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Connecting Thunderbolt 3 devices to Surface Book 2 USB-C

Anonymous
2018-04-17T20:37:55+00:00

Is it possible to connect devices that use Thunderbolt 3 connections to the Surface Book 2's USB-C port? As far as I can tell, they are the same style connector and are somewhat compatible. 

I am interested in connecting an external graphics card enclosure to my Surface Book so I can ditch my desktop completely!

Thanks,

Dan

Surface | Surface Book | Display and screen

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-04-18T13:58:15+00:00

    Hi Daniel,

    No. Our connector is USB-C only, which supports the vast majority of peripherals that our customers use while preserving maximum battery life. Thunderbolt is primarily useful today for external GPU docks. Surface Book has the performance base that covers this need. We have not seen an increase in velocity of support for Thunderbolt by accessories makers.

    Feel free to post back if you have other concerns.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-05-31T11:04:24+00:00

    Hi Vicky,

    sorry, but I disagree. Thunderbolt 3 is a must for creatives and much more versatile than eGPU. It can convert a mobile device into a genuine replacement of a desktop pc.

    1. With TB3 one can use fast NAS drives and edit photos/videos like on a desktop pc. Without TB3 there is only 1 GbE which is much slower. Ars Technica emphasized this point in their reviewexplicitly.
    2. Connecting dual 4k monitors with TB3 is as easy as it can get, especially if the monitor acts as a power supply. This is something the Surface Book 2 with the MS dock (incomprehensibly) cannot do.

    These two points keep me from purchasing a SB2. It works fine as a mobile device, but fails as a desktop replacement. Your reply shows me that Microsoft does not care about the needs of creatives. So I am considering buying a ZBook.

    Thank you,

    Alex

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-07-18T01:25:32+00:00

    This is exactly the case with me. I'll have to buy something else. Thanks Alexander SL!

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