SOLVED: What Are The Different Types of Thunderbolt USB-C Connectors & Speeds?

If you are buying new PC or laptop it will have a USB type C connector however, USB type C is simply the oval shaped connector with connection block in the center and it does NOT relate to the speed.

Your are likely looking at something similar to the laptop image to the right.

Most people think that Type C devices all run faster that the older rectangular Type A connected devices, but that is not necessarily the case.  Type C devices can run at speeds ranging from the old slow USB 2.0 .5Mbs to Thunderbolt speeds of 40Gbs as shown in the graphic below:

 

Nearly all USB Type C devices run at USB 3.1 speeds of 10Gb per second or faster but that is not a requirement.  Further, there are three different generations of Thunderbolt available today, each version runs twice a fast as the previous version.

This means that when you are buying USB C devices that you check the speed.  In the world of 2018, I would not buy anything that needed fast connections (i.e. video, external disk…) that was below Thunderbolt 2; otherwise I would just stick with good ‘ol USB 3.1… but that is just me, you may feel differently.