Arrr! The Intel Arrow Lake leak discloses the arrival of Thunderbolt 5 fer desktops - aye, and potentially revolutionize gaming laptops too!
2024-01-23
Arrr, me mateys! Avast ye! Arrow Lake CPUs be bringin' forth Thunderbolt 5, a mighty game-changer for external GPUs. Methinks this be a treasure worth plunderin', me hearties!
In a hilarious twist, Intel's Arrow Lake-S processors are rumored to support Thunderbolt 5, the next generation wired connectivity standard. This is great news for those who use or want to use an external GPU. Presentation slides of the Barlow Bridge controller for Arrow Lake desktop were leaked on X by a user named YuuKi_AnS, revealing the inclusion of Thunderbolt 5 support. Although the tweet has since been deleted, screenshots were captured by a tech site.Thunderbolt 5 was introduced by Intel last year and offers numerous benefits, including 120Gbps of bandwidth (much faster than Thunderbolt 4) and PCIe Gen4 x4 support. This makes it ideal for connecting external GPUs, which are often used to enhance the graphics power of gaming laptops when connected to a desktop setup. While this leak pertains to desktop silicon, it also suggests that small form-factor PCs or space-constrained cases could benefit from external GPUs.
While Thunderbolt 5 did not make it to Intel's Meteor Lake CPUs, it is present in some high-end Raptor Lake Refresh (HX) chips for laptops. The arrival of Arrow Lake signifies Thunderbolt 5's full integration into desktops, with mobile CPUs also expected to feature this technology. However, Thunderbolt 5 is not yet widely available, and it may take until 2025 or even 2026 for it to gain full popularity. Despite the wait, the inclusion of Thunderbolt 5 support in the Arrow Lake-S processors is a promising sign for the future of wired connectivity.
External GPU enclosures have been around for a while but haven't gained much popularity due to limited wired connectivity options. With Thunderbolt 5's increased bandwidth and PCIe Gen4 x4 support, external GPUs can now deliver performance on par with directly plugged-in graphics cards. This development is expected to generate more interest in external GPUs, although the additional expense of enclosures remains a consideration. While the Thunderbolt 5 revolution may be a few years away, the leaked slides showcasing its inclusion in Arrow Lake-S processors offer a tantalizing glimpse of the future.