USB4 2.0 Cables Capable of 80 Gbps Data and Power Delivery of 60 W and 240 W, Get Certified

[btarunr]

With PC motherboard manufacturers implementing 40 Gbps USB4, one wonders what's next for the [mostly] universal connectivity standard. Turns out, it is USB4 2.0, which yields the connector 80 Gbps of data bandwidth per direction, and 60 W of power-delivery (PD). Power delivery for USB4 2.0 can be as high as 240 W (48 V, 5 A). Japanese PC peripherals maker Elecom is the first with certified cables for both 80 Gbps + 60 W PD and 80 Gbps + 240 W PD. Besides power and data, both cables support DisplayPort passthrough for up to 8K @ 60 Hz (7680 x 4320 pixels). USB-IF, the governing body of the USB standard, is expected to formally launch USB4 2.0 in December 2024. A typical USB4 2.0 host controller will require at least a PCI-Express 5.0 x4 system bus connection to reach the standard's maximum bandwidth.



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[bobsled]

The USB-IF needs to be taken to pasture. The only explanation for asinine naming, and even the plethora of different implementations all under the same name, is insanity.

 

[LabRat 891]

USB4 2.0... I thought they were using the 'Gen2x#' moniker?
Guess I'll just pedantically memorize the latest USB-IF nomenclature

 

[A Computer Guy]

The biggest missed opportunity in the past 8 years of USB is not being able to link and daisy chain fans and RGB devices together with USB.

 

[Rafi2022]

48V at 5amps in Usb port
Not gonna use that from my PC obviously.
I only use external charger for my phone or whatever i use.
Speed should be only maintained not power delivery if u ask me.

 

[Dristun]

I hope they name the next version 4.1 and it's gonna be better than 4-2.0

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

Does anybody know if that 80Gbps can be fully used? For example, with Thunderbolt3/4, they advertise 40Gbps, but in reality if you hook up an external SSD or an eGPU, it is only using 32Gbps....that other 8Gbps is used by things like Displayport protocol, but cannot be accessed by the devices I mentioned above. Is it the same way with USB4 and USB4 2.0? If you hook up an eGPU to a USB 4 2.0 port, is that eGPU going to have access to the full 80Gbps or will it only have 64Gbps or something lesser?

 

[forman313]

Current: USB4 Gen3x2 cable (40 Gbps)

But now USB4 2.0 Gen1x1.. or is it USB4 2.0 Gen3x2? Gen4x1?

Why USB version 4 2.0 Generation 3 ??

Universal Serial Bus 4 version 2.0 Generation3x2 Power Delivery 3.1 240 watt.... Even the Welsh are laughing.

 

[TheLostSwede]

USB4 2.0... I thought they were using the 'Gen2x#' moniker?
Guess I'll just pedantically memorize the latest USB-IF nomenclature

They changed that with USB4 2.0, we now have:

The biggest missed opportunity in the past 8 years of USB is not being able to link and daisy chain fans and RGB devices together with USB.

The USB-C connectors are too expensive to do that.
All the other connectors are only allowed on one end of the cable to be allowed to be called USB.
That said, there's no-one stopping you from doing it, it just wouldn't be something approved by the USB-IF.

Does anybody know if that 80Gbps can be fully used? For example, with Thunderbolt3/4, they advertise 40Gbps, but in reality if you hook up an external SSD or an eGPU, it is only using 32Gbps....that other 8Gbps is used by things like Displayport protocol, but cannot be accessed by the devices I mentioned above. Is it the same way with USB4 and USB4 2.0? If you hook up an eGPU to a USB 4 2.0 port, is that eGPU going to have access to the full 80Gbps or will it only have 64Gbps or something lesser?

USB4 already allows for the full 40 Gbps to be used.
I wrote about this over two years ago, but clearly no-one that is a regular TPU reader, read my article.

USB4 is Coming - Everything You Need to Know

USB4 is the next evolution of the USB standard, but it's quite different from its predecessors as it brings with it support for DisplayPort connectivity, as well as optional PCI-Express and Thunderbolt 3 support. It tries to fix some technical issues, but adds a few of its own, but at least the...

www.techpowerup.com

USB4 1.0 and 2.0 also uses tunnelling for all the protocols, but DP is the one being prioritised when in use.

