![]() You need a Thunderbolt cable if you are transferring data from a high-speed SSD and want to reach peak speeds of 40Gbps. If all you want to do is charge your HP Spectre x360, Dell XPS 13, or MSI Prestige using its Thunderbolt 4 port, you can just buy a standard USB 2.0, USB-C charging cable. But just because your laptop has a Thunderbolt port doesn’t necessarily mean you need a Thunderbolt cable for it. For example, on Apple MacBooks, which have only Thunderbolt ports, the company provides a standard USB 2.0, USB-C charging cable. You won’t find them in any phone or Android or iOS tablet, only in Windows or Mac laptops.Ī primary advantage of Thunderbolt over USB-C is higher speeds of up to 40Gbps. Both are advanced connections developed by Intel that can do just about everything USB-C can do, and more. There’s another family of technology that plugs into a standard USB-C port: Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4. Gordon Mah Ungīasic USB-C charging cables will not enable advanced drives such as this G-Drive Thunderbolt 3-based drive despite the USB-C plug fitting. Even if the claim is too good to be true, it probably means the cable has the additional wires to hit the 5Gbps or 10Gbps speeds, so it should outperform one that says it’s limited to 480Mbps. We often see that on 6.6-foot (2-meter) cables, even though the maximum speed of a 2-meter cable is technically limited to 10Gbps. Some cable makers may throw in “20Gbps,” which is the most advanced USB speed. If you value high-speed data transfers, you’ll definitely want to shop for a USB-C to USB-C cable that mentions USB 3.1 or USB 3.2, at speeds of 5Gbps or 10Gbps. Today, it’s ploddingly slow.Ī USB 2.0 cable will take about 65 seconds to transfer a 4GB file, while a USB 3.2/10Gbps rated cable should take about 4 seconds. That was “fast” 20 years ago, when USB 2.0 was first introduced. Most of the basic lower-cost cables work just fine for charging a tablet or laptop even up to 60 watts, but many will hawk “High Speed USB 2.0,” or call 480Mbps a “fast” data transfer speed. How to pick a USB-C cable for transferring dataīesides charging, most people use USB-C to USB-C for transferring data between a USB portable drive or a phone, laptop, or tablet. Most low-cost USB-C to USB-C cables transfer at a dismal USB 2.0, 480Mbps, which pales in comparison to one that can reach USB 3.1 5Gbps or 10Gbps speeds. If you just want to replace the USB-C to USB-C cable that your dog destroyed, for most phones, tablets and thin-and-light laptops, a low-cost, 60-watt cable is all you need. The MacBook Pro 13 doesn’t need more than a standard 60-watt cable and charger, while the MacBook Pro 16 should be paired with a 100-watt cable and charger for the fastest charge rates. For example, a Dell XPS 15 can use all 100 watts and more on its proprietary 130-watt USB-C charger, while a Dell XPS 13 ships from the factory with a 45-watt USB-C charger. Whether you need a 100-watt cable is usually up to the charger you have, and the laptop you want to charge under load while being used. Why you probably don’t need a 100-watt cable ![]() The 60-watt cables tend to be lower in price, with 6-foot or 2-meter cables to be found in the $8 range or lower. That means any USB-C cable maker that did its homework can charge most tablets or laptops without issue. By specification, any USB-C to USB-C cable must be able to supply 60 watts/3 amps over USB-PD. What is likely to confuse you when shopping on Amazon are the vendors who claim their USB-A to USB-C cable can handle, say, 100 watts/5 amps.īrowsing Amazon, you usually see two wattages shown for USB-C to USB-C charging cables: 60 watts or 100 watts. Its charging rate has typically been very slow, with most cables and chargers capable of handling 5 watts to 15 watts. ![]() USB-A is the familiar rectangular port that’s been on the back of computers and most wall chargers for more than 20 years. The cable type matters, too: Do you want a rectangular USB-A to ovular USB-C cable, or do you need a USB-C to USB-C cable? Is there any reason to buy USB-A to USB-C? If your primary use is charging, your next question should be, “what do you want to charge,” and “how fast do you want to charge it?” A laptop’s charging needs are far greater than a tablet’s or a phone’s, for example.
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