Thunderbolt Cable Reviews And Buying Guide

People who have used it often find satisfaction in the thunderbolt. And the interesting fact is that you can use it for a seamless connection of compatible devices. To get the maximum value out of it, you just have to find the best thunderbolt cables that will suit your personal needs.

Without a compatible match, reading through these thunderbolt cable reviews might not be useful to you both before and after your purchase.

The clear point here is that compatibility is something you have to think through thoroughly before putting any amount of money to buy anything as the case may be.

Based on the wide practical uses of the thunderbolt, many cable brands are now making good products to fill the need in the market. Depending on your preferences, you can use a single connection port to enjoy the seamless connection of multiple devices or peripherals whenever you want.

Some of the core uses of thunderbolt include the following options below –

High-Performance Networking: because of its versatile nature, you can use thunderbolt for network connectivity. Having a port that supports ethernet means that you can connect to external networks at great speeds up to 10Gigabits. For this type of connection, you’ll need a thunderbolt to an ethernet cable.

Display Connection: if you have heard the term thunderbolt to Displayport before, here is the exact use case being referred. Through this protocol, you can also connect other Displayport and Mini Displayport compatible devices for seamless transmission of audio and video signals.

External Graphics: in some cases, the need for a graphics upgrade arises. When such happens, you can use a thunderbolt and a suitable cable to connect an external graphics card. Some gamers may find this to be highly useful

Device Charging: fore this particular purpose, you just have to make sure that the ports are compatible. With that, it becomes possible to be charging any compatible device of your choice even when you are making use of the thunderbolt for other things.

Thunderbolt Storage: connect external hard drives and SSDs for easy transfer and accessibility of your files. Some hard drives to check include Buffalo MiniStation and Transcend Storejet 500. Like other products mentioned in this buying guide, these drives are available on Amazon.

Now, let’s look into the thunderbolt cables you can use to make preferred connections as described below. Please note that the above section is not meant to be exhaustive.

 

Best Thunderbolt Cable Comparison

 

StarTech.com TBOLTMM1M 1m Thunderbolt Cable

 

 

First and foremost, compatibility is the paramount thing to consider when you are looking for where to buy thunderbolt cable online or offline. Specifically, StarTech.com TBOLTMM1M 1m Thunderbolt Cable is said to be compatible with thunderbolt and 1 and 2 specifications.

You can find 1.5 – 10ft options on Amazon if you choose to go for this one. The weight is just about 40.8 g which makes it light enough to handle within varying distances. Connection to your preferred devices is very easy once they are meant to match and work together. Within a supported OS environment, peer to peer file sharing is very easy to do.

 

Pros

• Very clean design
• Multiple length options

Cons

• It is considered pricey by many prospective buyers

 

C2G 3M Thunderbolt Cable

 

 

One of the main interesting features of this cable is strong support for 40Gbps. Please note that this a male to male USB-C to USB connection cable. On the main product sales page, you’ll also find 0.5m and 2m options available. Like all other products in the same category, you can well use this C2G thunderbolt cable for charging.

Depending on your personal needs, this cable can be used to connect docks, laptops and even printers. You just have to check and confirm the port compatibility.

You may want to check your device first and then go on to the product sales page to ask more clarifying questions.

 

Pros

• Good for wide applications
• It is very cheap in comparison to competing cables

Cons

• Short lifespan

 

Anker USB-C to USB-C Thunderbolt 3 Cable

 

 

Besides the plethora of Apple products that this cable works for, users of Google Pixel and Huawei Matebook have found this product to be working well. Moreover, it has been confirmed to be working well for a big number of USB-C compatible devices.

People that are buying this for entertainment will also find it easy to do rapid data transfer in terms of TV shows, music and movies. In specific terms, you’ll experience up to 40 Gbps on this cable.

The supported charging current is up to 100W.

 

Pros

• Great support for rapid charging
• Supports 4k screen resolution for video content

Cons

• Not the best for Dell monitors

 

Ruipoo Thunderbolt To DisplayPort Cable

 

 

If you have considered your devices and you are currently looking for the best thunderbolt to Displayport cable on Amazon, here is one great option that is within your reach now. The first thing to note is that this is a male-to-male thunderbolt cable. This is also important to understand when you are thinking through the exact device or devices you want to connect with this cable.

