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M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro Models Likely to Feature Thunderbolt 5
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Any thoughts on a TB5 external drive? I can only find one on OWC's website https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-envoy-ultra
Everything on Amazon seems to be TB3 and USB-C.
I believe the OWC Envoy Ultra is the 1st portable external Thunderbolt 5 SSD drive. Others should follow, since Thunderbolt 5 is a new standard by Intel. With Apple supporting Thunderbolt 5 it should really help it be adopted more!
Disappointed in no PCIe 5, if not 6, support. I know it takes awhile to make the specs, but 5 has been out for a while now.
I was going to reply that they are pretty close but wtf, how quickly tech is moving!
We have SSD's pushing 12000MB/s? That is freakin awesome.
I still recall going from HDD to 2.5in SSD and wowing at 500MB/s speeds
PCIe 5.0 would have been nice because it could take advantage of the x4 Thunderbolt lanes for a theoretical speed of 128 Gb/s capped at 120 Gb/s directional. Though I'm not sure if the asymmetrical signaling means that 1x PCIe lanes would be reserved for downstream in which then x3 96Gb/s is the ceiling. Either way the PCIe 4.0 decision is more in the hands of USB-IF and Intel than Apple.
The one thing that surprised me is that the Thunderbolt 5 ports do not support USB4 V2.0 at 120 Gbps. The specs only mention USB4 at 40 Gbps like the previous generation. I realize USB4 V2.0 is only an optional part of the Thunderbolt 5 specification, but I find it surprising that Apple chose not to support it.
Does anyone know why?
Does anyone know why?
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I just want a 32" Apple display at half of the price of an XDR display. Come on Apple, you can do it! LMAO
Every year is the same. They release systems not as good as they could so we have to keep buying and upgrading.
I was looking for a specific, technical answer, not a generic one. This Mac mini is actually near damn perfect.
Yeah, like why didn't they just release the M1 with these specs and then we would not have to upgrade.
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PCIe 4.0 and still no support for external GPU. I can't believe that Apple isn't developing its own line of External GPUs. They have everything they need to pull it off.
Apple dropped a surprise today with the announcement of the new redesigned Mac mini when it revealed that the M4 Pro model comes with three Thunderbolt 5 ports, making it the first Mac to support the next-generation connectivity standard.
The newest specification of Thunderbolt offers 80 Gb/s of bi-directional bandwidth, and with Bandwidth Boost it will provide up to 120 Gb/s, enabling triple the maximum bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4 for an optimal display experience.
Given that the current 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M3 Pro and M3 Max chips only support the older protocol, you can almost consider it a given that Apple's upcoming MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max will support Thunderbolt 5.
Thunderbolt 5 is fully compatible with USB4, and supports advanced protocols such as PCIe 4.0, allowing faster data access speeds for storage devices and peripherals. In addition, the new standard features support for native DisplayPort 2.1 output over USB‑C. Thanks to Thunderbolt 5, the Mac mini with M4 Pro can also support up to three 6K external displays at 60Hz, so expect similar enhancements to come to the new high-end MacBook Pro models.
Apple is expected to announce the new M4 MacBook Pro models on Wednesday. The entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro will be equipped with an M4 chip, while the higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch models will offer M4 Pro and M4 Max chips.
Article Link: M4 Pro and M4 Max MacBook Pro Models Likely to Feature Thunderbolt 5
Thunderbolt 5 for what? Does anyone even use thunderbolt 4?
Right? Any TB5 device will cost as much and probably more than the Mini it's being plugged into!
Thunderbolt 4 seems popular for Thunderbolt docks/hubs, and Thunderbolt 3 for external SSDs. There are Thunderbolt monitors, though from what I've seen online they cost substantially more.
Richard.
40gbps sounds like a lot, but it's not when you're talking about video. It's actually less than the current HDMI spec 2.1, which is 48gbps, required for 4k120hz.
Then imagine you're using a docking station with two 4k120hz displays. You would need at least 98gbps to do that over one cable. Then imagine you want to use 10gbit ethernet on that same dock, you're at 108gbps, plus some external storage plugged into that dock. You can burn through 120gbps with what is going to be pretty normal usage in the very near future.
This is really exciting. Actually might be worth the upgrade just for this.
Thunderbolt 4 just isn’t enough bandwidth any more - not for high resolution, high frame
rate displays, or for modern SSDs.
All of these leaps in technology are very hungry for bandwidth - they need to push huge amounts of data very quickly.
Thunderbolt 4 just isn’t enough bandwidth any more - not for high resolution, high frame
rate displays, or for modern SSDs.
All of these leaps in technology are very hungry for bandwidth - they need to push huge amounts of data very quickly.
Given Apple's very expensive upgrade prices for internal storage, many people use external SSD drives, and Thunderbolt options tend to have substantially higher performance than USB-C options. That said, even the faster Thunderbolt 3 drives fall well short of modern internal Mac SSD speeds.
Now, how much practical difference would a TB3 vs. a TB5 external SSD drive make to most users? I imagine that varies, and for many perhaps not much at all. But Macs are often used for many years and TB5 offers some degree of 'future proofing' - if in a couple of years one wishes to use a 120-MHz 5K monitor, or a TB 5 monitor (once such exist) that also serves as a hub with an external SSD attached, that extra capability may come in handy.