Are UCB-C and Thunderbolt the same thing?

The subject is the question. Does the fact that a phone/computer/gadget/etc has UCB-C mean that the device is technically capable of being used as a Thunderbolt device? Or is Thunderbolt an enhancement or specific implementation of USB-C?

I’m starting to see more devices with USB-C, like the low-cost CHUWI devices, and was wondering if that meant those devices could be connected to an eGPU for a performance boost.

Thanks!

Conversation 2 comments

  • rameshthanikodi

    07 August, 2017 - 12:13 pm

    <p><em>Are UCB-C and Thunderbolt the same thing? </em>No.</p><p><em>is Thunderbolt an enhancement or specific implementation of USB-C? </em>Yes.</p><p><br></p><p>What's been colloquially referred to as "USB-C" is actually three things:</p><p>1) the Type-C port</p><p>2) the USB 3.1 cable with Type-C plug</p><p>2) the USB 3.1 protocol</p><p><br></p><p>Type-C is just the port/plug, not the connection itself. A Type-C port/plug may shapeshift into different types of connections, and Thunderbolt is one of them. Thunderbolt's features are a superset of USB 3.1.</p><p><br></p><p>So Thunderbolt is basically:</p><p>1) the Type-C port</p><p>2) the Thunderbolt 3 cable<em>….</em>which can also work as a USB 3.1 cable when needed</p><p>2) the Thunderbolt 3 protocol</p><p><br></p><p>Thunderbolt 3 requires additional controllers and costs more for OEMs to implement, so chances are, low-cost devices like the CHUWI don't have Thunderbolt. The Type-C ports on these devices are usually just USB 3.1. The easiest way to&nbsp;identify anything Thunderbolt is to <a href="https://images.techhive.com/images/article/2015/09/thunderbolt-3-100615278-orig.png&quot; target="_blank">look out for the lightning logo</a>, but unfortunately there are makers out there don't bother labelling these proper.</p>

    • Paul Thurrott

      Premium Member
      07 August, 2017 - 1:16 pm

      <blockquote><a href="#165136"><em>In reply to FalseAgent:</em></a></blockquote><p>This looks correct.</p><p>A USB-C port can just be USB 3.x with a different plug. Meaning it cannot handle Thunderbolt-level performance for things like dual 4K monitors and an external GPU. That's why I always describe it as USB-C/Thunderbolt 3, when that's what it is. It's "USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 through the same port."</p>

Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox

Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Thurrott © 2024 Thurrott LLC