Asus ThunderboltEX 3-TR PCIe 3.0 x4 card offers 2 × USB-C and DisplayPort

Asus ThunderboltEX 3-TR

Based on Intel’s "Titan Ridge" Thunderbolt controller chip introduced at the beginning of 2018, Asus is reissuing the Thunderboltex 3 expansion card designed for the Pcie 3.0 x4 slot. As Thunderboltex 3-TR, it now offers twice Thunderbolt 3 with 40 Gb/s via USB Type C and a second Mini-displayport.

Greater functionality thanks to Intel Titan Ridge

Mechanically, the Asus Thunderboltex 3-TR is designed for installation in classic Pcie 3.0 x4 slots on motherboards, but the Thunderbolt 3 controller from Intels Alpine Ridge allows you to change"on Titan Ridge" an extended range of functions. While the first-generation Asus Thunderboltex 3 only has a fast TB3 port, the Titan Ridge model is equipped with two of these multifunctional outputs. In addition, instead of a Standard 1.2 Mini-displayport port, the connector panel now also offers twice the number of Mini-displayport inputs that, when connected to the graphics card, loop through the image signal and meet specification 1.4.

Asus Thunderboltex 3-TR

According to Asus, the Thunderboltex 3-TR with the Titan Ridge chip of the type JHL7540 is compatible with all newer motherboards with Z490 and H470 chipset, which have a corresponding Thunderbolt 3 header on the board. A 6-pin Pcie plug is required for the additional power supply. The Z490 motherboard Asus ROG Maximus XII Extreme, presented in April with the launch of Comet Lake-S, is equipped with the new Thunderbolt 3-TR plug-in card at a recommended retail price of 999 euros.

Availability and price

The manufacturer has not yet revealed the price at which Asus will bring the model Thunderboltex 3-TR separately to the trade and when the market is to be launched. The predecessor with Alpine Ridge chip is currently available from 60 euros. Asrock, Gigabyte and MSI already have corresponding solutions, which are virtually not available as Thunderbolt 3 expansion cards in retail.