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The story of the latest flavor of the Thunderbolt interface—Thunderbolt 4—starts with a change in direction, however. Intel opened up the Thunderbolt 3 protocol to USB's controlling consortium (the USB-IF) for royalty-free use in the development of next-generation USB4, delivering faster speeds and interoperability to USB4 devices. Indeed, the fates and directions of the two new "4" specs are intertwined. (And yes, the USB team dropped the space in "USB4." That's not a typo.) Of course, this business strategy has nothing to do with the quality and functionality of Gigabyte’s GC Maple Bridge, which is in a league of its own for more than one reason. The card makes full use of the exceptional data and power transfer capabilities of the Thunderbolt 4 technology by providing 40 Gbps and 97 Watts Power Delivery 3.0. Connectivity Video capture devices. Another possibility is attaching an external capture device for streaming, such as the AVerMedia Live Gamer BOLT. You can capture gameplay in full 4K at 60Hz or in 1080p at 240Hz. Having a dedicated unit for capturing gameplay frees up system resources, allowing you to play games at higher settings while retaining clear video quality. 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. 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.
ASUS today rolled out the ThunderboltEX 4, an add-on card designed to give your PC full Thunderbolt 4 connectivity. The only catch here is that you'll need an ASUS motherboard with a Thunderbolt readiness header (which provides timing and other low-level system commands to the card). Also needed is a USB 2.0 header, of which you're likely to have plenty. The card features a PCI-Express 3.0 x4 host interface, and can be installed on any PCIe slot, x4 or larger. A 6-pin PCIe power input is also needed, as Thunderbolt 4 is capable of up to 100 W of power delivery per port, enabling single-cable RAID enclosures and monitors. ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 is a Thunderbolt™ 4 add-on card that offers 40 Gbps bi-directional bandwidth, USB4™ device compatibility, and DisplayPort™ 1.4. It supports up to five Thunderbolt devices in a daisy chain and enables up to 100-watt USB-C® charging for laptops. Versatile connectivity. Thunderbolt 4 ports are compatible with many connection standards, including previous versions of Thunderbolt™, USB, DisplayPort, and PCle. The ports fit standard USB-C type connectors. PCI Express (PCIe) devices. Utilize a PCIe expansion chassis to access compatible PCIe devices, such as video capture devices for live-streaming gameplay. If you use the add-on graphic card, connect Mini DisplayPort cable to the add-on graphic card and MINI DP IN_1 on ThunderboltEX 3-TR card.Storage. Connect a high-speed external Thunderbolt™ SSD to expand the storage capacity of your system and achieve speeds on par with internal drives. ASUS hasn't unveiled a full list of technical specifications at the time of writing. Still, we cross-referenced the specifications we do know with Intel's JHL8540 Maple Ridge TB4 controller, and they match. The accessories include everything needed to get the ThunderboltEX 4 operational, which means users will require a PCIe 3.0 x4 (or PCIe 4.0 x2) and USB 2.0 motherboard header available, as well as a 6-pin PCIe 12 V ATX power cable free from the power supply.
Ease of throughput. With a bandwidth of 40Gbps, Thunderbolt 4 ports make it easy to connect high performance devices — such as a gaming monitor and a high-speed SSD — and use them at their intended speeds without overloading the port’s capacity. Because the bandwidth is bidirectional, the outgoing video signal won’t conflict with incoming data from peripherals or a storage drive. https://www.asus.com/Motherboard-Accessories/ThunderboltEX-3-TR/HelpDesk_Manual/ ThunderboltEX 3-TR Card Compatible Model List A simple way of putting this is that Thunderbolt 4 guarantees the best possible version, while USB4 does not offer that guarantee. Transfer speeds for USB4 are written next to the port, while Thunderbolt 4 ports have a thunder sign with the number 4 written below or next to it. What is a Thunderbolt header? A3: Please follow the diagram below to connect the Thunderbolt devices. Make sure your Thunderbolt device has two Thunderbolt 3 ports and use Thunderbolt 3 cable. (Not the regular Type-C cable) Dual Thunderbolt™ 4 ports (USB-C®), with support for up to five Thunderbolt devices in a daisy chain
The Benefits of Thunderbolt 4
Before you buy a Thunderbolt 4 add-on card, you need to make sure that the card is compatible with your computer. While the minimum requirements for Thunderbolt 4 are much higher than those for Thunderbolt 3, reducing the amount of research you need, you still need to know the card’s functionality and how to get the best out of it. Given below are the most important things you need to consider. Motherboard Whatever the purpose is, these headers make sure that the Thunderbolt 4 card is only used on a motherboard certified by the manufacturer and contains the connection for these headers. Best Thunderbolt 4 PCIe Cards – Frequently Asked Questions What is the difference between Thunderbolt 3 and 4?
Flexibility. Some ports power your devices. Others transfer data from devices to the PC. Still others transfer video signals from your PC to an external monitor. A Thunderbolt™ port can do all three. It delivers high-speed data transfer, outputs a video signal, and can deliver power to compatible devices (including charging a lightweight laptop) simultaneously. Networking. Connect to a high-speed 10 Gigabit Ethernet network via an adapter or use a Thunderbolt cable to connect two computers over a peer-to-peer network. This allows for transferring large volumes of data from one PC to another, which is ideal when upgrading to a new system. In addition, the card can pass 5k video at 60Hz via its USB-C ports, which is far better than what is available on the market currently. The card can also transmit 4k video at 60Hz if you connect to more than one monitor. Thunderbolt 4 ports also provide external access to the high-speed PCIe bus, allowing components that use PCIe to be connected without having to install them internally.With the ability to daisy-chain up to six Thunderbolt devices, you have the ability to connect multiple devices without each one needing a direct connection to your computer. Combined with Thunderbolt 4’s greater charging and wake-from-sleep capabilities and longer cables, you’ll have more flexibility in setting up your workspace to make your office less cluttered with wires and your office life a bit easier. This move toward open source didn’t mean, however, that Intel stopped developing its traditionally proprietary Thunderbolt specification. Thunderbolt 4-equipped PCs also typically have USB4 connectivity, and sometimes, on the same actual ports, so there is bound to be some confusion. What’s more, Thunderbolt 3, can support up to one 4K monitor, allowing you to enjoy stunning, photo-realistic images and videos. Our Favourite Hardware with Thunderbolt 3: AVermedia BOLT Thunderbolt 3 External Capture Device:
Nov 22nd 2023 Intel Core Ultra 7 155H iGPU Outperforms AMD Radeon 780M, Comes Close to Desktop Intel Arc A380 (39)Follow the instruction to install the driver. Restart your computer after the installation completes. The card has two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, which can deliver data up to a theoretical limit of 40Gbps. The actual data transfer rate is dependent on the connected device and the cable. You can daisy chain up to ten devices (five per port) with the card. However, one should remember that if at any moment one of the devices is directly connected to the card, the daisy-chain link is broken, and you will have only two devices working. This ensures that none of the devices is damaged.
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