Comment by aalimov_

2 years ago

You could get a 1m Belkin Thunderbolt 4 cable for about $40. Afaik Intel controls/certifies Thunderbolt cables and Apple just has free use of name or something.

So should any Thunderbolt branded cable have similar performance and build quality to the Apple cable, then? Cause I wanted to know the same thing - I came away honestly impressed and thinking maybe I should buy an Apple cable even though I don't own an iPhone. But the real question is whether other vendors have the same quality at a lower price point, because I don't feel the desire to pay the Apple price if they aren't better than the competition.

  • I cant speak to the build quality of Thunderbolt cables made by manufacturers other than belkin or the one Apple sells - both of which have been great. The belkin cable feels a slightly more rigid. As far as Thunderbolt branded cables you can expect to get the speeds and power delivery that’s advertised, just pick the cable that’s right for you. The one I mentioned earlier is certified for up to 40Gbps and 100W power delivery.

  • I haven't tested the theory yet, but I do need a longer USB-C cable, the recommandation I heard was that even if you just need a USB-C cable, go buy a Thunderbolt cable, because they you'll be sure that it will also work for all USB-C use cases.

  • Having used many TB3/4 cables recently I can say that if it's Thunderbolt certified and from one of the larger industry players you would probably be fine

I think steve jobs really liked the idea of a one-cable connection and worked with intel to create it.

  • Sounds great until you realize some people have "I need to charge my phone 15ft from an outlet" needs, and other people have "I need 40GBPS which needs a dual side populated 9 layer (wtf?) PCB with blind and buried vias, extremely small components" needs.

    USB-C the idea was great. The execution has been so stupid.