10.6 or earlier go to Apple menu > About This Mac > click the "More Info…" button > (the System Profiler application will open) select "Hardware" in the top left > check what it says for 'Model Identifier' on the right.
- If you are running OS X 10.7 or OS X 10.8 go to Apple menu > About This Mac > click the "More Info…" button > (the System Information application will open) select "Hardware" in the top left > check what it says for 'Model Identifier' on the right under 'Hardware Overview'.
- If you are running OS X 10.9 or later go to Apple menu > About This Mac > click the "Overview" tab in the top left > click the "System Report…" button > (the System Information application will open) select "Hardware" in the top left > check what it says for 'Model Identifier' on the right under 'Hardware Overview'.
- If you are running Mac OS X 10.6 or earlier go to Apple menu > About This Mac > click the "More Info…" button > (the System Profiler application will open) select "Graphics/Displays" under 'Hardware' in the top left (click the triangle down if necessary) > click on the 'Video Card' on the right to see the technical information below.
- If you are running OS X 10.7 or OS X 10.8 go to Apple menu > About This Mac > click the "More Info…" button > (the System Information application will open) select "Graphics/Displays" under 'Hardware' in the top left (click the triangle down if necessary) > click on the 'Video Card' on the right to see the technical information below.
- If you are running OS X 10.9 or later go to Apple menu > About This Mac > click the "Overview" tab in the top left > click the "System Report…" button > (the System Information application will open) select "Graphics/Displays" under 'Hardware' in the top left (click the triangle down if necessary) > click on the 'Video Card' on the right to see the technical information below. With OS X 10.11 or later here you will also find whether your GPU supports "Metal".
Q. How can I tell which version of macOS / OS X / Mac OS X I am running?
A. Go to Apple menu (top left) > About This Mac > check the version reported for macOS / OS X / Mac OS X.If you know your Mac has a Thunderbolt 3 port click here to skip straight to the product listings.
Apple Mac Models Supporting Thunderbolt 3
- No Macs support Thunderbolt 3…
Thunderbolt Products
- Adapters and Cables
- Monitors
- 4K/UltraHD TVs and Monitors
- Docking Stations/Docks
- Hard Drives and SSDs (Desktop)
- Hard Drives and SSDs (Mobile)
- Hard Drive Enclosures/Docks
- Hard Drives and SSDs (RAID1 - no drives)
- Hard Drives and SSDs (RAID1 - with 2 drives)
- Hard Drives and SSDs (Large RAID - no drives)
- Large RAID or specialist drives
- Expansion Cards and External Chassis
- Audio
Adapters and Cables
- StarTech Thunderbolt 3 USB-C Cables
- 0.5m Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) USB-C Cable - Thunderbolt and USB Compatible (part code = TBLT34MM50CM)
Buy it now at - 1m Thunderbolt 3 (20Gbps) USB-C Cable - Thunderbolt, USB, and DisplayPort Compatible (part code = TBLT3MM1M)
Buy it now at - 2m Thunderbolt 3 (20Gbps) USB-C Cable - Thunderbolt, USB, and DisplayPort Compatible (part code = TBLT3MM2M)
Buy it now at - StarTech Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2/1 Adapter (part code = TBT3TBTADAP)
- Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Dual HDMI Adapter (part code = TBT3-HDMI2X)
- Plugable Thunderbolt 3 Dual DisplayPort Adapter (part code = TBT3-DP2X)
Monitors
No products yet…4K/UltraHD TVs and Monitors
No products yet…Docking Stations/Docks
- Plugable Volume Thunderbolt 3 Dock (part code = TBT3-UD1)
- 1x Gigabit Ethernet port
- 2x USB 3.0 ports (1 on the back/1 on the front)
- 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1 port (on the front)
- 1x 3.5mm Headphone Output jack
- 1x 3.5mm Audio Input Jack
- 2 additional Thunderbolt v3 ports
- 1x DisplayPort video out port
Hard Drives and SSDs (Desktop)
No products yet…Hard Drives and SSDs (Mobile)
No products yet…Hard Drive Enclosures/Docks
No products yet…Hard Drives and SSDs (RAID1 - no drives)
No products yet…Hard Drives and SSDs (RAID1 - with 2 drives)
No products yet…Hard Drives and SSDs (Large RAID - no drives)
No products yet…Large RAID or specialist drives
- AKiTiO Thunder3 PCIe SSD (part code = T3PC-T3DIS-AKTUP)
Expansion Cards and External Chassis
- AKiTiO Thunder3 PCIe Box (part code = T3PB-T3DIS-AKTU)
Audio
No products yet…
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