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The Best thunderbolt expansion chassis of 2023 – Reviewed and Top Rated
After hours researching and comparing all models on the market, we find out the Best thunderbolt expansion chassis of 2023. Check our ranking below.
2,640 Reviews Scanned
Rank No. #1
Sonnet Echo Express SE1 Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Chassis (Echo-EXP-SE!-T3)
- Connects a PCIe Expansion Card to Computers Without Slots—Use high-performance PCIe cards with any Mac or Windows PC with a Thunderbolt 3 port (not to be used as a GPU chassis)
- One PCIe 3.0 x8 Slot—Supports one half-length+ (up to 7.75 inches long), full-height, single-width PCIe card (plus one daughter card)
- 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Interface—Offers 2750 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth, doubling the performance of Thunderbolt 2
- Full Performance In a Small and Light Design—Takes up little space on the desktop, but large enough to support nearly every Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe card, at full performance
- Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Ports—One port reserved for connection to the computer; second port supports daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt(5) devices to your computer, attaching a single USB(6) peripheral device, or connecting up to two 4K displays or one 5K display(4)
Rank No. #2
StarTech.com Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Expansion Chassis, External Enclosure With One PCI Express Slot, PCIe Box for Laptops / Desktops / All-In-Ones, 5K/4K Output Via TB3/DP, TAA Compliant (TB31PCIEX16)
- THUNDERBOLT 3 PCIE EXPANSION CHASSIS: Add PCI Express support to a Thunderbolt 3/4 capable laptop / desktop computer; Increased productivity with Thunderbolt 3 and up to 40Gbps bandwidth; One external PCIe 3.0 x16 slot; Thunderbolt cable included
- EXPANDABILITY FOR LAPTOPS: Integrate video capture cards, high-speed fiber / ethernet connectivity, NVMe drives, FireWire cards, and more to unlock the potential of a notebook using this Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe chassis; Toolless design; Aluminum construction
- 5K & 4K DISPLAY SUPPORT: Connect a display through the external PCIe enclosure; The DisplayPort and TB3 ports support various video outputs up to 4K/5K 60Hz (other video resolutions are also supported); PCIe Box does not support GPU graphic cards
- ROBUST POWER: The chassis delivers 25W via the PCIe slot and the LP4 port on the other side of the unit supports up to 30W between the 12V and 5V rails.; 12V 5A (65W) universal power adapter is included and is compatible w/ NA/JP, UK, EU, and ANZ regions
- COMPATIBILITY: Use single-width cards up to 8in (20.3cm) long; Built-in fan for active cooling; Daisy chain compatible with multiple TB3/4 devices; The chassis is driverless and is compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux; TAA-compliant
Rank No. #3
Sonnet Echo Express SEL Thunderbolt 3-to-PCIe Expansion Chassis (1 Low Profile Slot)
- Connects a PCIe Expansion Card to Computers Without Slots—Use high-performance PCIe cards with any Mac or Windows PC with a Thunderbolt 3 port (Low Profile Card only)
- 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Interface—Offers 2750 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth, doubling the performance of Thunderbolt 2
- Small Package, Full Performance—Smallest Thunderbolt 3-to-PCIe card expansion system available, supports the most popular low-profile, Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe cards at full performance
- Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Ports—One port reserved for connection to the computer; second port supports daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt(5) devices to your computer, attaching a single USB(6) peripheral device, or connecting up to two 4K displays or one 5K display
- Thunderbolt Cable & ThunderLok Included—Includes 0.7-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable and ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip to secure cable from accidental disconnections
Rank No. #4
Highpoint RocketStor 6661A Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe 3.0 Expansion Chassis
- Thunderbolt 3 40GB/s Ports/daisy chain support for up to 6 devices; all PCIe cards must be Thunderbolt compliant
- Dual ultra-quiet, High-efficiency cooling fans
- Easily install nearly any Full-height/full-length PCIe 3.0 card (storage I/O, networking, video, sound)
- Versatile storage & connectivity expansion; NVMe RAID drives, USB/eSATA/Mini-SAS connectivity
Rank No. #5
Sonnet Echo Express SEIIIe Thunderbolt 3 Edition (3-Slot PCIe Card Expansion Chassis)
- Connects three pcie cards to any mac with thunderbolt 3 ports-use multiple high-performance pcie cards at the same time
- Three pcie 3.0 slots-supports three full-height, half-length+ (up to 7.75 inches long)
- 40gbps thunderbolt 3 interface-offers 2750 mb/s of pcie bandwidth, doubling the performance of thunderbolt 2
- Two thunderbolt 3 (usb-c) ports-one port reserved for connection to the computer
- See Computer Compatibility at Bottom of Page, Includes 2-year warranty and free lifetime customer support since 1986
SaleRank No. #6
StarTech.com PCI Express to 4 Slot PCI Expansion System - PCIeo PCI Expansion Box - External PCI Slot - PCI Expansion Chassis (PEX2PCI4) Black
- Add an additional 4 PCI slots (32-bit/33 MHz), using PCI Express
- Rugged steel construction
- Supports both 5V and 3.3V & 5V add-in PCI cards
- Self-powered Expansion box with an on/off button
- No driver or software installation
Rank No. #7
Sonnet eGPU Breakaway Box 750ex - External GPU Chassis
- Boosts Graphics Performance - Connects a high-performance GPU card to your computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports. Mac & Windows Compatible. **M1 Macs are NOT compatible with GPUs.