Current: USB4 Gen3x2 cable (40 Gbps)

But now USB4 2.0 Gen1x1.. or is it USB4 2.0 Gen3x2? Gen4x1?

Why USB version 4 2.0 Generation 3 ??

Universal Serial Bus 4 version 2.0 Generation3x2 Power Delivery 3.1 240 watt.... Even the Welsh are laughing.

No, see above.

USB PD is a separate standard, USB4 only has a minimum requirement of 7.5 Watts (as I**** didn't want it to compete with T**********) but it seems like most motherboards do at least 15 W.

 

[Nater]

The USB-IF needs to be taken to pasture. The only explanation for asinine naming, and even the plethora of different implementations all under the same name, is insanity.

Indeed. I was shocked on the first read thinking "How can USB 2.0 ports all the sudden support that speed?"

I missed the "4" snuck in there.

 

[Chrispy_]

More nonsense nomenclature

This is the only system we need:

etc...

If they do PD, then that should be clearly stated on the ports and cables in Watts, not hidden behind some bullshit lookup tables of USB version, sub-version, and bogus caveats* or using the words "up to" everywhere. I can type at "up to" 300 words a minute and my monitor's pixel response is 1ms*

Why is that so hard?

 

[HairyLobsters]

USB 420

 

[TheLostSwede]

Indeed. I was shocked on the first read thinking "How can USB 2.0 ports all the sudden support that speed?"

I missed the "4" snuck in there.

Actually... We had low-speed, full-speed and high-speed USB, before USB 3.0.
They're now called basic-speed and high-speed, as USB 3.0 is SuperSpeed.

 

[TumbleGeorge]

as USB 3.0 is SuperSpeed.

Then USB4 is UltraSpeed, USB4 v2.0 at 80G is(?) and at 120G is(?)?

 

[TheLostSwede]

If they do PD, then that should be clearly stated on the ports and cables in Watts, not hidden behind some bullshit lookup tables of USB version, sub-version, and bogus caveats* or using the words "up to" everywhere. I can type at "up to" 300 words a minute and my monitor's pixel response is 1ms*

View attachment 365925

65 W is not a USB PD standard. It goes 60 and 240 W only now, there was a 100 W one, but that's not being used any more, as 240 W replaced it.
As such, 60 W cables does anything up to 60 W and 240 W cables does anything up to 240 W.
The difference is with or without e-marker chip.

In other words, the USB-IF actually made this one simpler, by dropping the 100 W version and by only having two PD standards for charging.

That said, you could get a cable with the PD certification, which means no more than 15 W, but could be 7.5 W both at 5 V, because that's what the standard calls for, if it's a USB4 cable.

Then USB4 is UltraSpeed, USB4 v2.0 at 80G is(?) and at 120G is(?)?

I don't think that marketing name was every used, it's simply USB4 now, at either 40 or 80 Gbps.

 

[bonehead123]

No thanks, I just wait for the Super-Duper-Giga-Ultra-Mega-Quad-OC'd cables to come out, then all my puters/devices will be sooo much faster than everyone else's, hahahahaha

 

[persondb]

They changed that with USB4 2.0, we now have:
View attachment 365906

USB4 v2 didn't change the older USB4 20 Gbps and 40 Gbps name, those are still USB 4 Gen 2x2 and USB 4 Gen 3x2 respectively.

It's an abomination honestly.

 

[Chrispy_]

AliExpress has you sorted.

Just get a USB 4 2.0 Gen 3x2 SS PD240 Ultra With HDMI Over CAT6 U2 40Gbps Thunderbolt-compatible Charging iPad iPhone SATA for Windows/Mac/Android/Apple/13-Amp EU Plug Adapter Multi-Tool with Dolby Atmos 7.2 RON92 Cable

 

[TheLostSwede]

USB4 v2 didn't change the older USB4 20 Gbps and 40 Gbps name, those are still USB 4 Gen 2x2 and USB 4 Gen 3x2 respectively.

It's an abomination honestly.

There is no USB4 20 Gbps spec, it's just a fallback mode and it has no marketing name. Also, as far as consumers are concerned, those two things aren't used, since it's 40 Gbps and nothing else as far as most people are concerned. Why are you worried about terms that aren't used outside of the companies developing these products?

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

240W. That’s no belt, it’s a USB4 2.0 cable.

