Echo Express, Echo Express II, Echo Express Pro
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Manual (3)
IDDownload TitleDownload LinkPost Date
664 Echo Express and Echo Express Pro Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis User's Guide [English]May-08-19
File Name: echo_express_ug.pdf
Document Version: UG-ECHO-EXP-E-B-062612
File Size: 1.9 MB
Description: English user's guide for Sonnet's Echo Express and Echo Express Pro Thunderbolt expansion chassis for PCIe cards.
 
677 Echo Express and Echo Express Pro Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis User's Guide [Japanese]May-08-19
748 Echo Express Pro User's Guide AddendumMay-08-19
 
FAQ (7)
IDArticle TitlePost Date
603 Which HDMI adapter should I use to connect an HDMI monitor to an Echo Express Thunderbolt PCIe Expansion Chassis' Thunderbolt port?Mar-19-15
661 I'm using OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSDs with a Tempo SSD or Tempo SSD Pro adapter in a Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis and the system hangs after waking from sleep.Oct-01-16
663 Is the NVIDIA Quadro 4000 for Mac compatible with Echo Express Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis?Aug-29-12
No, the NVIDIA Quadro 4000 is not Thunderbolt-compatible. Apple and Intel have prescribed specific connectivity standards for products with Thunderbolt technology interfaces. These include drivers that are recognized by Thunderbolt and allow the product to connect and disconnect while the computer is running (hot plug/unplug). Products with Thunderbolt interfaces are tested by Intel and Apple and certified as compatible with these standards.

For PCIe expansion chassis to function correctly in this Thunderbolt-connectivity paradigm, the drivers for PCIe cards used in the chassis must also be updated to support these requirements. In most cases, each card manufacturer is responsible for updating the drivers for their cards. For the Quadro, it is Apple that controls the driver in OS X.

Intel has required all PCIe chassis manufacturers to agree to list only compatible cards that have been tested to support these standards. Apple has determined that for now, there are several technical reasons why it is not a good idea for a GPU card--including the Quadro--to connect over Thunderbolt. Therefore, GPU cards do not have Thunderbolt-compatible drivers. Until Thunderbolt-compatible drivers are released for GPU cards, they will not work over Thunderbolt.
 
675 I installed an LSI 9200 series SAS RAID card in a Thunderbold expansion chassis and now the LSI card doesn't work.May-22-19
714 Do GPU cards work over Thunderbolt on Windows?Nov-02-12
717 Is the Red Rocket as fast in a Sonnet Echo Express Pro chassis as in a Magma Express Box 3T?Oct-13-12
731 How fast will an SSD be in an Echo Express Thunderbolt chassis using the Tempo SSD, SSD Pro or SSD Pro Plus?Dec-30-17
We have performance comparison information on our web site. Check the performance tab on Tempo SSD or Tempo SSD Pro product page. This will give you a pretty good idea.

These numbers can be generalized. For one SSD you can infer from the table.
Read speed over Thunderbolt = 90% of rated read speed in a Mac Pro
Write speed over Thunderbolt = 80% of rated write speed in a Mac Pro.

Go to the manufacturer's SSD product page, check the speed rating and multiply by 90% and 80% for read and write, respectively, for performance over Thunderbolt.

For two SSDs in a RAID 0 in the Tempo SSD Pro using the original Thunderbolt 1 bandwidth limit, the speeds get capped at about 700MB/sec read and 560MB/sec write. There is no bandwidth limit for a two-SSD RAID 0 under Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 3.