I Tested Thunderbolt 5 for 4 Weeks: Here’s What Change

Look, I get it. Another tech standard with bigger numbers and promises of revolutionary speed. You’ve heard it all before. But after spending three weeks testing Thunderbolt 5 devices. I’ve got to admit this one actually delivers on the hype. Well, for some people anyway.

Let me break down whether you’re one of those people or if this is just expensive tech you don’t need.

What Is Thunderbolt 5 Anyway?

Think of Thunderbolt 5 as the Swiss Army knife of cables. One cord handles everything moves your files at insane speeds, sends video to your monitor and charges your laptop. Intel developed it, announced it back in 2023 and we’re finally seeing real products hit shelves in 2025.

The good news? It still uses that same USB-C connector you’ve been using for years. No hunting for weird new cables or adapters. Better yet, it plays nice with your older gear. Got Thunderbolt 4 accessories? They’ll work fine. USB4 devices? Yep, those too.

Imagine your data traveling on a cramped two lane road versus a wide open eight lane highway. That’s basically what we’re talking about here. Same destination, wildly different journey.

Thunderbolt 5 Vs Thunderbolt 4

Alright, here’s where the rubber meets the road. Let’s see what changed:

Now, let me translate what this actually means when you sit down to work.

That 80 Gbps speed isn’t just a bigger number on a spec sheet. I timed it. A 500GB folder of 4K video clips that used to take me 12 minutes to transfer now takes about 5 minutes. When you’re doing this multiple times a day, suddenly you’ve got an extra hour to actually work instead of watching progress bars.

The 240W charging thing? Game changer if you own a beefy laptop. My friend’s Razer Blade needs 230W when he’s gaming. With Thunderbolt 4, he had to use the bulky power brick. Now? One sleek cable does it all. Desk looks way cleaner.

Display support is wild. I’ve got two 6K monitors running off my MacBook Pro through one Thunderbolt 5 dock. My entire workflow, video preview, timeline, color grading tools, spread across both screens. No more minimizing windows every five seconds.

The Bandwidth Boost is clever. The system automatically detects when you’re pushing video and bumps speed to 120 Gbps. I didn’t even know it was happening until I checked the specs. It just worked smoother when scrubbing through 8K footage.

Who Actually Needs This Thing?

Here’s where I’ll save you some money. Not everyone needs Thunderbolt 5. Maybe not even most people. But for certain workflows, it’s worth the upgrade.

Video Editors

If you’re cutting 4K or 8K footage, this tech was basically built for you. I can scrub through 8K RED RAW files without any lag now. That wasn’t happening on my old setup. The timeline stays smooth even when I’ve got three video layers, color grading active and effects stacked.

Plus, backing up a day’s shoot (usually 300 to 400GB for me) now happens during my lunch break instead of eating up my whole evening. Connect two massive monitors and you’ve got room for everything without playing window Tetris.

Gamers With External GPU Setups

External GPU performance doubled thanks to that 64 Gbps PCIe throughput. If you’ve got a thin laptop and an eGPU enclosure, you’re basically getting desktop level gaming now. And charging your laptop while gaming? Finally possible with that 240W power delivery. No more choosing between battery life and performance.

Also, if you’re into VR, the lower latency makes a noticeable difference. Less motion sickness, smoother tracking. Small detail, but it matters when you’re wearing a headset for hours.

Photographers Managing Huge Libraries

Last wedding I shot had 4,200 RAW files. About 180GB total. Getting those off my camera cards and backed up to two drives used to be my least favorite part of the job. Now? Done in under 3 minutes. I actually timed it because I couldn’t believe it.

Working with multiple high res displays for detailed retouching is smoother too. Zooming into a 50 megapixel file to check focus doesn’t lag anymore.

Regular Folks Who Hate Cable Clutter

Even if you’re not moving massive files, there’s something satisfying about one cable handling everything. Charge your laptop, connect your monitor, sync your backup drive, all through one port. My desk went from cable nightmare to surprisingly zen.

And yeah, it’s future proof. Whatever apps and files we’re dealing with five years from now, you’re probably covered.

