Will the USB 4 expansion card for Framework 13 with AMD Ryzen 7 be as powerful as Thunderbolt 4?
im pretty sure thats the plan
Functionally they are quite similar, but a general good rule of thumb is that typically any USB4 device will work in a Thunderbolt 4 port, but not all Thunderbolt 4 devices will work in a USB4 port.
Thunderbolt 4 provides higher minimum power and speed specifications, so if Framework follows USB4’s minimum specs then theoretically it could be slower and provide less power.
Direct from the listing:
The USB-C Expansion Card passes through the supported protocols on the processor directly. On Framework Laptop 13 Intel platforms, that means Thunderbolt 4/USB4, 20V/5A charging, and DisplayPort Alt Mode, while on Ryzen platforms, protocols depend on the specific Expansion Card slot. Framework Laptop 16 additionally supports up to 48V/5A charging.
I know there’s a diagram kicking around the forum on the different speeds available depending on the slots, but I recall it being the rear 2 on either side being the ones with the fastest speeds. Reaching out to Framework Support would probably give you a more granular answer.
This is correct.
For any dock you consider, research the limitations, if any, when used in a USB4 environment. Most USB4 docks will work similarly to TB4. The one area where there can be struggles would be when connecting dual monitors through a dock. USB4 is different here.