在个人计算的“好”时代，似乎每个外围设备都需要自己的连接标准。最终我们得到了USB的祝福，但它的普遍性却被相对较慢的速度、低功率传输和令人困惑的连接器阵列所拖累(confusing array of connectors)。
什么是迅雷？ Thunderbolt是一种计算机外围接口，代表了迄今为止最优雅的将事物连接到计算机的整体解决方案。目前最新版本的Thunderbolt是Thunderbolt 3，在本文结束时，您将了解使用这个奇妙的新连接标准所需的一切。
迅雷历史一闪而过
Thunderbolt是(Thunderbolt)Intel Corporation和Apple Computers合作的成果。由于Apple电脑传统上由创意专业人士使用，因此他们一直需要高速外围设备连接。多年来，Apple对此的回答是FireWire，但随着时间的推移，FireWire的局限性开始显现。
英特尔(Intel)和苹果(Apple)合作制定了一个最初被赋予代号“ Light Peak ”的标准，这暗示了这个新接口是为使用光缆而设计的，
而不是铜线。除了(Apart)高带宽外，由于光缆可以有多长而没有信号损失，光缆也很有前景。
虽然今天实际上有可用的光纤Thunderbolt电缆，但大多数电缆是传统的铜线，这就是为什么今天的(Thunderbolt)Thunderbolt电缆存在一些非常严格的长度限制。
第一台Light Peak笔记本电脑于 2010 年展示，采用光学技术，但时至今日，铜一直是常态。这带来了铜线也可以承载电力的主要优势。
“Thunderbolt”这个名字在 2011 年首次向世人展示，当年的MacBook Pro系列包含该技术。同年，第一个Thunderbolt端口出现在 iMac 上。Thunderbolt 2 于 2013 年首次亮相，速度是第一代的两倍。目前的标准Thunderbolt 3在 2015 年底获得了硬件支持，作为英特尔 Skylake(Intel Skylake)一代CPU(CPUs)的一部分。
去润滑照明！简而言之(Nutshell)，Thunderbolt 规格(Thunderbolt Specs)
Thunderbolt实际上是其他两种现有协议的组合。第一个是PCI Express。这与您的GPU用于发送和接收信息的通信标准相同。您可能知道，GPU(GPUs)需要大量带宽，这使得它成为连接几乎任何外围设备的绝佳协议。
第一代Thunderbolt连接可以以 10Gbps 的速度发送数据，同时以 10Gbps 的速度接收(receiving )数据。它在任一方向都有一个专用的 10Gbps 通道。将此与 USB 3.2 Gen 1进行比较，后者只能达到该速度的一半。
Thunderbolt 2 将可用速度提高了一倍，达到 20Gbps，而Thunderbolt 3提供了惊人的 40Gbps。USB 3.2 2×2 最高可达 20Gbps。这仍然是Thunderbolt 3的一半。有了这么多的带宽，它可以打开各种创新的应用程序，我们将在下面详细说明。
Thunderbolt 3向后兼容性(Backwards Compatibility)
重要的是要记住，Thunderbolt标准和物理连接器实际上是两个不同的东西。虽然Thunderbolt s 1 和 2 使用基于DisplayPort标准的连接器，但它们实际上与Thunderbolt 3兼容，只要您愿意花一些钱购买适配器。正如您所料，您也无法以比设计速度更快的速度操作这些设备。
由于所有Thunderbolt 3端口还包括一个USB控制器，您可以将任何USB设备插入您的Thunderbolt端口，它会正常工作。但是，专用于Thunderbolt 3的设备无法使用仅USB-C端口，尽管具有相同的物理连接器。
同样，您必须使用Thunderbolt 3电缆才能使用Thunderbolt 3带宽和功能。
区分Thunderbolt 3和USB-C(USB-C Apart)
Thunderbolt 1和 2 使用基于DisplayPort设计的独特端口，因此您不会将它们与USB混淆。但是，Thunderbolt 3控制器和USB-C控制器使用完全相同的端口。区分它们的唯一真正方法是寻找标签。
例如，在MacBook(MacBooks)上，相关端口旁边有一个小的闪电图形。同样(Likewise)，Thunderbolt 3电缆通常标有Thunderbolt或小闪电图形。当然，简单地插入设备以查看它是否工作是没有风险的。
如何使用 Thunderbolt 3
Thunderbolt 3在笔记本电脑中越来越受欢迎，尤其是在超极本方面。Apple在其最新系列的MacBook(MacBooks)中完全采用了Thunderbolt 3。您会在现代MacBook(MacBook)上找不到其他端口。甚至对Thunderbolt 3端口进行充电。
如上所述，Thunderbolt 3(Thunderbolt three)可用于中心辐射型拓扑或菊花链。如果您只有Thunderbolt 3设备，您可以将第一个插入端口，然后将下一个插入该设备，依此类推。这(Which)意味着只有少量端口是没有问题的。
现实情况是，您会发现的大多数外围设备都不是原生的Thunderbolt 3设备。这意味着购买Thunderbolt 3（或USB-C）集线器是将典型组件连接到计算机的唯一实用方法。
对于停靠的桌面设置，它实际上非常方便。您可以将所有桌面外围设备连接到集线器。当您到达办公桌前，您只需将一根电缆连接到您的机器，即可将其变成一个完整的桌面设备，同时还可以为您的笔记本电脑充电。
由于 Thunderbolt 3 的海量可用带宽和对PCIe协议的原生支持，我们现在可以连接非常需要带宽的设备作为外围设备。因此，例如，您可以连接具有可接受性能水平的 外部SSD或外部 GPU 。(external GPU)
超极本往往拥有强大的CPU(CPUs)，但缺乏存储和GPU能力。现在，您可以将MacBook带回家并将其连接到这些强大的外围设备，而无需拥有两台计算机。这也意味着您无需购买全新的笔记本电脑即可升级您的桌面GPU性能。(GPU)还有许多其他用例可以利用Thunderbolt 3标准提供的大量带宽。
