While not exactly suited for multi-GPU configurations, it should be enough bandwidth to run a single card at near-full speed in the vast majority of cases. This works out to an x4 PCI-E 3.0 connection.

The new standard offers support for up to two 4K 60Hz panels or a single 5K 60Hz display (this makes sense, as a 5K 60Hz panel is roughly 1.8x as many pixels as a 4K panel). 40Gbps works out to 5GB/s worth of bandwidth - which means Thunderbolt 3 can provide roughly a bit less bandwidth than an older PCI-Express 2.0 connection. Intel doesn't include PCI-Express on its list of interfaces, but at this point, it could. Unlike Thunderbolt 2, which kept total bandwidth the same as Thunderbolt 1.0, but allowed for more flexible bandwidth sharing options to improve performance, Thunderbolt doubles real bandwidth to up to 40Gbps. Even better, the USB 3.1 port in question is USB 3.1 Gen 2, as opposed to the USB 3.1 Gen 1 (aka USB 3.0), port that Apple uses for its new MacBook's USB-C port. Here's what this means, in aggregate: You can now run DisplayPort, Thunderbolt, USB 3, and PCI-Express over a single Thunderbolt port. Thunderbolt 3, aka Alpine Ridge, accomplishes this by integrating a USB 3.1 controller directly on-platform, neatly bypassing the entire 'Should I use Thunderbolt 3 or USB' argument altogether.

Third-generation Thunderbolt won't just be faster than USB 3.0 or USB 3.1, it'll offer all of its performance over a reversible USB-C plug. Today, with the announcement of Intel's Alpine Ridge, that schism is effectively over.

There's never been any question of which standard was faster - first-generation Thunderbolt blew USB 3.0 out of the water - but higher device costs, expensive cables, and limited OEM uptake have limited Thunderbolt's market penetration. Ever since Intel launched its high-performance Thunderbolt interface, it's been fighting to win market share away from USB devices.

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