OWC Thunderbolt 5 Cable (80 Gbps, 240W): Inside the E-Marker
This is OWC’s 1 meter Thunderbolt 5 cable, and it’s the first cable in this library. It’s a passive cable rated for 80 Gbps of data and 240W of power. Both numbers matter, and together they are the reason this cable carries an e-marker chip at all.
The specs
| Brand | OWC |
| Standard | Thunderbolt 5 (USB4 v2) |
| Data | 80 Gbps (up to 120 Gbps for display) |
| Power | 240W - 5A, EPR |
| Type | Passive |
| Length | 1 m |
| E-marker maker | Lintes Technology Co., Ltd. |
Why this cable has an e-marker
A USB-C cable only carries an e-marker - a tiny chip in the connector - when it’s rated for high speed or high power. This cable is both. 80 Gbps is far beyond USB 2.0, and 240W is far beyond the 60W a plain cable is allowed to carry. The e-marker is how the cable declares those limits to your Mac, so the two ends can safely negotiate the fast, high-power link. A cheap charge-only cable has nothing to declare and skips the chip entirely. Full background in the e-marker guide.
The chip vendor, not the brand
Here’s the detail worth pausing on. The e-marker does not report “OWC.” It reports Lintes Technology Co., Ltd., the company that makes the e-marker silicon inside the connector. This is the same pattern we see with chargers: the sleeve says one brand, the identity chip inside names whoever actually built the component. OWC sells and certifies the cable; Lintes built the chip that speaks for it.
80 Gbps and 240W, concretely
- 80 Gbps is Thunderbolt 5, also known as USB4 version 2 - the newest and fastest tier, double Thunderbolt 4’s 40 Gbps. For displays it can shift into an 120 Gbps asymmetric mode.
- 240W (5A, EPR) is the top of USB-C power. EPR, Extended Power Range, is the USB PD 3.1 tier that lifted the ceiling from 100W to 240W, and it requires a 5A-rated cable. This is one. See 100W vs 240W cables.
- Passive means there are no active signal-boosting electronics in the cable. At 1 meter, passive is enough to hold 80 Gbps. Longer Thunderbolt 5 runs generally go active.
Buying one
The OWC Thunderbolt 5 Cable is a genuine 80 Gbps, 240W-rated cable - the full USB-C ceiling for both data and power in a short passive length.
The Amazon link above is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.