Do people have any recommendation on a good USB-C cable that can do full speed Thunderbolt? Right now I have a working cable that feeds a 4K monitor (and previously two!), a USB hub which includes keyboard, mouse, network, etc, and powers the laptop back. The monitor is a Dell UltraSharp 27 Inch 4K USB-C Hub Monitor (U2723QE) : Computer Monitors | Dell Canada.
I think part of the problem is that longer cables make high-speed data transmission more difficult. They have to have good shielding, and longer lengths often either won’t work at high speeds, or have to be “active.”
I’ve had reasonable luck with Belkin cables, but the USB4 version I think is more like 1 meter, not two. And I’ve never speed tested it. Just plugged it into things and they “worked,” so I didn’t complain. I’ve used a few others as well, but all the “high speed” ones were always around 1 meter or so at most.
I actually have a few of the LTT cables (different versions) on order. But they sold out and were delayed. From the way it sounds, I won’t get them until March or April.
that says “480MBPS”, it’s not what we need here.
to be clear, i’m not looking for a charging cable here: i’m looking for a data transfer cable, specifically one that does 2x4K monitors, in my case at 60 Hz.
i’m not exactly sure what that means in terms of bandwidth. I would assume I need at least 20gbps, but the be on the safe side, I would assume I would need the 40gbps which is what this 40gbps 1m LTT cable does.
I’d also like to have it as long as possible. Right now, I have a 1m cable, and it’s not quite long enough, I’d like to find longer ones, but I actually doubt it’s even possible.
Assuming by 4K you are referring to 3840x2160 then we’d have:
3840 * 2160 = 8294400 pixels per monitor
8294400 * 60 = 497664000 pixels per second per monitor
Assuming 8-bit color:
497664000 * 24 = 11943936000 bits per second per monitor
Assuming at least displayport 2.0 (older displayport has higher overhead) we spend 132 bits per 128 bits of data
11943936000 * 132 / 128 = 12317184000 bits per second per monitor over the wire
12317184000 / 1000 / 1000 / 1000 = 12.3 gigabits per second per monitor over the wire
Double that for 2 monitors and you’re at 24.6 gigabits, which exceeds 20. The next step up is 40, so you’d need at least 40gbps
I would HIGHLY recommend avoiding those cables you listed. All no name brands and none of those are Thunderbolt certified.
OP is asking for “full speed Thunderbolt” Let’s assume Thunderbolt 5 even if Framework 13 Intel only supports up to Thunderbolt 4. Here is a list of cables that aren’t bargain-bin Amazon word soup brands. Keep in mind that Thunderbolt 5 beyond 1 meter gets very expensive.
Now if you have a Framework with AMD then you only have USB 40Gbps capabilities and no Thunderbolt. You can save a lot of money by only getting USB 40Gbps or USB 80Gbps cables. The monitor OP mentioned (Dell U2723QE) has a USB 20Gbps port (formerly USB 3.2 Gen 2) so even USB 20Gbps cables will work.
None of the Amazon links I posted have tracking or affiliate data. Unfortunately, I haven’t tested these, but they are by reliable brands and have already undergone certification to guarantee they will work.
I wouldn’t recommended any of the 40Gbps/20Gbps LTT TrueSpec cables unless someone can specifically prove they work because those cables are not certified for Thunderbolt or USB.
