We were a bit late to spot it, but in January (probably during the CES overload!), Intel released new ‘Titan Ridge’ Thunderbolt Controllers that add DisplayPort 1.4 and USB-C Host compatibility. The new controllers improve on the previous ‘Alpine Ridge’ controllers by allowing a fallback to USB-C when installed in a sinlk/peripheral device. This will improve compatibility for UltraHD displays.
Intel’s JHL7x40 family of Thunderbolt 3 controllers supports two main features of the TB3 technology, including PCIe 3.0 with 40 Gbps data transfer rate as well as USB 3.1 Gen 2 with 10 Gbps data transfer rate. The big difference is that Titan Ridge adds support for two DisplayPort 1.4 streams to be encapsulated into the TB3 connection, versus two DisplayPort 1.2 streams in case of the previous-gen TB3 controllers. What isn’t changing here is the actual Thunderbolt3 signalling standard or the cabling, so the total amount bandwidth offered is the same. Using HBR3, the interface should support 4K120 or 8K60 with DSC.
Intel is reported to be planning to make the Thunderbolt specification available openly later this year on an open royalty-free basis later this year.
Analyst Comment
Anandtech pointed out that the DisplayPort 1.4 spec is not yet supported by Intel’s integrated GPUs, so a discrete GPU has to be used. Of course, one way to solve the resolution limits that come from Thunderbolt is to use the Thunderbolt3 interface to connect to an external GPU, then drive multiple displays from that.
The main advantage of the new chip is that if it is integrated into a monitor, the monitor will now also be able to support systems with USB-C with Displayport Alt mode. It is also more useful in a dock, compared to the previous version, which was limited to only working with other Thunderbolt devices as hosts.
Intel summarised in a blog post that the following Thunderbolt monitors were shown at CES.
- Asus ProArt PA27AC HDR Professional Monitor
- Lenovo ThinkVision X1 (27”) monitor
- Lenovo ThinkVision P32u monitor
- LG 32UK950 32” 4K monitor
- LG 34WK95U 34” 5K monitor
- Samsung CJ791 curved monitor
- Viewsonic VP2768-4K monitor
There were 18 PCs and five docks at the show, too. Check here for the full list. (BR)
