Cable Matters via Amazon[amazon.com] has 4.9' Cable Matters USB-IF Certified 80Gbps 240W USB 4 Thunderbolt Cable for $15.99. Shipping is free with Prime or on $35+ orders.
Price $6 lower (27% savings) than the list price of $21.99 $4 lower (20% savings) than the previous price of $19.99
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Cable Matters via Amazon[amazon.com] has 4.9' Cable Matters USB-IF Certified 80Gbps 240W USB 4 Thunderbolt Cable for $15.99. Shipping is free with Prime or on $35+ orders.
Price $6 lower (27% savings) than the list price of $21.99 $4 lower (20% savings) than the previous price of $19.99
Model: Cable Matters [USB-IF Certified] 80Gbps USB 4 Cable - 4.9ft, Supports Up to [8K@120Hz / 4K@480Hz Video, 240W Charging, 80Gbps Data Transfer] USB4 Cable, Compatible with Thunderbolt 5/4, MacBook
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This is a great deal on a certified 80Gbps 240W cable made by a reputable brand. It is also quite long at 5ft, which is the longest that a passive cable faster than USB 2.0 (480Mbps) has been certified. It is one of few certified cables in this length. Note, though, that this Slick Deals title implies that it is a Thunderbolt cable. It is fully Thunderbolt compatible, but it is not a licensed Thunderbolt product.
This is a great deal on a certified 80Gbps 240W cable made by a reputable brand. It is also quite long at 5ft, which is the longest that a passive cable faster than USB 2.0 (480Mbps) has been certified. It is one of few certified cables in this length. Note, though, that this Slick Deals title implies that it is a Thunderbolt cable. It is fully Thunderbolt compatible, but it is not a licensed Thunderbolt product.
So what would be the certified thunderbolt cable? Apple? I'm genuinely curious. I don't want to pay Apple price but I also want a fully certified thunderbolt 4 or 5 cable
So what would be the certified thunderbolt cable? Apple? I'm genuinely curious. I don't want to pay Apple price but I also want a fully certified thunderbolt 4 or 5 cable
Yes, Apple's Thunderbolt cables are certified (I believe they can certify in-house because they themselves are part of the Thunderbolt certification process). Oddly enough they don't list their products on https://www.thunderbolttechnology.net/products though, but this is where Thunderbolt hosts a database of legitimately certified Thunderbolt products. There's lots of good cable brands in there such as Cable Matters, Satechi, Belkin, StarTech, to name a few.
Note that Thunderbolt 4 and 5 are just USB4 with special certification. USB4 cables can be more or less equivalent to Thunderbolt cables. The main difference between USB-IF cable certification and Thunderbolt cable certification is that Thunderbolt puts a lot more effort into ensuring that every cable that rolls off the manufacturer assembly line is compliant through testing many more cables and random sample audits.
The way I see it, there are 3 tiers of USB4/Thunderbolt cables on the market:
Uncertified cables: These are not certified by any standards body. Maybe they were tested by the manufacturer to work with some products. But performance is not guaranteed, and the cable likely doesn't meet critical specifications such as voltage drop and signal loss. I don't recommend anyone buy these
USB-IF certified cables: These are certified by a USB-IF certified test lab. They make sure the cable meets or exceeds all requirements outlined in the official USB4 test specification. They are required to be labeled with a USB-IF trademarked logo that indicates data rate and power support. Their emarker will also contain an XID that corresponds to this certification. Once certified, re-testing is never required unless the cable construction is changed
Thunderbolt certified cables: These are certified by a Thunderbolt certified test lab and samples are also sent to Intel and/or Apple. I've read that this can be hundreds of cables but I'm not sure. A major part of the certification process is testing to the USB4 test specification. Thunderbolt products are periodically audited for compliance.
Since passive USB4 and Thunderbolt cables are just straight-through signal wires with an emarker and since they are tested to the same specification, passive certified USB4 and Thunderbolt cables are functionally identical. You can save money with a USB-IF certified cable, but only Thunderbolt has certified Active cables (cables with internal signal redrivers that can extend cable length due to offsetting signal loss).
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank violentleaf
Note that Thunderbolt 4 and 5 are just USB4 with special certification. USB4 cables can be more or less equivalent to Thunderbolt cables. The main difference between USB-IF cable certification and Thunderbolt cable certification is that Thunderbolt puts a lot more effort into ensuring that every cable that rolls off the manufacturer assembly line is compliant through testing many more cables and random sample audits.
The way I see it, there are 3 tiers of USB4/Thunderbolt cables on the market:
Since passive USB4 and Thunderbolt cables are just straight-through signal wires with an emarker and since they are tested to the same specification, passive certified USB4 and Thunderbolt cables are functionally identical. You can save money with a USB-IF certified cable, but only Thunderbolt has certified Active cables (cables with internal signal redrivers that can extend cable length due to offsetting signal loss).
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