As the name suggests, the TB3 card connects to your motherboard using a PCI Express slot. You need at least one available PCIe x4 slot to hook the card to your system. Some motherboards allow you to connect the card in an x8/x16 PCI Express slot. Thunderbolt header Also, the disconnect sounds that Windows plays despite no activity in the logs and no devices actually disconnected, is a bit odd. It doesn’t stop a single thing from working. Just odd. Odd enough to bring the score down some more as it feels like something is broken despite everything working just fine (from what we can tell, at least). I would be interested to know why TB wasn’t included with the DDR4 Alder Lake models. What was the company’s strategy for this? Either it was placing pressure on customers to adopt DDR5, or it was a mere attempt to gain a little extra profit. The system I am typing on now is a 2016 model and it has DDR4 and TB. So it does feel a bit odd that they would do this. Standalone microphones can provide excellent audio quality for broadcasting your stream. Gaming headsets with built-in mics are another good option. For those who need professional sound quality and features, connect an XLR mic with a Thunderbolt™ audio interface.

All Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 PCIe cards provide two Thunderbolt ports, but GIGABYTE went further to add a DisplayPort output. If you have a native DisplayPort monitor with no Thunderbolt ports, the cards from GIGABYTE are the ideal choice. Specs We tested it against various external TB4 SSD models, and Samsung’s C34J791 TB3 34-inch ultra-wide QHD monitor (which can also daisy chain and looks to be on sale right now!). The Sonnet Thunderbolt Upgrade Card comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports. One of the TB3 connects to your computer while the other port can be used for daisy-chaining up to five devices or connecting dual 4K displays at 60Hz or a single 5K 60Hz display. Accessories A Thunderbolt 3 PCIe slot lets you integrate Thunderbolt 3 technology in your PC without having to upgrade to an entirely new system. All the featured TB3 add-in cards in this post achieve the same thing of implementing Thunderbolt 3.A 4K HDR monitor brings out more color and detail. You can also run a dual 4K setup at 60Hz. Alternatively, connect a single 5K or 8K monitor to play a growing number of titles that support these ultra-high resolutions. Thunderbolt is a proprietary technology, and it does not work with every motherboard out there. Therefore, the Thunderbolt 4 card you buy will most likely only work with a motherboard from the same manufacturer. For example, the ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 works only with a handful of ASUS motherboards. So this makes system compatibility the most crucial consideration while buying a Thunderbolt 4 add-on card. That being said, we got our hands on MSI’s new Thunderbolt 4 PCIe Expansion Card (Model: THUNDERBOLTM4 8K) and we said if we did, we’d let you know what we think about it. So here it goes! The main differences include the number of Thunderbolt 3 ports, power delivery, and other included ports such as DisplayPort and HDMI. We have tried to review different cards for different needs, from budget to the best value options. A Thunderbolt™ SSD is also useful for saving gameplay footage as they provide the high throughput needed for editing large video files.

The Sonnet Thunderbolt Upgrade Card is a unique Thunderbolt 3 add-in card used to upgrade Sonnet’s Echo Express Thunderbolt 2 systems. This Sonnet Thunderbolt Upgrade Card is different from the other PCIe cards in this review in that the card connects exclusively to the Echo Express expansion box instead of a motherboard. The Alpine Ridge provides a lot of flexibility in terms of connectivity with dual Thunderbolt 3 ports and an additional HDMI port. To connect a Thunderbolt Display, you must connect the DisplayPort output port on the motherboard or graphics card to the DisplayPort input port on the ThunderboltM4 8K card or both Type C ports only support USB 3.2 data transmission. The TB3 ports can only deliver video output after you link the card to your graphics card. You must be ready to sacrifice at least one or two DisplayPorts in your GPU if you are using dual monitors. All Thunderbolt PCIe cards require a PCIe 3.0 x4 slot on your motherboard. Ensure you have an available slot on your PC before buying a PCIe add-in card. Number of PortsHowever, if you want future-proof support for 8K displays, go for a Thunderbolt 4 PCIe card. Best Thunderbolt PCIe Cards – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) How to install a Thunderbolt PCIe card? There are not many Thunderbolt 4 devices on the market yet, but seasoned manufacturers have released one or two products to whet the consumer’s appetite. Thunderbolt 4 also requires a more stringent compatibility spectrum, which might limit certain cards to certain motherboards. This means it’s a good idea to research the top products in the market and be absolutely sure that the card you are buying is compatible with your current hardware and provides the full range of functionality that you expect from a Thunderbolt 4 device.

