5K display on a PC?

[Ryand123]

I haven't been this confused since U2 took over my iTunes. From what I can gather finding a desktop tower that will run 5K may not be so simple. Does it need to have a Thunderbolt 3 port? Or just a USB C port? Many seem to have the latter, I can't find any with the former. My understanding is a Thunderbolt 3 port will work with USB C but a USB C post won't necessarily work with Thunderbolt 3? Is this correct?

Is Apple just about the only ones using it? Why would that be? Apparently it has the highest bandwidth.

 

[fwmireault]

Apple is not the only one using Thunderbolt 3/4, but you'll find Thunderbolt 3/4 ports on any recent (2015 and newer) Apple computers, even the entry-level, while in the PC world, it's more complicated. You'll rarely find one on an entry level computer, it's more frequent in the mid to high range laptops (especially the ones that are business oriented).

I use a LG Ultrafine 5K on an PC laptop over Thunderbolt and everything works fine. To use a 5K display to its full resolution, you need to have a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 port on your computer. USB 4 has the same bandwidth limit than Thunderbolt 3 and is supposed to be compatible with it, but as I understand it, the Thunderbolt 3 support is optional. Both Thunderbolt 3/4 and USB 4 uses USB-C connector, so be sure to look at the specs of the ports on your computer.