Asus ThunderboltEX II User manual

ThunderboltEX II

15060-35300200

User Guide

E9392

Revised Edition V2

June 2014

No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced,

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arising from any defect or error in this manual or product.

Specications and information contained in this manual ae furnished for informational use only, and are

subject to change at any time without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by ASUS.

ASUS assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this manual,

including the products and software described in it.

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless

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Package contents

Check your package for the following items:

• 1 x ThunderboltEX II card

• 1 x DisplayPort cable

• 1 x mini DisplayPort cable

• 1 x ASUS TB_Header cable

• 1 x ASUS TB_Header converter

• 1 x User guide

• 1 x Support CD

Compatible ASUS motherboard models

The ThunderboltEX II card is compatible with ASUS motherboards with TB_Headers that

passed Intel®validation. The following motherboards are supported:

• MAXIMUS VI EXTREME

• SABERTOOTH Z87

• Z87-PRO / Z87-PRO (V EDITION)

• Z87-PLUS / Z87-PLUS (VivoMouse EDITION)

• Z87-A / Z87-A (NFC EXPRESS EDITION)

• Z97-PRO / Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac)

• Z97-A

• Z97-AR

• SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 1

• SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2

• GRYPHON Z97 / GRYPHON Z97(ARMOR KIT)

• MAXIMUS VII FORMULA

If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.

Welcome!

Congratulations and thank you for buying an ASUS ThunderboltEX II card!

The ASUS ThunderboltEX II card provides Thunderbolt™ connection to other Thunderbolt-

enabled devices. Use this card to quickly transfer native PCIe and DisplayPort protocols

between a PC and Thunderbolt™ devices.

Features

Your ASUS ThunderboltEX II card features a Thunderbolt™ 2 port that supports

Thunderbolt™ 2 technology and a DisplayPort that supports DisplayPort 1.2 specications.

The Thunderbolt™ 2 port provides 20 Gb/s bi-directional bandwidth and incorporates

DisplayPort 1.2 support enabling transfer and display of 4K video les simultaneously. The

Thunderbolt™ 2 port also allows you to connect up to six Thunderbolt-enabled devices in a

daisy-chain conguration using Thunderbolt™ cables.

ThunderboltEX II specications summary

Chipset Intel® DSL5320 Thunderbolt™2 controller

External Connectors

1 x Thunderbolt™ 2 port (up to 20 Gb/s bandwidth)

1 x DisplayPort 1.2 IN port

1 x 9-pin TB_Header

VGA

Supports Thunderbolt™2 interface* with maximum resolution of 4096

x 2160 @ 24 Hz / 3840 x 2160 @ 60 Hz

DisplayPort 1.2 Multi-Stream Transport (MST) compliant; supports up

to three displays of DisplayPort 1.2 monitors.**

* Use the Thunderbolt™ cable to link Thunderbolt™ monitors and

Thunderbolt-enabled devices in a daisy chain connection.

** Use the mini DisplayPort cable to link up to three DisplayPort 1.2

monitors in a daisy chain connection.

Data Rate Thunderbolt™ 2 port for 2 channels, 20 Gb/s bidirectional per channel

Accessories

1 x DisplayPort cable*

1 x mini DisplayPort cable*

1 x ASUS TB_Header cable**

1 x ASUS TB_Header converter***

1 x Support CD****

* Provides link from the motherboard’s DisplayPort or mini DisplayPort to

the DisplayPort 1.2 IN port on the ThunderboltEX II card. Use the bundled

DisplayPort or mini DIsplayPort cable depending on the available

DisplayPort connector on your motherboard.

** Provides link from TB_Header of the motherboard to the

ThunderboltEX II card’s TB header.

*** Use the bundled TB_Header converter with the TB_Header cable when

connecting your ThunderboltEX II card to the 5-pin TB_Header port of 9

series motherboards.

**** Contains the Thunderbolt™ 2 driver.

Operating Systems

Supported Windows® 7 / Windows® 8 / Windows® 8.1

Form Factor 3.35 in. x 3.94 in. (8.5 cm x 10 cm)

* Specications are subject to change without notice.

• Use only Thunderbolt™ technology-enabled devices that passed Intel®validation to

ensure optimum performance and compatibility with your ThunderboltEX II card.

• Ensure your monitor complies with DisplayPort 1.2 specications if you want to

connect them in a daisy-chain conguration using the Thunderbolt™ 2 port.

ThunderboltEX II card layout

Thunderbolt™ 2 port

DisplayPort IN port

PCIE 2.0 interface

LED indicator

TB_Header

To install the driver, place the Support DVD into the optical drive then follow on-screen

instructions to nish the installation.

Installing the ThunderboltEX II driver

We highly recommend that you install the Thunderbolt™ 2 driver rst before installing the

ThunderboltEX II card.

• Before installing the ThunderboltEX II card in your motherboard, ensure that you

have an available PCIE 2.0 x16 slot connected to the platform controller hub

(PCH). For more information on the correct PCIE 2.0 slot to use, refer to the section

ThunderboltEX II card recommended configuration of this user guide.

• The following illustrations are for reference only. The motherboard layout may vary

with models, but the installation steps remain the same.

Installing the ThunderboltEX II card

To install the ThunderboltEX II card:

Ensure that no cables or peripherals

are blocking the PCIE 2.0 slot.

When the red LED on the

ThunderboltEX II card is on,

it indicates that a cable is

disconnected. Refer to the section

ThunderboltEX II card layout of

this user guide for the location of

the LED indicator.

1. Shut down your PC.

2. Open the chassis.

3. Align and insert the ThunderboltEX II card

into a PCIE 2.0 slot until it is securely seated

in place.

