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[Prime] Plugable 1m USB4 Cable, 40Gbps, 240W Charging, USB-IF Certified $16.95 Delivered @ Plugable via Amazon AU

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The best price for Plugable Thunderbold 4 cable so far.

About this item

  • Certified Reliability - USB-IF Certified to ensure maximum functionality, the Plugable 1M (3.3ft) USB 4 cable delivers 240W (48V/5A), 40Gbps data transfer speeds, and supports two 4K screens or one 8K screen
  • Maximum Charging - This USB4 Extended Power Range (EPR) cable is capable of carrying a massive 240W (48V/5A), compared to previous 100W available through USB Power Delivery (PD) cables. Compatible charging with just about any USB-C device
  • Display and Resolution Support - See the whole picture. This 40Gbps USB4 USB-C cable is Thunderbolt-compatible, with support for dual extended 4K screens at 60Hz, or one 8K screen when paired with a compatible hub or docking station
  • Certified Compatibility - This cable is USB-IF Certified and built to Plugable's highest standards. It has been rigorously tested in a variety of environments and scenarios. It should work in just about any Thunderbolt 4 / 3, USB4, or USB-C port you can find
  • 2 Year Warranty - We love our Plugable products, and hope you will too. All of our products are backed with a 2-year limited parts and labor warranty as well as Seattle-based email support
Price History at C CamelCamelCamel.
This is part of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale for 2023

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closed Comments

  • Excuse my ignorance, but why not something like this:
    https://www.amazon.com.au/LUXLE-Cable-Thunderbolt-Supports-4…

    • +1

      That one you need to buy 2. For me, at least I've heard of Pluggable and bought Pluggable products before. LUXLE… never heard of it before.

      • +1

        That one you need to buy 2

        Yes but when you get 2 for less than the price of 1…

        Are low quality / under spec cables a thing in USB C world?

        • +4

          Can't comment on the Lux cables, but yes low quality cables is definitely a thing in USB-C land.

          • +6

            @kyon: very annoying how the one plug has an indecipherable myriad of standards that it may or may not support

            like seriously wtf is USB4 Gen 3×2 (that is compatible with thunderbolt 3, and 'aligned with' but isn't thunderbolt 4)

            i just want milk that tastes like real milk

            • +2

              @Gdsamp: USB4 Gen 3×2 vs Thunderbolt 4. That was a bit of shrewd thing to do from Intel (Intel only "donated" Thunderbolt 3 to USB 4). At 1m or below, USB4 Gen 3x2 is the same as Thunderbolt 4. It is only over 1m, the cable "could" get away with dropping the speed and still claim USB 4. However, majority of the cables being sold currently, are likely active cables for 2m.

              The mess will get even worse with USB4 Gen 4. It is already a big mess, I have USB-C USB 2, 3, 3.2 gen 2, 3.2 gen 2x2, 4/Thunderbolt 3 cables. Then, different sets of dongles for USB-C/DP-alt-mode 1.2 and 1.4.

            • @Gdsamp: Thunderbolt4 is the standard you're looking for. It's the first "just works" standard as there is essentially no optional part of the spec.

              • @incipient: Nah, you'd better pray that Intel and Apple don't release a new revision that provides optional support of DisplayPort 2.0 via alt-mode. With so many accessories and cable sellers simply sell you Thunderbolt 3 stuff as Thunderbolt 4, it is easy to get fooled by Thunderbolt 4 marketing.

                95+% of Thunderbolt 4 enclosures use Intel Thunderbolt 3 chipsets (because data transfer wise, especially at 1m, there is ZERO speed improvement for Thunderbolt 4). The reality is the first proper USB 4 chipset actually delivers better performance than Intel Thunderbolt 4 (because Intel Thunderbolt 4 is still PCIe gen 3 x4, but the USB 4 chipset technically wired to PCIe gen 4 x4, but still restricted to Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 gen 3 x2 limit - so still PCIe gen 3 x4).

                Worse still, there are two different setup of Thunderbolt 4, directly wired to CPU vs via chipset (majority of desktop PCs would be via chipset). PC Thunderbolt 4 add on cards, vendors don't have a standard so you are brave to buy a different brand of AIC for your motherboard. It does not just works. On AMD platform, some features are not available through the add-in card.

