Sonnet Echo III Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Rackmount Expansion System

Description

For pros working in the creative fields, a computer’s processing power alone is not enough to get the job done. A prime example is the latest MacBook Pro®, which, while offering great performance, lacks the PCIe expansion slots necessary to support specialty cards that connect pro video and audio inputs, transcode data, and connect to high-speed storage and networks. Instead of slots, these computers include high-performance Thunderbolt™ 3 ports to support peripherals. the Sonnet Echo III Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Rackmount Expansion System is a pro-level, rackmount Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe card expansion system that enables you to connect three full-length PCIe cards at the same time.

Through a simple Thunderbolt 3 connection, connect professional PCIe cards (three full-height, single-width cards, or one double-width card plus one single-width card), including video capture, audio interface, SAS or SATA HBA, 16Gb or 8Gb Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and RAID controllers.

The Echo Express III-R supports three single-width, full-length PCIe cards, or one double-width, full-length card plus one single-width card, enabling it to support every Thunderbolt 3 compatible, non-GPU PCIe 1.1, PCIe 2.0, and PCIe 3.0 card available. Do you have a card in mind but aren’t sure it’s compatible? We’ve put together a list in our supporting PCIe Card Thunderbolt Compatibility Chart (PDF). There you’ll find cards identified as conforming to Thunderbolt technology requirements, and organised by fit and power compatibility with specific expansion system.

‍Sonnet’s Echo Express III-R supports three full-size PCIe cards, up to 12.28 inches (full-length) long. The III-R integrates a universal 300W power supply and includes a 75W PCIe power connector for cards that require supplementary power, such as the Avid Pro Tools | HDX. Even with all that power, the III-R is enviro-friendly; it automatically powers on or off whenever the connected computer powers on (or wakes), or powers off or sleeps, respectively.