雷电 4 怎么样？
在撰写本文时，英特尔(Intel)已在 2020 年消费电子展(Consumer Electronics Show)上宣布了Thunderbolt 4。它计划在 2020 年作为这家半导体巨头的Tiger Lake芯片的一部分首次亮相，所以当你读到这篇文章时，它很可能已经在消费产品中了。
但是，没有太多令人兴奋的事情。Thunderbolt 4并不是(Thunderbolt 4)Thunderbolt 3的根本飞跃。不是以Thunderbolt 3绝对将上一代从水中吹走的方式。
关于Thunderbolt 4(Thunderbolt 4) ，您应该了解的最重要的一点是，与 Thunderbolt 3 相比，它在带宽方面并没有更快。所以任何性能焦虑都可以解决。
目前还不太清楚Thunderbolt 4将包含哪些新功能，但该协议将与USB4紧密集成，这将与(USB4)Thunderbolt 3和 4一样快。所有迹象都表明这两个标准将是彼此和Thunderbolt 3交叉兼容，这意味着用户不必真正关心插入了什么。现在这是一个我们都可以落后的未来！
HDG Explains : What is Thunderbolt?
In the “good “ old daуs of personal computing it seemed that everу peripheral nеeded its own connection standard. Eventually we were blessed with USB, but whаt it had in univеrsality was let down by relatively slow speeds, low power delivеry and a confusing array of connectors.
What is Thunderbolt? Thunderbolt is a computer peripheral interface that represents the most elegant total solution for connecting things to a computer yet. Currently the latest version of the Thunderbolt is Thunderbolt 3, and by the end of this article you’ll know everything necessary to use this fantastic new connection standard.
Thunderbolt History in a Flash
Thunderbolt is the result of a collaboration between Intel Corporation and Apple Computers. Since Apple computers have traditionally been used by creative professionals, they’ve always had a need for high-speed peripheral connection. For years the Apple answer to this was FireWire, but as time went on the limitations of FireWire were starting to show.
Intel and Apple collaborated on a standard that was initially given the code name “Light Peak”, which alluded to the fact that this new interface was designed to use optical cables,
rather than copper wire. Apart from high bandwidth, optical cables are promising thanks to how long the cables can be without signal loss.
While there are actually optical Thunderbolt cables available today, the majority of cables are traditional copper, which is why there are some pretty harsh length limitations on Thunderbolt cables today.
The first Light Peak laptop was demonstrated in 2010, using optical technology, but to this day copper has been the norm. This comes with the major advantage that copper wiring can also carry power.
The name “Thunderbolt” was first revealed to the world in 2011 when that year’s MacBook Pro line included the technology. That same year the first Thunderbolt ports appeared on iMacs. Thunderbolt 2 debuted in 2013, doubling the speed of the first generation. The current standard, Thunderbolt 3, received support in hardware late in 2015, as part of the Intel Skylake generation of CPUs.