                • +2

                  @netsurfer:

                  there is ZERO speed improvement for Thunderbolt 4

                  There is no maximum speed increase. The minimum however is also now 32gbps. I think they even mandate 32 over 2m cables, which wasn't the case before?

                  But yeah I'm sure a lot of vendors do dodgy stuff, but that's not compliant with the standard/not technically TB4.

                  I'm not sure about TB4 expansion cards on amd platforms. But yeah some of the wake in lan stuff may be weird, not sure if that technically means it's TB4 compliant?

                  But either way some fairly edge cases, and in pretty much all cases it'll just work.

                  • @incipient: It is great marketing from Intel, until you really think about how you can use that. That's for using external GPU through Thunderbolt 4. You will be charged a premium for that (I don't even want to bother looking for cases that support that). Then, the worse part is that you are still crippling the GPU because you are still bounded to at best PCIe gen 3 x8.

                    Intel mandates 40Gbps for 2m cable, but it is NOT the chipset that does it, it is the cable that needs to be active cable for 2m onwards. The data transfer part is still limited to PCIe gen 3 x4 so you are NOT getting 40Gpbs, but 32Gbps. All that 40Gbps can only be achieved via external GPU path. Think about it, a Thunderbolt 4 add-in card uses a PCIe gen 3 x4 slot so how can it achieve PCIe gen 3 x8? It can only do that via DisplayPort pass through. A lot of those cards support passing through 2 DisplayPort inputs.

                    Thunderbolt 4 itself lacks substantial improvement because Intel was late to PCIe gen 4 support and Apple, at the beginning of Apple Silicon change, doesn't want to wire PCIe gen 4 to low end Apple M1 or M2 (cost). It is still PCIe gen 3 x4 with some newer DisplayPort 1.4 hacks.

                    Thunderbolt 5 looks more reasonable (in terms of having some decent improvement). But let's not forget USB 4 gen 4 is on the horizon too so Thunderbolt 5 has to at least be as good. Most likely new type of cables for those, so more mess to come.

              • @incipient: Technically, the official requirement for Thunderbolt 4 is USB-PD of 100W. So, these so called "240W" cables are basically Thunderbolt 4 cables with USB-PD 3.1 support. So this Thunderbolt 4 is so great doesn't make sense (I have 100W Thunderbolt 4 cables).

                You actually need to look at the detail specs of the device or cable to figure out what you are getting exactly. Sure, you can think of these cables have 240W support. However, the current is still 5A so technically, a re-coded e-marking chip and a Thunderbolt 3 cable which passes higher voltage test could be sold as USB 4 / Thunderbolt 4 240W cable. For these 1m cables, it is better assume that's what's happening, rather than assume you are getting some sort of new higher grade cables, especially at this price point.

                • @netsurfer: Yeah 240w is above TB4. If you plug in these cables expecting them to do 100w…they'll still do 100w, so…they'll just work.

                  Whereas TB3 however you could plug it in and just get 18w, and not charge your laptop, that wouldn't "just work" which is what I'm referring to.

                  • @incipient: Stop making stuff up please. Macbook Pro Intel uses Thunderbolt 3 and Apple did release a 87W adapter. If Thunderbolt 4 can pair with USB PD 3.1, Thunderbolt 3 can pair with USB PD 3.0. Technically, there is nothing stopping Thunderbolt 3 pairing up with USB PD 3.1.

                    So, Apple, with Macbook Pro Intel USB-C/Thunderbolt 3, implemented USB PD 3.0 years ago (and on the first Thunderbolt 3 chipset Intel supplied to Apple). The included USB-C cable for power is rated 100W. Apple is not stupid, 18W to power Intel Macbook Pros would be a huge joke.

                    Intel's 18W is an excuse for Intel to do that on some of the NUCs.

                    That's why Intel picked 100W for Thunderbolt 4. At the time, only USB PD 3.0 is available. However, not all motherboard makers honour that for desktop PCs. There are Thunderbolt 4 AICs cannot do 100W, and for good reason. You really don't want to waste / reserve 100W on a desktop port, better off allocate that power to the X16 GPU slot.

