Firewire vs. Thunderbolt: Key Differences Explained

This article compares Firewire and Thunderbolt, highlighting the differences between these two interface technologies.

Introduction

Firewire, defined by the IEEE 1394 standard developed by Apple, is a high-performance serial bus used to connect devices to PCs. It facilitates the transfer of data, especially for audio and video equipment.

Different Firewire standards and versions exist, including Firewire 400, Firewire 800, Firewire S800T, Firewire S1600, and Firewire S3200, supporting speeds up to 3200 Mbps. Comparable to USB, IEEE 1394 supports isochronous real-time data transfer and acts as a serial bus for high-speed communication.

Thunderbolt technology enables connecting laptops to high-performance storage, displays, and multimedia devices via a single cable. It’s compatible with existing DisplayPort devices and supports data, video, and power over a single cable connection, reaching speeds of up to 40 Gbps.

Various Thunderbolt versions are available, including Thunderbolt 1, Thunderbolt 2, Thunderbolt 3, and Thunderbolt 4. Thunderbolt 1 supports 10 Gbps bi-directional, dual-channel data transfer. Thunderbolt 2 and 3 support 20 Gbps and 40 Gbps, respectively. Thunderbolt 4 is backward compatible with Thunderbolt 3, 2, 1, and USB versions. Refer to the Thunderbolt 4 specifications for more details.

Difference between Firewire and Thunderbolt

The following table summarizes the key differences between Firewire and Thunderbolt.