4. For supported 8 Series motherboards,

connect the ASUS TB_Header cable to

the ThunderboltEX II card (A) and to the

TB_Header port on the motherboard (B).

To use the TB_Header converter:

a. Prepare the ASUS TB_Header converter and the TB_Header cable.

b. Connect one end of the TB_Header converter to the TB_Header cable (A) then connect the other

end of the TB_Header converter to the TB_Header port on the motherboard (B) as shown.

The TB_Header converter ts in one orientation only.

TB_Header converter

TB_Header cable

TB_Header converter

TB_Header cable

TB_Header

TB_Header port

For supported 9 Series motherboards, use the bundled TB_Header converter to connect your

ThunderboltEX II card to the TB_Header port on the motherboard.

c. Connect the other end of the TB_Header

cable to the TB_Header on the

ThunderboltEX II card.

TB_Header cable

ThunderboltEX II card

When the red LED on the ThunderboltEX II card is on, it indicates that a cable is

disconnected. Refer to the section ThunderboltEX II card layout of this user guide for the

location of the LED indicator.

Thunderbolt™ 2 connector

DisplayPort

DisplayPort IN port

5. Connect the DisplayPort cable to the

ThunderboltEX II card’s DisplayPort IN port

(A) and to the DisplayPort or mini DisplayPort

on the motherboard’s I/O port (B).

6. Close the chassis.

7. Turn on the PC.

8. Connect the Thunderbolt™ cable from your Thunderbolt-enabled device to the Thunderbolt™ 2 port

on the ThunderboltEX II card.

• The Thunderbolt™ cable is not bundled with the ThunderboltEX II package. Use

the Thunderbolt™ cable that came with your Thunderbolt-enabled device when

connecting to the Thunderbolt™ 2 port on your ThunderboltEX II card.

• The Thunderbolt™ 2 port of the ThunderboltEX II card is backward compatible with

the previous Thunderbolt™ technology.

• For the recommended daisy-chain congurations or connections, refer to the section

Connecting to external devices of this user guide.

ThunderboltEX II card recommended configuration

Compatible ASUS motherboard

models

PCIE 2.0 port on the

motherboard (color)

PCIE 2.0 mode

(D = Default;

M = Maximum;

D/M = Default &

Maximum)

Maximum

bandwidth

MAXIMUS VI EXTREME PCIe 2.0/1.1 x4_1

(Black) D/M: x4 mode 20 Gb/s

SABERTOOTH Z87 PCIe 2.0 x16_3

(Black)

D: x1 mode**

M: x4 mode 20 Gb/s

Z87-PRO PCIe 2.0 x16_3

(Dark Brown)

D: x1 mode**

M: x4 mode 20 Gb/s

Z87-PRO (V EDITION) PCIe 2.0 x16_3

(Dark Brown)

D: x1 mode**

M: x4 mode 20 Gb/s

Z87-PLUS PCIe 2.0 x16_3

(Dark Brown) D/M: x2 mode*** 10 Gb/s

Z87-PLUS (VivoMouse EDITION) PCIe 2.0 x16_3

(Dark Brown) D/M: x2 mode*** 10 Gb/s

Z87-A PCIe 2.0 x16_3

(Dark Brown) D/M: x2 mode*** 10 Gb/s

Z87-A (NFC EXPRESS EDITION) PCIe 2.0 x16_3

(Dark Brown) D/M: x2 mode*** 10 Gb/s

Z97-PRO PCIEX16_3

(Black)

D: x1 mode**

M: x4 mode 20 Gb/s

Z97-PRO(Wi-Fi ac) PCIEX16_3

(Black)

D: x1 mode**

M: x4 mode 20 Gb/s

Z97-A PCIEX16_3

(Black) D/M: x2 mode*** 10 Gb/s

Z97-AR PCIEX16_3

(Black) D/M: x2 mode*** 10 Gb/s

SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 1 PCIEX16_3

(Black)

D: x1 mode**

M: x4 mode 20 Gb/s

SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 2 PCIEX16_3

(Black)

D: x2 mode**

M: x4 mode 20 Gb/s

GRYPHON Z97 PCIEX16_3

(Black) D/M: x4 mode 20 Gb/s

GRYPHON Z97 (ARMOR EDITION) PCIEX16_3

(Black) D/M: x4 mode 20 Gb/s

MAXIMUS VII FORMULA PCIEX16_3

(Red)

D: x2 mode**

M: x4 mode 20 Gb/s

* Update the BIOS of your motherboard and the VGA driver to the latest version. Go to

www.asus.com for more information.

** Set the mode of your motherboard’s PCIe 2.0 x16_3 from x1 to x4 to maximize the

performance of your ThunderboltEX II card. Refer to the BIOS setup chapter of your

motherboard’s user guide for more information.

*** The maximum bandwidth of the PCIe 2.0 x16_3 slot on these supported motherboards

is x2 mode with a maximum bandwidth of 10 Gb/s.

If you install an add-on VGA card, ensure to set the BIOS item iGPU Multi Monitor to

[Enable]. Refer to the chapter BIOS setup of your motherboard’s user guide for more

information.

You can refer to the following illustrations for the recommended daisy-chain connections:

Connecting to external devices

Before connecting any Thunderbolt-enabled devices in a daisy-chain conguration,

ensure that it is equipped with one Thunderbolt™ IN port and one Thunderbolt™

OUT port.

Six (6) Thunderbolt™ devices

Six (6) Thunderbolt™ devices + three (3) DisplayPort 1.2 displays

Six (6) Thunderbolt™ devices + one (1) native DisplayPort monitor

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