IRVINE, CA — Sonnet (www.sonnettech.com) has added the Echo Express SE I to its Echo Express line of Thunderbolt 2-to-PCIe expansion systems, which enables the use of a wide variety of high-performance PCI Express (PCIe) cards — originally designed for use in desktop computers — with any Mac or Windows computer with a Thunderbolt port. The new single-slot model supports nearly every Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe card on the market, including double-width cards (PCIe card plus daughter card).
The Echo Express SE I features Thunderbolt 2 technology and incorporates support for the DisplayPort 1.2 protocol, which enables video streaming to a 4K video monitor. The new expansion chassis is well suited for use with a wide variety of pro video capture, audio interface, SAS or SATA HBA, 16Gb or 8Gb Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and RAID controller PCIe cards, allowing them to connect with Thunderbolt-enabled iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro computers, as well as Mac Pro computers that lack PCIe expansion slots. The Echo Express SE I’s dual Thunderbolt 2 ports support full-bandwidth connectivity with 20Gbps Thunderbolt 2-equipped host computers, and also provide full backward compatibility with 10Gbps Thunderbolt-equipped computers and devices. Also supported is daisy-chaining of other Thunderbolt 2 and Thunderbolt devices.
The Echo Express SE I is available now for $349.