Go Greased Lighting! Thunderbolt Specs in a Nutshell
Thunderbolt is actually a combination of two other existing protocols. The first is PCI Express. That’s the same communications standard that your GPU uses to send and receive information. As you may know, GPUs need a lot of bandwidth, which makes this a great protocol for connecting just about any peripheral.
The first generation of Thunderbolt connections can send data at 10Gbps while at the same time receiving data at 10Gbps. It has a dedicated 10Gbps channel in either direction. Compare this to USB 3.2 Gen 1, which can only achieve half of that speed.
Thunderbolt 2 doubled the speed available to 20Gbps, and Thunderbolt 3 offers a whopping 40Gbps. USB 3.2 2×2 tops out at 20Gbps. This is still half of Thunderbolt 3. With that much bandwidth on tap, it opens all sorts of innovative applications, which we’ll elaborate on below.
Thunderbolt 3 Backwards Compatibility
It’s important to remember that the Thunderbolt standard and the physical connectors are actually two different things. While Thunderbolts 1 and 2 make use of a connector based on the DisplayPort standard, they are actually compatible with Thunderbolt 3, as long as you’re willing to fork out some cash for an adapter. As you might expect, you also can’t operate those devices at faster speeds than they were designed for.
Since all Thunderbolt 3 ports also include a USB controller, you can plug any USB device into your Thunderbolt port and it will work just fine. However, devices that are exclusively Thunderbolt 3 won’t work with a USB-C only port, despite having the same physical connector.
Likewise, you must use a Thunderbolt 3 cable to make use of Thunderbolt 3 bandwidth and functionality.
Telling Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C Apart
Thunderbolt 1 and 2 uses a distinctive port, based on the DisplayPort design, so there’s no way you’d confuse them with USB. However, Thunderbolt 3 controllers and USB-C controllers use exactly the same port. The only real way to tell the difference between them is to look for labelling.
For example, on MacBooks there’s a small lightning bolt graphic next to the port in question. Likewise, Thunderbolt 3 cables are generally marked with the word Thunderbolt or the small lightning bolt graphic. Of course, there’s no risk in simply plugging in a device to see if it works or not.
How Thunderbolt 3 is Used
Thunderbolt 3 is becoming pretty popular in laptops, especially when it comes to ultrabooks. Apple has fully embraced Thunderbolt 3 with its latest range of MacBooks. You’ll find no other ports on a modern MacBook. Even charging duty is given to the Thunderbolt 3 ports.
As mentioned above, Thunderbolt three can be used in a hub-and-spoke topology or it can be daisy-chained. If you only have Thunderbolt 3 devices, you can plug the first one into the port, then the next into that device and so on. Which means only having a small number of ports is no issue.
The reality is that most peripherals you’ll find aren’t native Thunderbolt 3 devices. Which means buying a Thunderbolt 3 (or USB-C) hub is the only practical way to hook up typical components to your computer.
It’s actually pretty convenient when it comes to a docked desktop setup. You can hook up all of your desktop peripherals to the hub. When you get to your desk, you only need to connect a single cable to your machine to transform it into a full desktop rig, while also charging your laptop.
Thanks to Thunderbolt 3’s massive available bandwidth and native support for the PCIe protocol, we can now connect very bandwidth-hungry devices as peripherals. So, for example, you can connect an external SSD or an external GPU with acceptable levels of performance.
Ultrabooks tend to have powerful CPUs, but lack storage and GPU power. Now you can bring your MacBook home and hook it up to these powerful peripherals, removing the need to own two computers. It also means you can upgrade your desktop GPU power without needing to buy an entirely new laptop. There are many other use cases that take advantage of the massive bandwidth available through the Thunderbolt 3 standard.
What About Thunderbolt 4?
At the time of writing, Thunderbolt 4 has been announced by Intel at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show. It’s planned to debut in 2020 as part of the Tiger Lake chips from the semiconductor giant, so by the time you read this it could very well be in consumer products already.
However, there’s not too much to get excited about. Thunderbolt 4 isn’t a radical leap from Thunderbolt 3. Not in the way that Thunderbolt 3 absolutely blew the previous generation out of the water.
The most important thing you should know about Thunderbolt 4, is that it’s not any faster in terms of bandwidth when compared to Thunderbolt 3. So any performance anxiety can be put to bed.
It’s also not quite clear what sorts of new features will be part of Thunderbolt 4, but the protocol is going to be tightly integrated with USB4, which will be just as fast as Thunderbolt 3 and 4. All indications are that these two standards will be cross-compatible with each other and Thunderbolt 3, which means that users won’t really have to care about what’s being plugged into what. Now that’s a future we can all get behind!
