Sonnet Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Kit For Xmac Mini Server

Product Code: eq66055
Availability: In Stock

$689.97 $1,062.55

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Description
Reviews (8)

Designed for the xMac mini Server Thunderbolt 2 to PCIe Card Expansion System, the Sonnet Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Kit for xMac Mini Serverform Sonnet Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Kit for xMac Mini Serverallows the 20 Gb/s Thunderbolt 2 interface board to be easily upgraded to 40 Gb/s Thunderbolt 3. Simply replace the existing Thunderbolt 2 interface board with the Thunderbolt 3 upgrade board, and your chassis will instantly support higher performance of Thunderbolt 3 and connect to your Thunderbolt 3 host without the need for an adapter. This PCIe card has two Thunderbolt 3 ports and includes a 1.6' Thunderbolt 3 cable, a ThunderLok 3 retainer clip, and a bracket.

For the xMac mini Server Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Card 2 x Thunderbolt 3 Ports Daisy Chain Five Thunderbolt Peripherals Connect One USB Type-C Device Supports Two 4K Displays @ 60 Hz Supports One 5K Display @ 60 Hz Includes Thunderbolt 3 Cable Includes ThunderLok 3 Retainer Clip

Key Specs
Inputs/Outputs	External 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 3)
System Connection	PCI Express (Unspecified Version) x16
RAID Support	No
Parameters
System Connection	PCI Express (Unspecified Version) x16
RAID Support	No
OS Compatibility	Windows 10 to 11 macOS 10.12.6 or Later
Certifications	RoHS
Operating Conditions	32 to 95°F / 0 to 35°C
Cooling	No
Packaging Info
Package Weight	0.365 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)	8.7 x 5.4 x 1.4"

This Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card provides increased bandwidth of 40 Gb/s. With an adapter, you are limited to Thunderbolt 2's 20 Gb/s bandwidth.

This upgrade reaplces existing 20 Gb/s Thunderbolt 2 interface boards in your Thunderbolt 2 to PCIe card expansion system and card supports additional Thunderbolt 3 peripheral devices in the Thunderbolt chain with 40 Gb/s bandwidth. When using an adapter, all downstream peripherals in the Thunderbolt chain can only be Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 devices.

While one port is reserved for interfacing with your host system, the other can be used for the daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt devices, plus two 4K displays or one 5K display, or one USB device.

Sonnet's Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card also provides 10 Gb/s USB 3.1 Gen 2 support, meaning you can connect a USB device to the second port using the proper cable or adapter. They also provide full support for connecting two 4K displays at 60 Hz or one 5K display at 60 Hz.

Sonnet's Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card supports the ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip. The included ThunderLok 3 secures the included Thunderbolt cable to the chassis, and is easy to install and use - just slide it over one end of the cable, and then plug in the connector and secure it to the chassis by turning a thumbscrew. Because of its unique design, ThunderLok 3 remains on the cable so it won't get lost when not in use.

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. Using an M1 Max, will this work with an UltraStudio Monitor 3G Playback Device used to convert to SDI for an external reference monitor?

A: The Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock should work. It has 3 Thunderbolt 3 ports to connect the Black Magic UltraStudio Monitor 3G to. The Black Magic UltraStudio Monitor 3G would support sending 3G SDI signals to an external display.

Q: 2. Will this work with a regular Thunderbolt Mac Mini and a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt adapter?

A: No, it is not compatible.

Q: 3. If I use this in a Thunderbolt 2 Chassis connected (via TB2) to a computer's TB2 port, will there actually be a performance upgrade from 20GB/s to 40GB/s or will the TB2 connection bottleneck with a max 20GB/s throughput?

A: There will be a bottle neck at the T2 connection.

Q: 4. Will this work on a mac pro 09 ?

A: The Sonnet BRD-UPGRTB2-XM is not compatible with a Mac Pro.

Q: 5. M2 Mac mini also yes?

A: The Sonnet DuoModo xMac mini Module is compatible with the Apple Mac Mini M2.

Q: 6. If I upgrade using this card can I use my Blackmagic Design Decklink Mini Monitor 4k card in it?

A: No it is not compatible.

Q: 7. Does it work with a tunderbolt 4 linux machine?

