The PCI Express will compete in Thunderbolt - The improved performance is also achieved by eliminating the so-called "bottlenecks" that may be in a single component, such as the hard disk, or in connection interfaces. Intel , in collaboration with Apple, has developed the high-speed connection (10 Gbps), constituted by the union of PCI Express and DisplayPort.
Thunderbolt is a proprietary solution, however, that the PCI Special Interest Group has announced it will begin a short study to achieve a standard for external devices based on PCI Express .
The new cable will use the PCI Express 3.0 and will support up to four lines from a total of 8 Gbps to 32 Gbps with a length not exceeding 10 meters. Initially the copper will be used as material, but with the increase in transmission speed due to the arrival of PCI Express 4.0 , the cables are made with fiber optics .
According to the plans of the PCI-SIG, PCI Express 4.0 should arrive between four years and ensure speed of 16 Gbps. This means that 4 lines PCIe 4.0 will achieve a transfer rate of 64 Gbps. It is clear, therefore, intends to challenge not only the current version of the Thunderbolt, but also his successor.
The external version of the PCI Express 3.0 but should be ready by June 2013 . They are flatter than those provided for cables used to Thunderbolt, and can support up to 20 watts to power the devices.
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