First USB4 2.0 cables set to launch in 2024
Japanese manufacturer Elecom has announced the first cables to support the USB4 2.0 standard, which was introduced at the beginning of September. They achieve up to 80 Gbit/s in both directions and can transmit video signals in 8K/60Hz quality via DisplayPort passthrough. In comparison: USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 only manage 40 Gbit/s and support a maximum of 4K/60Hz for video transmission.
Another significant improvement concerns the power delivery mode, which now reaches up to 240 watts, allowing even power-hungry devices such as gaming laptops or powerful workstations to be operated. However, not every USB4 2.0 cable from Elecom will be able to deliver this much power. The manufacturer has announced a cable with 60 and 240 watts.
Elecom's USB4 2.0 cables are set to launch in mid-December 2024, but will be available exclusively in Japan at first. It is currently unknown when they will be available in other countries.
No suitable mainboards available yet
At present, no motherboards on the market offer native support for USB4 2.0. If you still want to exploit the full performance of the new USB standard, you will have to rely on a USB4 2.0 controller, which has to be installed in the PC as an expansion card.
Thunderbolt 5 offers even better conditions for 8K streaming
Intel's Thunderbolt 5 standard, which is already available on devices such as the Razer Blade 18 gaming laptop or the SD5000T5 EQ docking station from Kensington, also operates at 80 Gbit/s. However, asymmetric bandwidth distribution enables up to 120 Gbit/s for data-intensive video applications - ideal for 8K streaming.
