Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Cards

Uupgrade Your Echo Express or xMac mini Server Thunderbolt 2 System

Step Up to 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3

Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Card Icon Sonnet designed Echo™ Express and xMac™ mini Server Thunderbolt 2 to PCIe card expansion systems (plus select Thunderbolt 2 adapters) to be easily upgraded to 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3⁽¹⁾. Simply replace the existing Thunderbolt interface board with the upgrade board, and then your chassis will instantly support higher performance, and connect to your Thunderbolt 3 equipped computer⁽²⁾without needing an adapter.

Increased Bandwidth, Better Performance

With a Thunderbolt 3 interface card installed, your upgraded Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 system gains from 30% to 100% more bandwidth for the installed PCIe cards over the original system (see performance Tab for details). Installed in an upgraded system, PCIe cards with high bandwidth requirements, such as 16Gb Fibre Channel and 4K Video I/O cards supporting high frame rates, will be able to perform even better than before⁽³⁾.

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Key Features

Easy to Install 40Gpbs Thunderbolt 3
Upgrade Card—Replaces existing 20Gbps Thunderbolt interface board in your Thunderbolt 2 to PCIe card expansion system⁽¹⁾

Improved Performance with High-Bandwidth
PCIe Cards—Your upgraded expansion system will provide from 30% to 100% more bandwidth for installed PCIe cards

Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports—One port reserved for connection to the computer; second port supports daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt⁽⁴⁾ devices, attaching a single USB peripheral device⁽⁵⁾, or connecting up to two 4K displays or one 5K display⁽⁶⁾

ThunderLok 3-Compatible—Thunderbolt connector retainer clip secures cable from accidental disconnections

Thunderbolt 3 Daisychain Diagram

Connect computer to one port on your Thunderbolt 3 upgraded system and daisy chain up to 5 additional Thunderbolt devices (plus two 4K monitors or one 5K display, or one USB device)

Upgrade Instead of Adapting
Why adapt when upgrading offers more? With the Sonnet Thunderbolt 3 upgrade installed you get:

Increased Bandwidth
The Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card provides increased bandwidth of 40Gbps—with an adapter you are limited to Thunderbolt 2’s 20Gbps bandwidth.

Optimal Thunderbolt 3 Daisy Chaining
The upgrade card supports additional Thunderbolt 3 peripheral devices in the Thunderbolt chain with 40Gbps bandwidth. When using an adapter, all downstream peripherals in the Thunderbolt chain can only be Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 devices.

Connect USB Devices, or Displays

Sonnet's Thunderbolt 3 upgrade cards also provide 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 support, meaning you can connect a USB device to the second port using the proper cable or adapter⁽⁵⁾; they also provide full support for connecting two 4K displays @ 60Hz or one 5K display @ 60Hz⁽⁶⁾.

USB 3.1 Gen 2 Adapter

Connect a USB device to the second Thunderbolt 3 port on your upgraded system with a USB-C to USB-A adapter or cable (sold separately)

ThunderLok™ 3-Compatible

Sonnet’s Thunderbolt 3 upgrade cards support the ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip. The ThunderLok 3 (included with xMac mini Server kit; otherwise sold separately) secures the Thunderbolt cable (included with xMac mini Server Kit; otherwise sold separately) to the chassis⁽⁷⁾, 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.

Thunderbolt 3 Cable and ThunderLok 3

Sonnet Thunderbolt Expansion Partners

Sonnet works closely with the following partners to ensure Thunderbolt compatibility for their products. See the PCIe Card Thunderbolt Compatibility Chart for a list of products that have passed Thunderbolt compatibility testing with Sonnet products.

