ASUS ThunderboltEX II: What You Need To Know
ASUS has just announced its new ThunderboltEX II PCI-Express card will be available in early 2014, with its Z87-Pro motherboard already certified. If you're curious to add a Thunderbolt 2 to your motherboard, here's the breakdown about the new 'EX II.
The Intel Thunderbolt 2 Specification
For those unfamiliar with Intel Thunderbolt 2, have a read on its specification.
- 20Gbps bi-directional bandwidth versus USB 3's current 5Gbps
- DisplayPort 1.2 capable with 4K video throughput (simultaneous to data)
- Daisy-chain up to 6 devices
What does the ThunderboltEX II offer?
The ThunderboltEX II offers an easy way to upgrade several ASUS motherboards to offer the new, faster Thunderbolt 2 connection to external devices, without having to upgrade to a whole new motherboard.
How much is it?
The price will be announced by each region independently, at launch.
What is in the retail package?
- 1x ASUS ThunderboltEX II PCI-Express card
- 1x DisplayPort pass-through cable
- 1x TB_HEADER cable
- 1x miniDP to DP adapter (for loop cable)
- User manual
- Driver disc
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What motherboards are compatible with the ThunderboltEX II?
- MAXIMUS VI EXTREME
- SABERTOOTH Z87
- Z87-PRO
- Z87-PRO(V EDITION)
- Z87-PLUS
- Z87-PLUS(VivoMouse EDITION)
- Z87-A
- Z87-A(NFC EXPRESS EDITION)
How does the card work?
- Next month check the list, and make sure your motherboard is compatible!
- Update your BIOS to the latest available version that includes ThunderboltEX II enhancements
- Plug-in the ThunderboltEX II card into the bottom PCI-Express 2.0 4x slot
- Connect the TB_HEADER cable between ThunderboltEX II and motherboard header
- If you are using an Apple Thunderbolt display, connect the DisplayPort from motherboard to ThunderboltEX II card, before connecting a Thunderbolt cable to the display. (Any other monitor will wire-up directly via a standard connection such as HDMI or DisplayPort, so ignore this part)
- Install the ThunderboltEX II drivers from disc or ASUS website product page
- Power on and connect to your Thunderbolt device
Why can't every motherboard use it?
The requirement for Thunderbolt 2 is as follows:
- A PCI-Express 2.0 4x port connected to the PCH
- A TB_HEADER pin-out
- An onboard DisplayPort
- Validation by Intel to ensure performance and compatibility
- An updated BIOS that adds ThunderboltEX II enhancements
Is Thunderbolt 2 compatible with my Thunderbolt 1 device?
Yes, it's fully backward compatible with existing Thunderbolt devices.