A: The Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 4 Dock is only listed as compatible with Windows and Mac systems.

Q: 8. How loud are the fans on this unit? I have the Thunderbolt 2 version of this and the fans are louder than I'd like them to be on it. Does anybody know what the comparison is like?

A: This would be heavily dependent on the use case scenario. However I would say it would be on par with the thunderbolt 2 variant.

Q: 9. Would this unit fit in an SKB 6U shallow rack?

A: Yes, the Sonnet xMac Studio Pro 3U Rackmount Enclosure can fit in the SKB 6U Roto Shallow Rack Case, B&H # SK1SKBR6S.

Q: 10. Does this enclosure work for the 2023 M2 chip Mac mini?

A: Yes, this Sonnet Xmac Mini Server Thunderbolt 3 Rackmount Enclosure is compatible with the mac mini M1 as well as M2: https://bit.ly/3Z3t5N4 .

De'Borah	16/08/2024
[0.365 lb] This is one of the best hubs for my Mac Mini! I am thoroughly impressed and satisfied! 5

Person	27/07/2024
[0.365 lb] If you have a bunch of SSDs and want to attach to your Mac, this is the way to go. It's active and doesn't hinder performance of your drives. Easy setup, comes with Thunderbolt cable so it's all ready to go out the box. 5

Camro	05/07/2024
[0.365 lb] It's a great hub, it maintains the same speed as if it were not. 5

Elliot	18/06/2024
[0.365 lb] I use several Apple Superdrives [since they are set to different regions for DVD's. Unfortunately, even with usbA to usbc adapter they all give the same error (not enough power, plug directly into computer). Most [powered] hubs indeed give enough power for the Apple DVD player, but somehow in the mac power management software, they deny these drives being plugged into the hubs. Thus valuable port real estate is devoted to one dvd player. Sonnet support has said that they are working on a software patch to cure this on this hub and presumably their larger hubs. 5

Philip R.	07/06/2024
[0.365 lb] I love this thing, hats off to Sonnet. I used to have to come in to work a couple of hours early to download my media after every shoot. P2 Cards are very reliable. However downloading your media is painfully slow. Until Now. The Thunderbolt P2 Reader is lightening fast. It works with both the Standard P2 Cards and P2 Adapter SDXC Cards. If you can use a lightening connecter this will speed up your work flow. I stopped using my P2 cards after the adapter came out because of the time it saved me. Now I can use my P2 Cards again. I can unload my 64 GB Cards in about 15 mins. Using a USB2 it took nearly 40. It would be nice if they also had a USB 3 port but that's a small complaint. If it did, every other editor in my office would steal it! 5

Yos	15/05/2024
[0.365 lb] I use a TB hub to connect a couple JBOD enclosures and a display to my Mac Studio. I was having annoying disk disappearing issues with the Elements TB4 hub and replaced it with this Sonnet. It may be a little slower but has been solid/reliable and doesn't run nearly as hot. 5

Randolph	28/04/2024
[0.365 lb] I needed a powered Thunderbolt hub for my M1 Mac Mini. This one fit the space I had and seemed perfect. I have three 2TB SSDs in my recording setup. They're not Thunderbolt, but USB-3, Gen 2. They ran fine through an unpowered USB-C hub, but this hub seems at least twice as fast. Instruments that took up to a minute load in Kontakt now load in a few seconds. No stutters or other issues so far. Hopefully it will last a long time. The overall size is perfect, but the design should have been thought through a little better. I wish the power supply port and main port were on one of the ends though. Having everything on one side would have been even better. It's intrusive in it's current location and cables stick out from both sides making it a little cumbersome to setup. Those are minor issues though since it has greatly improved my workflow. 5

Elliot	23/04/2024
[0.365 lb] got it to replace a long succession of usb-c TH hubs, simply robust, no BS, works great and represents a maturity in this sort of thing Since 2018 I have tried all sorts of hubs for my macbook pros and macbook airs and they have all flaked out [I don't know...maybe since they ran hot and slowly cooked their components, or bad design or what, but Sonnet and CalDigit seem to be like the Grass Valley workhorses of yesteryear it has a flat stable shape that gives it solid attachment 5