Echo Express and xMac mini Server systems, and computer hardware shown in photos for illustration purposes; items sold separately.
See Tech Specs Tab for footnotes

Part No.
BRD-UPGRTB3-SEL	Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Card for Echo Express SEL (Thunderbolt 2 Edition) and SEL-Based Thunderbolt 2 Adapters
BRD-UPGRTB3-SE1	Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Card for Echo Express SE I (Thunderbolt 2 Edition)
BRD-UPGRTB3-SE2	Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Card for Echo Express SE II
BRD-UPGRTB3-E3	Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Card for Echo Express III-D and III-R (Thunderbolt 2 Edition)
BRD-UPGRTB3-XM	Thunderbolt 3 Upgrade Kit for xMac mini Server (Thunderbolt 2 Edition)
Hardware
Warranty	2-year
External Connectors	Two Thunderbolt 3 ports
Operating Temperature	0˚C to 35˚C (32˚F to 95˚F)
RoHS Compliant	Yes
Package Contents (Part Nos. BRD-UPGRTB3-SEL, BRD-UPGRTB3-SE1, BRD-UPGRTB3-SE2, BRD-UPGRTB3-E3)	Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card Documentation
Package Contents (Part No. BRD-UPGRTB3-XM)	Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable Thunderbolt 3 cable lock⁽⁷⁾ Documentation
Specifications subject to change without notice.

Sonnet Hardware Compatibility

BRD-UPGRTB3-SEL

Echo Express SEL (Thunderbolt 2 Edition)

Echo Express SEL 10GbE

Twin 10G SFP+

Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 to mini-SAS adapter (included with Fusion DX800RAID Thunderbolt 2 Edition)

BRD-UPGRTB3-SE1

Echo Express SE I (Thunderbolt 2 Edition)

BRD-UPGRTB3-SE2

Echo Express SE II

BRD-UPGRTB3-E3

Echo Express III-D (Thunderbolt 2 Edition)

Echo Express III-R (Thunderbolt 2 Edition)

BRD-UPGRTB3-XM

xMac mini Server (Thunderbolt 2 Edition)
(Part No. XMAC-MS-A)

Mac Compatibility

Mac with Thunderbolt/USB4,Thunderbolt 4, or Thunderbolt 3 ports

Macs with Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt ports with the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter

macOS® 10.12.6+

macOS Sonoma compatible

PC Compatibility

PC with Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 3 port⁽⁸⁾

Windows® 11 or 10
Part No. BRD-UPGRTB3-SEL, BRD-UPGRTB3-SE1

Windows 11 (Future Release 23H1+required), or 10
Part No. BRD-UPGRTB3-SE2, BRD-UPGRTB3-E3,
BRD-UPGRTB3-XM

Technical Notes

Check compatibility listings on this page for currently supported systems. Other systems will be added once certified.
Connection to a computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports requires the use of a Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable, like any of Sonnet’s Thunderbolt 3 cables, for full performance.
While each Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card features a 40Gbps interface, some computers equipped with Thunderbolt 3 use an implementation of Thunderbolt 3 technology that limits PCIe performance to 20Gbps. The MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) also has this limitation in the two right-hand Thunderbolt 3 ports, while offering full performance from the left-hand ports.
Second Thunderbolt 3 port supports Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 devices on Macs when used with the Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter, sold separately.
Second Thunderbolt 3 port supports USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gbps) or Gen 2 (10Gbps) devices when connected with proper cable or adapter (sold separately).
One 4K monitor directly supported. Two 4K monitors requires either a 4K monitor with multi-stream transport support (DP out), or a Thunderbolt 3-to-Dual DisplayPort adapter. 5K monitor support requires a Thunderbolt 3-to-Dual DisplayPort adapter.
ThunderLok 3 compatible specifically with Sonnet 0.5- and 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 cables; Sonnet 1-meter Thunderbolt 3 cables require ThunderLok 3L.
Windows computers require the latest firmware (BIOS) and other drivers to support this product. Check with your computer manufacturer for update information. Not all Mac-compatible PCIe cards are also compatible with Windows. See the PCIe Card Thunderbolt Compatibility Chartfor details.

Accessories		Part No.	Description
	ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt Connector Retainer Clip (2-Pack)	TB3-LOK2	Secures Sonnet 0.5- and 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) passive cables with ThunderLok 3-compatible products; not compatible with Sonnet 1-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) active cables
	ThunderLok 3L Thunderbolt Connector Retainer Clip (2-Pack)	TB3-LOK2L	Secures Sonnet 1-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) active cables with ThunderLok 3L-compatible products; not compatible with Sonnet 0.5- or 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) passive cables
	Thunderbolt 3 Cable	TCB-TB3-05M	0.5-meter copper Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable
	Thunderbolt 3 Cable	TCB-TB3-1M	1-meter copper Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable⁽⁸⁾