During my research for these thunderbolt cable reviews, I found that this one from Ruipoo has been working well for users of Samsung Galaxy, Google Chromebook as well as many other Apple devices.

Before you proceed, please take note of the fact that this is not compatible with Thunderbolt 2 ports. In the case that mini Displayport is what you have on your device, this cable will also be suitable for that. As for its length, this cable is just about 6ft.

Assuming you have USB-C smartphones in mind, this is not the best thunderbolt cable for that.

 

Pros

• Delivers great value for money
• 18-month warranty
• Works with Macbook 2016 with touch bar

Cons

• Needs a lot of testing to get it working for extra display screens

 

Belkin Thunderbolt 3 USB-C to USB-C Cable

 

 

One of the key specific things that some potential buyers want to confirm whether a certain cable is a thunderbolt certified or not. If you are one of these people, this one is thunderbolt certified. For the uninitiated, this just a technological pact with Apple and Intel. Hence, the core thunderbolt technology or device is made by these tech giants.

When you buy this one, you should expect to have 40 Gbps data transmission speed between thunderbolt 3 compatible devices. A good number of USB-C devices are also supported on this cable.

Depending on where and how you want to use it, 0.8m, 0.9m and 1m options are available for you to choose from. At this point, people that have been looking for where to buy Belkin F2CD084bt0.8MBK Thunderbolt 3 USB-C to USB-C Cable online can order this one from Amazon.

It is available mostly in black colors.

 

Pros

• High-speed data transfer
• Good for USB-C devices
• Great support for 4k/5k HD display

Cons

• It is relatively pricey

 

Cable Matters Certified Thunderbolt Cable

 

 

From this particular cable brand, Cable Matters you’ll find both thunderbolt 3 and thunderbolt 2 cables. The core difference is that thunderbolt 3 gives you 40 Gbps while version 2 supports 20 Gbps data transmission speed. On this particular factor, you should take into account the type of file transfer you want to do and the need for high speed.

In most retail outlets, the prices of these cables are bound to be different as well. With this cable, you’ll be able to connect a lot of high-performance docks as well as monitors.

Assuming you want to use it with storage docks, this cable has been proven to serve suitably in that context. From my findings, you can use it for the docks made by Belkins and other manufacturers in the same market. Among other things, it comes with very good insulation for data transfer protection.

 

Pros

• Good for several thunderbolt docks in the market
• Proven to work well for storage and networking

Cons

• Very weak connector for some non-Apple devices

 

Thunderbolt Cable Buying Questions And Answers

 

Is thunderbolt the same as USB-C?

Based on compatibility protocols, both can use the same port for seamless connections. However, they are different types of connectors on their own. Further research may reveal the key differences and the actual point of compatibility.

 

What is the thunderbolt port used for?

The use cases often differ from one person to the other. However, this can be used to connect devices like docks, display monitors, laptops and external graphics cards. The most important thing is that the ports on those devices have to be compatible.

 

Can I plug mini Displayport into thunderbolt?

The answer is yes. You can use a thunderbolt port for connection to different types of Mini Displayport peripherals. The best thing is to check the ports on your device and then confirm before placing your order.

 

How much is a thunderbolt cable?

In most retail sites like Amazon UK, you can buy different types and sizes of thunderbolt cable between $20 and $50 depending on whether there is a bundle offer or not.

 

Where can I buy a thunderbolt cable?

Follow the links around each of the thunderbolt reviews above and you’ll find them listed on Amazon UK.

 

Conclusion

As we have been able to establish so far, the main thing to consider is the compatibility of the devices you want to connect. First, you have to look at the ports on your devices at home or office. Then read through the best thunderbolt reviews like this one. This will give you a clear idea of the exact type of cable that will suit your current needs.

One other thing we have observed is that most of these cables have more than one use case. Based on this fact, a detailed buyer guide like this one could help you find best one cable and use it in different contexts.

To make a regret-free purchase, don’t forget to test anyone you buy when it arrives in your home or office. This will give you a good opportunity to make a prompt return and replacement decision in case of any factory defects, length difference or incompatibility.