USB connectors come in different shapes and sizes. Some form of USB port is also used in gaming consoles, network devices, smart TVs, and other electronic devices, making it truly universal. USB cables are used to charge cell phones, and desktops and laptops accommodate several USB ports for data transfer and connecting other external I/O devices. USB is the most commonly used port used in several different kinds of devices, such as keyboard, mice, cameras, printers, scanners, external HDDs, flash drives, and even networking devices. Elgato has a few of these, along with other manufactures.Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard plug and play interface for cables and connectors that facilitates communication between computers and peripherals and other devices. But since Thunderbolt 3 uses discrete Thunderbolt chips to operate, their cables will not work if you plug them into a USB-C port, even though they are the same shape.īut that's not all-Thunderbolt connections also come as docking stations that allow you to easily plug in peripherals or connect an Ethernet cable. Think of it as DisplayPort, PCIe 3rd-gen, and USB 3.1 all rolled into one connection. All around, it has greater performance when it comes to video and audio output, and data transfer, than a USB-C. Additionally, Thunderbolt 3 is also capable of audio output. Like a USB-C connection, it can charge devices and allows data transfer, but a Thunderbolt 3 connection can present video content on up to two 4K displays or one 5K display at 60Hz and provide a signal boost for VR headsets. Anything longer and that speed drops down to 20Gbps, but there are active cables that retain the top speed, but cost a lot more. Data can travel across Thunderbolt 3 at 40Gbps, which is twice as fast as the Thunderbolt 2 connection and four times as fast as a USB-C connection across USB 3.1-as long as the cable is 1.6-feet or shorter.

Thunderbolt 3 is currently the most up-to-date version of this connection type, having first been introduced into the tech-space in 2015, the same time as USB-C. Elgato Thunderbolt 3 mini dock (Image credit: Elgato) Thunderbolt 3

Usb 2 vs usb 3 vs usb c