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It doesn't look like there is a Thunderbolt port ( a 40 GBPS port ). I recall reading that it has something to do with it working on Intel only hardware. But w
by Naac 6y ago
It doesn't look like there is a Thunderbolt port ( a 40 GBPS port ). I recall reading that it has something to do with it working on Intel only hardware.
But whatever the case is, lack of Thunderbolt is unfortunately a deal breaker. I've moved on to unifying all my docks and power chords to only be Thunderbolt. It's unfortunate because the Ryzen chipsets are clearly getting to be superior from a price/performance point of view.
EDIT: I am writing this as someone who supports System76, and has only ran Linux professionally and at home for the last 10 years.
- tjoff 6y agoSeems more sensible to me to base everything off of usb-c instead.
- aendruk 6y agoThunderbolt uses USB-C since ~2015.
- tjoff 6y agoPoint still stands.
- SpaceNugget 6y agoNo it doesn't. USB Type-C is a connector shape, used by both USB and Thunderbolt. So people saying they want thunderbolt and you saying they should want USB Type-C doesn't make much sense. Imagine someone in 2001 saying they are disappointed with new computers being released without USB 2.0 (i.e. still using USB 1.1), and you replying that things should be based on Type-A. Both USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 used Type-A connectors. The shape is unrelated to the protocol/speed/etc.
- tjoff 6y agoI think it was obvious beyond any reasonable doubt that I meant USB over USB-C.
- Grazester 6y agoThe lack of Thunderbold has nothing to do with Intel. Apparently AMD has not supplied hardware partners with any reference designs implementing it. If you do it then it would be up to you to come up with your own design implementation. There is one desktop Ryzen board that supports Thunderbolt
- neogodless 6y agoThunderbolt aka USB 4 (I think?) can be added to AMD systems but so far I've only seen one AMD desktop motherboard introduce this option. So far it doesn't look good for 2021... maybe next year?!
- andoriyu 6y agoIt's complicated. Thunderbolt 1/2/3 were all open-ish, but required intel's chip. Which was alright at the time - AMD didn't have anything competitive in mid to high-end market anyway. Thunderbolt 3 later became royalty-free, but with mandatory certification by intel. Around January 2020 vendors are able to make their own controllers and submit them for certification. AMD doesn't have any. Intel's controllers don't have an embedded version for sale.
- fefe23 6y agoThunderbold is generally not available on AMD systems. Several reasons. a) Intel wants licensing cash for allowing you to use it b) It does not actually add that much to USB. You want to attach monitors? Non-Thunderbolt USB can do that. You want to attach storage? Non-Thunderbolt USB can do that. Networking? Charge your device? USB can do all that. The remaining selling point of Thunderbolt is that you can attach an external graphics card over it. There are external USB graphics solutions, too, but they can't really compete if you plan to do high perf 3d graphics over it. However this selling point is also the Achilles heel of Thunderbold. It exposes PCIe to devices outside the device, allowing direct memory access over it. This can be partially mitigated if the OS and all drivers cooperate and are really well written (for example not expose a memory page that contains other stuff as well). But bottom line? I actually view this as an AMD advantage. It's a bit like Firewire was. a) it cost licensing money and b) it introduced a similar security issue while c) not actually delivering that much of an advantage over USB unless you are part of a certain niche.
- neogodless 6y agoIn my opinion, though I don't actually have this option, the killer use case for Thunderbolt (or USB 4) is sufficient bandwidth and a large aftermarket for... Docks. Now, I had a thin 'n' light with just 2 USB-C ports, and I could get a dock/adapter that had power delivery, HDMI, Ethernet and a couple USB-A/USB-C ports. But for high-refresh rate monitors, a proper dock will want a lot of bandwidth. Without that bandwidth, you'll have to pick your compromise on the dock.
- Naac 6y agoThunderbolt may not matter so much for desktop, but it definitely does for laptops. Like the other comment mentioned, docks. Yes you can theoretically accomplish everything with other ports, but I don't want to feel like I'm disconnecting my laptop from life support every time I move around. 1 Wire for Power + 10+ peripherals is awesome, and I can't go back.
- techrat 6y ago>1 Wire for Power + 10+ peripherals is awesome, and I can't go back. This can still be done with non-TB USB-C. Including power and video.