                    In reality, Thunderbolt 4 should be called Thunderbolt 3.1 or 3.5. Thunderbolt 5 is more like a proper improvement. I have an Intel NUC that has Thunderbolt 4 and it does NOT need 100W, yet Intel does NOT let me power that NUC with a 100W USB-C/PD adapter. So what's so great about Thunderbolt 4 and the so called 100W support?

                    • @netsurfer: I said could be 18w. TB3 doesn't mandate any power requirements. A laptop could (and often did) provide TB3 ports that wouldn't charge the laptop. TB4 requires at least one port accept 100w of power.

                      I can't find the spec, and have subsequently become bored lol, but TB3 I think only uses usb PD to charge, it doesn't have its own spec.

                      But you are right, they don't need to output 100w - that would be an incredibly difficult spec to meet, as you said on motherboards, etc.

                      • @incipient: A spec that allows cable and accessory makers to re-sell Thunderbolt 3 cables and accessories as Thunderbolt 4 and require customers to manually go through the detail spec to figure it out is not a good standard, nor it just works.

                        Thunderbolt 4 on AMD, especially via add-in card is no fun. One Thunderbolt 4 AIC only implements USB-PD 2.0, permitting only 27W and not even supporting 12V.

                        Incorrect: Thunderbolt 4 guarantees 100W.

                  • @incipient: The bad part of Thunderbolt 4:

                    • Intel donated Thunderbolt 3 because Intel doesn't want another USB 3.2 gen 2x2 situation.
                    • Because of that, USB-IF caved in and not making USB 3.2 gen 2x2 mandatory for USB 4.
                    • If we really think about it, Intel's equivalent of USB 3.2 gen 2x2 is Thunderbolt 3 @ 2m with passive cable, which clearly Intel doesn't give a damn.
                    • Intel forcing USB 4 chipset to pass at least Thunderbolt 3 certification, delaying it reaching us faster.

                    The first proper USB 4 chipset supports USB 3.2 gen 2x2, Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4. Yet, most people are trashing USB 4. Intel is actually shrewd.

                    Because we've been flooded with Thunderbolt 3 enclosures and only certain Intel CPUs have Thunderbolt 4 wired to CPU path, the way Thunderbolt 4 is wired via chipset is inferior to the first proper / true USB 4 chipset (the USB 4 chipset is designed to be wired to a PCIe gen 4 x4 bus, but the data transfer is still restricted by USB 4 gen 3 / Thunderbolt 4 limit). If Thunderbolt is wired to the CPU, then it is still competitive to the USB 4 chipset wiring.

        • Well, these 1m ones are passive cables (so they aren't that great anyway). I don't even have the meter or gear to test 240W. The reality is that most of us don't have the ability to properly test these cables. I have Thunderbolt devices. Thing is, majority of the time, I use the included cables.

          • @netsurfer: What's an active cable? In my mind active means powered?

            • @cooni: From pluggable Web site:

              An active cable uses little electronic chips to increase the distance your data can travel along its path. A passive cable doesn’t.

              Basically, there is a chip or some chips which are used to boost the signal (required for 2m Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 cables). Passive cables, other than that e-mark chip, are just wires.

    • +4

      Pluggable is a proper brand that does their own design, offers good warranty, is well made, and as they have a brand to protect you know it'll be actually made to spec so will work properly - which is super important if you're running them at 40gbps (eg an egpu) or up to the full 240w limit.

    • Not all cables are certified, which this is. So slightly more reassurance that it's to spec.

      https://www.usb.org/single-product/8001

      • In theory, yes. In reality, not really.

        • I have AmazonBasics USB-IF certified cables. Consistently charging at lower voltage and current (vs originals). On occasions will glitch and devices won't fast charge with them. Too lazy to return them (was $1.20 USD each years ago).
        • Vendors do release different batches of cables. If original batch is made by maker A and USB-IF certified, don't expect the vendors to not cut cost and go with a cheaper cable maker later on.

        Quite a few companies have been caught doing dodgy swaps.

  • Will this fast charge a MacBook at 140w? Or is it just MagSafe that will do it? Just the MagSafe right?

