Up to three times the bandwidth of Thunderbolt 4. Support for multiple 8K displays, as well as gaming monitors running at up to 540Hz. 240 watts of charging power. These aren't just the highlights of my PC connectivity dreams: They're key features of Thunderbolt 5, Intel's latest stab at creating the ultimate PC cable. And this time, the chip maker may actually succeed.
When Thunderbolt 4 dropped in 2020, it mostly seemed like a refined version of Thunderbolt 3. It had the same maximum bandwidth of 40 gigabits per second, but its increased efficiency allowed Intel to standardize support for multiple 4K screens, as well as double storage device speeds. At the very least, Intel required at least one Thunderbolt 4 to support USB-C charging.