The Pegasus32 series supports both Thunderbolt 3 and USB protocols and comes with a passive 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 cable. Below is a breakdown of how active vs. passive Thunderbolt 3 cables impact performance based on length:

Thunderbolt 3 Cable Length and Performance

✅ 0.7m to 1m cables

  • Always passive
  • Run at full speed (40Gbps for Thunderbolt 3)
  • No need for an active cable

✅ 2m cables

  • Can be active or passive
  • Active cables maintain full Thunderbolt 3 speed (40Gbps)
  • Passive cables allow reduced speeds (typically 20Gbps)

✅ Longer cables (>2m, fiber optic)

  • Fiber optic Thunderbolt 3 cables exist, but Promise has no official experience with them.

⚠️ Important Note

  • Active Thunderbolt 3 cables do not support USB 2 speeds (they are designed specifically for Thunderbolt performance).