    • -1

      MagSafe only (because Apple sold way too many USB-C cables that are 100W only and Apple won't let 3rd party cables get benefits over its own cables).

      However, it is actually better / safer. Because imagine Apple releasing 240W USB-C cables. How do you easily keep track of which one is which?

      • Yeah thought as much lol thanks for that.

        If I had a 140w cable it’d be perfect bc then I can bring along one cable into my 3 in 1 anker cube and fast charge my Apple Watch, AirPods, iPhone and MacBook, whilst atm I can do that just without the complete fast charging on the MacBook

        • +1

          I'll be more than happy to take your Macbook Pro and you can buy PC laptops… LOL…
          MagSafe is better. USB-C/Thunderbolt isn't that good as a power plug.

          • @netsurfer: lol yeah MagSafe is for sure better but that’s another cable. I’ve gotten my iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch down to one cable but an extra MagSafe cable woulda been elite to get rid of (by no means necessary but woulda been cool)

            • @ThatNintendoKid: 240W, I'd rather trust Apple cables than some 3rd party. It's a different story for Mobile phones (20W).

              Power, for Apple devices, I always use original cables (even for iPhones). Data devices, I am willing to use 3rd party cables.

        • You have the Anker cube and you’re in Aus? What brick do you use to power it? And do you like the cube? Pros / cons?

          • @scavang3r: Yes I had to order it from Amazon US but it came decently quickly and it is so good! Jolly expensive but it charges everything decently quick (not as fast as by cable obviously, but it supports the fastest wireless charging that each device can do) and the main thing for me is having everything charge with one cable whilst having that magsafe capability horizontally for the new ios 17 standby mode. Only con is I wish it'd charge slightly faster so occasionally if I need a quick charge for my phone i'll just take the cable out of the back of the cube and plug it right into my phone (thanks USB C!). Another thing thats more of a slight annoyance than anything is that i wish it stuck to the table slightly more as I'll often have to hold the the cube while i'm taking it off the magsafe puck, but really only a small thing. Super compact and i dont think I can ever go back to cables ever again haha

            • @ThatNintendoKid: Awesome :)

              Thanks for your reply and review on it!

              EDIT: How do you use the wall charger provided with the Cube? Using a US to AUS adapter?

      • It's definitely not a safety issue. All cables without e-markers are automatically limited to 60W. Cables with e-markers have the e-marker to tell the charger and device how much power they can carry.

        Also for the record there's absolutely no need for a short, expensive Thunderbolt 4 cable to charge over 100W. Just get a USB-IF certified charging cable rated to 140 or 240W. CableCreation make a cheap 2M 240W one that you can get on amazon.

        • The question is Apple devices related. It's more about whether Apple allows / supports it. Apple does not permit 240W on Thunderbolt 4 ports on Macbook Pros.

          It is a safety issue (eMarking can be faked) + Apple milking customers.

  • +1

    Vendor is advertising it as USB4 cable USB-IF Certified, not TB4 Thunderbolt Certified cable.
    They have another listing for the TB4 certified cable (1m) at higher price.
    https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BPZYYMDC?smid=AWV7F29L33K2C

    Previous deal for TB certified

    • Oh crap didn’t notice that. That’s pretty crap, might cancel the order.

      • It's silly to pay that much for a 3rd party Thunderbolt 4 1m cable. In reality, there is no difference between a certified USB 4 1m cable vs a certified Thunderbolt 4 1m cable. I already mentioned both are passive cables. Furthermore, at 1m, the cable makers can easily sell you a Thunderbolt 3 cable with the connectors re-printed to Thunderbolt 4.

        The difference technically starts at 2m. However, most cable makers are not that dumb to sell Thunderbolt 3 2m speed reduced cables as USB 4 2m cables.

        Do you have Thunderbolt 4 devices? If yes, since it is from Amazon, get it, try it and test it. If it doesn't work, return it. As for 240W testing, even if you want to test it, the cheapest meter is about $100 and you still need a device and a 240W adapter. So at best, for most people, only check the e-marking. Honestly, if you REALLY have the ability to test Thunderbolt 4 properly, you need 6K or 8K display(s) or 4K gaming (120Hz+) monitor(s) + Thunderbolt enclosure.

  • Normally $19?

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