Connect the provided system link cable to the Thunderbolt header on the card to the Thunderbolt header on the motherboard. The GC-TITAN RIDGE 2.0 delivers a total 100W charging power supported by Thunderbolt 3 and faster 40Gbps speeds. It has two Thunderbolt 4 ports and an additional DisplayPort output that lets you connect a native DisplayPort monitor. Talking of monitors, you can connect a single 5K monitor or dual 4K monitors via the DisplayPort and Thunderbolt ports. Our Take Support up to 8K display (need to connect the DisplayPort of the motherboard or discrete graphics card to the DisplayPort Input port on the ThunderboltM4 8K card) Update the BIOS of your motherboard to the latest version. Reboot into BIOS and enable Thunderbolt 3.The card comes with three cables. Two Mini-DisplayPort cable and one system link (THB_C header) cable. The THB_C header links the Alpine Ridge’s Thunderbolt header to the one on the motherboard. Use the Mini-DisplayPort cables to connect the card to the DisplayPorts of the graphics card in the motherboard. Update the system BIOS after successful installation to enjoy the full force of Thunderbolt 3. A high refresh rate monitor lets you see the advantage of playing games above and beyond 60 FPS. Connect a 144Hz or 240Hz gaming monitor for smoother animation and lower latency. An ultrawide monitor extends your field of view of the game world (in games that support them). Some ultrawide monitors are curved to provide a clear view of the extreme edges of the screen. Dual Thunderbolt™ 4 ports (USB-C®), with support for up to five Thunderbolt devices in a daisy chain After successfully connecting the Asus ThunderboltEX 3 card on your motherboard, update your BIOS settings to enable Thunderbolt 3. The Asus ThunderboltEX 3 is the most straightforward card to install and configure. Our Take

You have to make sure the card is inserted into a PCIe 3.0 (or higher) slot that is x4 or larger. Then run the two internal cables between the card and the motherboard (make sure your motherboard has the 16-pin TBT header before you buy into one of these. Thunderbolt™ external capture device. Adding a Thunderbolt-enabled capture device to your setup can give your live-stream’s video quality a big boost. on Dell internal analysis using publicly available specs in August 2023 comparing maximum effective capacity for PowerStore 1200 and FlashArray //X20. Assumes average 4:1 data reduction for PowerStore, 5:1 for Pure Storage. Actual results vary. As for monitor support, you can connect a single 8K display at 60Hz or dual 4K displays. But make sure to connect the included Mini DisplayPort cables to the Mini DisplayPort IN port on the card and the DisplayPort output ports on your graphics to enable video support through the Thunderbolt 4 ports. The card allows daisy-chaining of up to five devices per port, which is great for those with many Thunderbolt devices, or multi Thunderbolt monitors setups. Our TakeTwo internal slots let you connect the card to your motherboard: a Thunderbolt header and a PCIe x4 interface. Alternatively, you can use other PCI Express slots, x16/x8, depending on the motherboard you’re using. Accessories The GC-MAPLE RIDGE is a Thunderbolt 4 add-in card from GIGABYTE, and like ASUS, it uses a different type of Thunderbolt header. This card requires a 5-pin and 3-pin Thunderbolt header (two connectors), which is available on GIGABYTE motherboards from the Intel Z490 through Z690 series. GIGABYTE officially recommends an Intel 500 series motherboard or later. The installation process is simple, with no cables required. Replace the Thunderbolt 2 interface board in the Echo Express with this Thunderbolt 3 add-in card via the PCI Express slot. With just a few steps, you can upgrade the transfer speeds from 20Gbps to the remarkably 40Gbps of Thunderbolt 3. Our Take The internal ports include a Thunderbolt 3 header and a PCI Express 3.0 x4 interface, which connects to your motherboard’s PCI Express (x16/x8/x4) slot. Accessories