Question with Thunderbolt 3 on pc

[Pittman90]

So can someone explain to me how Thunderbolt 3 on new motherboards work (Z270, X99 Etc.) Is there even TB 3 or is it just USB 3.1 with a type C connector? And isn't TB 3 only on intel?  

[RadiatingLight]

Thunderbolt 3 is only intel exclusive, but Z270, X99, and basically every modern chipset is intel.

 

AFAIK, Thunderbolt 3 takes up some of your PCI-e lanes (4) to get to it's 40Gbps bandwith, which wouldn't be possible using a USB 3.1 Gen 2 connection.

 

what you are describing, USB 3.1 with a type c connector is not classified as thunderbolt.

 

it's important to understand that there can be a port that is USB type c, thunderbolt, or both.

[pwn_intended]

TB3 uses the USB-C connector.

There is a techquickie video which describes all the different protocols using type c.

 

[ShepBook]

Thunderbolt is an Intel tech, so it requires an Intel chipset or addon card. Thunderbolt 3 I've only seen in a USB type-c connector, so that's what you'll see.

 

From my understanding, Thunderbolt in general is providing access to the PCIe lanes on the motherboard (which is why external graphics card enclosures use them.)

 

From what I recall with Linus' rackmount gaming PC, he used some kind of addon card that connected his GPU to an (at the time) thunderbolt 2 port, which he then ran to his thunderbolt hub by his monitors. I'm not sure if there is any way to "pass through" a dedicated GPU to an on-board thunderbolt 3 port (though that would be cool).