Thunderbolt Vs Mini Displayport Cable

Apple s new thunderbolt technology uses the same displayport connection that has been available in older macs which may be a source of confusion down.

Thunderbolt vs mini displayport cable.

Thunderbolt 3 is an active technology offering up to 40 gbps throughput with the use of a thunderbolt 3 cable. Thunderbolt is fully compatible with mini displayport peripherals. It was initially developed and marketed under the name light peak and first sold as part of an. Thunderbolt can carry data so it can be used to connect devices such as docking stations and hard drive enclosures.

Thunderbolt is a specialized type of mini displayport connectivity. Confusing mini displayport with thunderbolt. When you use a thunderbolt 1 computer with a displayport monitor you do need to use a mini displayport cable not a thunderbolt 1 or 2 cable. Thunderbolt also uses the usb c port but that s where the similarities end.

Technically the plug is the same and the only difference is that the thunderbolt connector can carry in addition to the classic mini displayport a thunderbolt signal which is a signal pci express 4 lines. Thunderbolt is the brand name of a hardware interface developed by intel in collaboration with apple that allows the connection of external peripherals to a computer thunderbolt 1 and 2 use the same connector as mini displayport mdp whereas thunderbolt 3 re uses the usb c connector from usb. Although the shape and size of the connector is the same it does more and does it faster. Cable matters mini displayport to displayport cable mini dp to dp in black 3 feet thunderbolt and thunderbolt 2 port compatible 4 5 out of 5 stars 2 004 8 99 8.

If you are using a mini displayport cable we recommend you narrow down the issue further. Thunderbolt provides for unmatched peripheral flexibility due to its mix of pci express and displayport connectivity whereas the mini displayport is a digital display interface capable of sending high definition video and audio from a source to a display.