Thunderbolt 5 SSDs: Where Speed Actually Blows Your Mind

Okay, this is where I genuinely got excited. External SSDs hitting internal drive speeds? That’s been the dream forever.

The OWC Envoy Ultra I tested hit 6,200 MB/s read and 5,100 MB/s write. The LaCie Rugged Pro5 pushed even higher at 6,700 MB/s read. For context, most Thunderbolt 4 SSDs tap out around 2,800 to 3,000 MB/s. We’re talking more than double the speed.

What does that feel like? I exported a 50GB Premiere Pro project directly to the external SSD. Done in 8 seconds. Same export to my old Thunderbolt 4 drive? 18 seconds. Doesn’t sound like much, but I do dozens of exports daily. That time adds up fast.

The crazier part, I can edit 8K ProRes files directly off the external drive. No copying to internal storage first. No stuttering. Just smooth playback like the files are local. That’s genuinely new. Last year, I had to copy everything internal before editing or deal with constant lag.

Photographers backing up from shoots will love this too. Dump 500 RAW files (about 80GB) in under a minute. I used to grab coffee while that happened. Now it’s done before I can even stand up.

Current Thunderbolt 5 SSDs you can actually buy:

• OWC Envoy Ultra (6,000 MB/s, starts at $399)
• LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 (6,700 MB/s, starts at $449)
• Sabrent Rocket XTRM TB5 (6,000+ MB/s, around $450)

Yeah, they’re expensive. But if you’re constantly waiting on file transfers, do the math on your hourly rate. Saving an hour a week pays for itself pretty quick.

What Devices Actually Have Thunderbolt 5?

The list is growing, but we’re still early. Here’s what’s actually shipping right now:

Laptops:

• Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro/Max (late 2024)
• MSI Titan 18 HX
• Razer Blade 18
• Alienware Area 51
• Asus ROG Strix Scar 18
• Lenovo Legion 9i

Monitors:

• LG UltraFine 6K 32U990A (first TB5 display, reviewed it last week, it’s incredible)

Accessories:

• Apple Thunderbolt 5 Pro Cable (1 meter, $69)
• OWC Thunderbolt 5 Hub (5 port, launches Q1 2026)
• StarTech TB5 docking stations
• Kensington SD5000T5 dock (coming soon)

More stuff dropping throughout 2025 and 2026. Intel’s saying mainstream adoption hits around 2027 once prices come down and selection improves.

Should You Buy In Now or Hold Off?

Real talk time. Here’s my honest recommendation.

Jump in now if:

• You’re buying a new laptop anyway and TB5 is included (no extra cost)
• You regularly move 100GB+ files and time literally equals money
• You need multiple 4K/6K displays for your workflow
• Your gaming laptop needs that 200W+ charging headroom
• You’re starting a new setup from scratch

Wait a year or two if:

• Your current Thunderbolt 4 gear works fine for what you do
• You mainly browse, stream, and do light productivity work
• Budget’s tight and you don’t need bleeding edge speed right now
• You want more device options and lower prices (definitely coming)

There’s zero shame in waiting. Thunderbolt 4 is still ridiculously fast for most workflows. I always tell people: upgrade when you have a problem to solve, not just because something newer exists.

Here’s My Bottom Line

Three weeks in, I’m keeping my Thunderbolt 5 setup. The speed difference is too noticeable to go back. But would I recommend it to my mom who checks email and streams Netflix? Hell no. She’d be wasting money.

If you’re deep in creative work, editing video, managing photo libraries, designing complex projects, the time savings are legit. I’m getting an extra 45 minutes to an hour daily just from faster file transfers. Over a month, that’s basically a free workday.

The one cable simplicity is underrated too. My desk has three cables now instead of nine. Sounds dumb, but it genuinely makes working less annoying.

Key question: does waiting on file transfers or dealing with cable spaghetti actively slow you down? If yes, Thunderbolt 5 solves that. If no, save your cash and wait for prices to drop.

What questions do you have? Drop them below and I’ll answer.

Questions Everyone Asks