Thunderbolt 5 hardware arrives via Sonnet and OWC

New hardware solutions utilizing the Thunderbolt 5 standard are entering the market, targeting professionals and workstation users.

Sonnet has introduced the Breakaway Box 850 T5, an external GPU (eGPU) enclosure designed for Windows 11 computers. The system supports Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4, and is compatible with the latest Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. It features an 850-watt power supply and an integrated dock providing 80 Gbps bandwidth, including Thunderbolt, USB-A, and 5-Gigabit Ethernet ports. The device aims to provide desktop-class graphics performance to laptops and small-form-factor computers through a single connection.

In a separate development, OWC has released a Thunderbolt 5 Dock designed to expand connectivity for workstations and Mac users. The dock supports up to three 8K displays and provides 140W of power to charge connected laptops. It includes various inputs such as SD/microSD card readers and high-speed storage connections. To fully utilize the Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth, users require hardware with an M4 Pro chip or better.