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

They changed that with USB4 2.0, we now have:
View attachment 365906


The USB-C connectors are too expensive to do that.
All the other connectors are only allowed on one end of the cable to be allowed to be called USB.
That said, there's no-one stopping you from doing it, it just wouldn't be something approved by the USB-IF.


USB4 already allows for the full 40 Gbps to be used.
I wrote about this over two years ago, but clearly no-one that is a regular TPU reader, read my article.

USB4 is Coming - Everything You Need to Know

USB4 is the next evolution of the USB standard, but it's quite different from its predecessors as it brings with it support for DisplayPort connectivity, as well as optional PCI-Express and Thunderbolt 3 support. It tries to fix some technical issues, but adds a few of its own, but at least the...

www.techpowerup.com

USB4 1.0 and 2.0 also uses tunnelling for all the protocols, but DP is the one being prioritised when in use.


No, see above.

USB PD is a separate standard, USB4 only has a minimum requirement of 7.5 Watts (as I**** didn't want it to compete with T**********) but it seems like most motherboards do at least 15 W.

I just read the guide, but it never answered my question. Also, when I quickly look at USB4 external SSD reviews, they all give similar sequential transfer rates to that of Thunderbolt 3/4 external SSDs, approximately 3000MB/s, but shouldn't the USB4 drives be closer to 3500-4000MB/s if they're using the full 40Gbps? Technically, 40Gbps equals 5000MB/s, but obviously there's going to be some overhead, but all the reviews I've seen top out at 3100MB/s. I thought at first it might be because the reviewer is using a TB4 port and not specifying, by I just read a PCWorld review where they test a USB4 drive in both a USB4 port and a TB4 port and the transfer rates are identical.

 

[persondb]

There is no USB4 20 Gbps spec, it's just a fallback mode and it has no marketing name. Also, as far as consumers are concerned, those two things aren't used, since it's 40 Gbps and nothing else as far as most people are concerned. Why are you worried about terms that aren't used outside of the companies developing these products?

It's not just a fallback mode but an actual mode that is required of devices. Gen 3(i.e. lanes at 20 gbps) is optional for some class of devices like peripherals but obligatory for hubs.

Single lane operation is a fallback though.

There are also cables that are sold that only met Gen 2 specs.

You can find the pdfs here:

USB4® Specification v2.0 | USB-IF

usb.org

(fallback)

(different specs for Gen 2 vs Gen 3)

 

[TheLostSwede]

I just read the guide, but it never answered my question. Also, when I quickly look at USB4 external SSD reviews, they all give similar sequential transfer rates to that of Thunderbolt 3/4 external SSDs, approximately 3000MB/s, but shouldn't the USB4 drives be closer to 3500-4000MB/s if they're using the full 40Gbps? Technically, 40Gbps equals 5000MB/s, but obviously there's going to be some overhead, but all the reviews I've seen top out at 3100MB/s. I thought at first it might be because the reviewer is using a TB4 port and not specifying, by I just read a PCWorld review where they test a USB4 drive in both a USB4 port and a TB4 port and the transfer rates are identical.

USB4 delivers at least 600/700 MB/s more sequential throughput than TB4. Keep in mind that a lot of tests are done with TB3/4 devices, so the cap is on that end, not the USB4 end.
So yes, you're correct and that's where it is if you look at these old figures from Computex 2023.

ASMedia's Delayed USB4 Host Controller is Nearly Here

Regular readers of TPU might remember our in-depth USB4 article that we posted almost a year ago, but since then, very little has happened and ASMedia has as yet to make its ASM4242 USB4 host controller available to its partners and then ASM2464 USB4 to PCIe 4.0 bridge was suffering the same...

www.techpowerup.com

I don't know what PCWorld did (except being amateurs and a lesser magazine than PCW used to be), but clearly something went wrong when they tested.

This is from CES earlier this year and QDM is hitting 3800 MB/s with Crucial's hardware.

Micron at CES 2024: USB4 SSD Technology Demonstrations

www.anandtech.com

It's not just a fallback mode but an actual mode that is required of devices. Gen 3(i.e. lanes at 20 gbps) is optional for some class of devices like peripherals but obligatory for hubs.

Single lane operation is a fallback though.

There are also cables that are sold that only met Gen 2 specs.

You can find the pdfs here:

USB4® Specification v2.0 | USB-IF

usb.org

View attachment 365949



View attachment 365948


View attachment 365950

(fallback)

View attachment 365951


(different specs for Gen 2 vs Gen 3)

View attachment 365952

Yes, it's a minimum requirement for USB4, something I**** forced through, yet NO-ONE at the USB-IF wanted it.
Good luck finding a single host controller that only does 20 Gbps.
It's pretty much a dead part of the standard, but yes, still part of the standard, so my bad there.

Hubs have to do 40 Gbps and support USB4, USB 3.2 2x2, PCIe and DP.

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

USB4 delivers at least 600/700 MB/s more sequential throughput than TB4. Keep in mind that a lot of tests are done with TB3/4 devices, so the cap is on that end, not the USB4 end.
So yes, you're correct and that's where it is if you look at these old figures from Computex 2023.

ASMedia's Delayed USB4 Host Controller is Nearly Here

Regular readers of TPU might remember our in-depth USB4 article that we posted almost a year ago, but since then, very little has happened and ASMedia has as yet to make its ASM4242 USB4 host controller available to its partners and then ASM2464 USB4 to PCIe 4.0 bridge was suffering the same...

www.techpowerup.com

I don't know what PCWorld did (except being amateurs and a lesser magazine than PCW used to be), but clearly something went wrong when they tested.

This is from CES earlier this year and QDM is hitting 3800 MB/s with Crucial's hardware.

Micron at CES 2024: USB4 SSD Technology Demonstrations

www.anandtech.com

Yes, it's a minimum requirement for USB4, something I**** forced through, yet NO-ONE at the USB-IF wanted it.
Good luck finding a single host controller that only does 20 Gbps.
It's pretty much a dead part of the standard.

Hubs have to do 40 Gbps and support USB4, USB 3.2 2x2, PCIe and DP.

Adata SE920 portable SSD review: Cheaper, faster USB 4 storage

Adata's handsome and unique USB4 SSD is the fastest we've tested at 40Gbps, and is also relatively affordable.

www.pcworld.com

Fstoppers Reviews the Express 1M2: USB4 Reaches the Portable SSD Market

New connection standards like USB4 offer photographers great opportunities to speed up their workflow. OWC has been one of the first to offer USB4 products to photographers and videographers, with products like their excellent Atlas Card Reader. Today, I’ll be taking a look at the storage side...

fstoppers.com

OWC Express 1M2 SSD review: USB4 storage finally arrives--and it's fantastic

Fast and versatile, the OWC Express 1M2 external USB4 SSD is on the large side, but so is its performance — across any flavor of USB or Thunderbolt.

www.pcworld.com

Here are a couple I looked at, but regardless, 3800MB/s is approximately 30Gbps.....10Gbps overhead seems a bit steep....I don't know, just haven't seen anything convincing that it's using the 40Gbps for data

 

[Gooigi's Ex]

Adata SE920 portable SSD review: Cheaper, faster USB 4 storage

Adata's handsome and unique USB4 SSD is the fastest we've tested at 40Gbps, and is also relatively affordable.

www.pcworld.com

Fstoppers Reviews the Express 1M2: USB4 Reaches the Portable SSD Market

New connection standards like USB4 offer photographers great opportunities to speed up their workflow. OWC has been one of the first to offer USB4 products to photographers and videographers, with products like their excellent Atlas Card Reader. Today, I’ll be taking a look at the storage side...

fstoppers.com

OWC Express 1M2 SSD review: USB4 storage finally arrives--and it's fantastic

Fast and versatile, the OWC Express 1M2 external USB4 SSD is on the large side, but so is its performance — across any flavor of USB or Thunderbolt.

www.pcworld.com

Here are a couple I looked at, but regardless, 3800MB/s is approximately 30Gbps.....10Gbps overhead seems a bit steep....I don't know, just haven't seen anything convincing that it's using the 40Gbps for data

Here’s an example of USB4 using the full 40Gbps vs Thunderbolt 3/4

GPU performance is about 10-20% better performance in games vs TB 3/4 and slightly behind Oculink. Since USB 4 2.0 will be using 80Gbps, GPUs will be able to fully stretch their legs the the devices that are utilizing the GPU will be charging at a fast rate vs Oculink