- Cuts Application Task Times - Enables GPU acceleration to significantly improve editing, rendering, color grading, animation, and special effects performance.
- 750W Power Supply - Support the power requirements of the latest compatible GPU cards; future-proof design handles higher power requirements of cards to come.
- Supports Many of the Latest GPU Cards - Includes AMD Radeon VII, RX, RX Vega, Pro W and Pro WX models; and NVIDIA GeForce RTX series, TITAN, and Quadro models.
- 750ex Model: Additional Connectivity Adds four 5Gb/s USB Type A ports to connect peripherals, plus an RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet port for a wired network connectivity.
Rank No. #8
ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 with Intel® Thunderbolt™ 4 JHL 8540 Controller, 2 USB Type-C Ports, up to 40Gb/s bi-Directional Bandwidth, DisplayPort 1.4 Support, up to 100W Quick Charge.
- 1. Intel Thunderbolt 4 JHL 8540 controller
- 2. Ultrafast connectivity: Two Type-C ports with USB 4 support, up to 40Gb/s bi-directional bandwidth, per port allows you to connect up to five Thunderbolt-enabled devices in a daisy-chain configuration using Thunderbolt cables.
- DisplayPort 1.4: support up to 8K resolution monitors
- Quick charge solution: up to 100W quick charge
Rank No. #9
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- Patrick Stewart, Fiona Shaw, David Tennant (Actors)
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- English (Subtitle)
Rank No. #10
TERRAMASTER D4-300 USB 3.1(Gen1) Type-C Storage External Hard Drive Enclosure Hot Swappable (Diskless)
- Designed for applications like video editing, photo backup, technical document preservation, file backup, music library, financial records (this is NOT a NAS, it is a DAS and does NOT support RAID).
- USB3.1 (Gen1, 5Gbps) Type-C interface, compatible with 3.5” SATA hard drive/2.5” SSD, supports up to 4 hard drives, total storage capacity up to 80TB (20TB x 4).
- Supports hot swapping. The drive can be rapidly installed in 5 seconds.
- The device is driverless and supports MAC, Windows, Linux cross-platform operating system; fully compatible with the USB protocol, and can be used with any computer, TV, server, set-top box and other devices.
- Intelligent temperature control low noise fan. The fan speed is automatically adjusted with the temperature of the hard drive.
Rank No. #11
Sonnet Echo III Desktop a 3-Slot Desktop Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System
- Adds Connectivity & Capabilities: Connects up to three high-performance non-GPU PCIe cards via a Thunderbolt 3 cable to your computer lacking expansion slots.
- Pro Tools | HDX Compatible: HDX compatibility mode enables use of up to three Pro Tools | HDX PCIe cards with no additional parts needed.
- Broad PCIe Card Compatibility: Every Thunderbolt 3 compatible, non-GPU card supported regardless of length or height.
- Three PCIe 3.0 Slots: One x16 plus two x8 slots support three full-height, single-width cards, or one double-width card plus one single-width card.
- Pro Power Integrated: 400W power supply with 75W auxiliary power. Saves energy by powering on/off automatically with the computer.
Rank No. #12
Akitio T3N2AA0002Y00U Node Duo: (Thunderbolt 3 to X2 Half Length PCIe Expansion Box) Electronics
- 2 PCIe (x16) slots supporting two Half-Length, Full-height, Double-width cards
- Pci Express 3.0 compliant interface with 2 lanes per slot
- 2nd Thunderbolt port supports Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1, and DisplayPort devices
- Usb power Delivery provides 60W of power to recharge compatible laptops
- Big handles to easily carry the device
Rank No. #13
Razer Core X Aluminum External GPU Enclosure (eGPU): Compatible with Windows & MacOS Thunderbolt 3 Laptops, NVIDIA/AMD PCIe Support, 650W PSU, Classic Black
- Desktop Grade Performance: Boosts Thunderbolt 3 laptop performance with support for up to 3 slot wide PCIe full sized desktop graphics cards
- Built-In Power Supply: Includes a 650W ATX PSU with 100W laptop charging via Thunderbolt 3
- Compatibility (Windows): Requires Thunderbolt 3 external graphics (eGPU) support with RS45 or later and compatible NVIDIA or AMD graphics cards
- Compatibility (macOS): Requires Thunderbolt 3 and High Sierra 10.13.4 or later and compatible AMD graphics cards only (NVIDIA cards not supported)
- Graphics Card NOT included
Rank No. #14
QNAP Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Card for TVS-h1688X and TVS-h1288X NAS (QXP-T32P)
- Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C)
- PCIe and Lanes: PCIe Gen3 x 4
- Bracket: Low-profile pre-installed; full-height
- Form factor: Low-profile
- Only for TVS-h1688X and TVS-h1288X NAS
Rank No. #15
Sonnet eGPU Breakaway Box 750 - External GPU Chassis - Not Compatible with M1 Macs
- Boosts Graphics Performance - Connects a high-performance GPU card to your computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports. Mac & Windows Compatible. *M1 Macs are NOT compatible with GPUs. Not Compatible with Thunderbolt 2 or USB-C ports. (GPU Card not Included)
- Cuts Application Task Times - Enables GPU acceleration to significantly improve editing, rendering, color grading, animation, and special effects performance.
- 750W Power Supply - Support the power requirements of the latest compatible GPU cards; future-proof design handles higher power requirements of cards to come.
- Supports Many of the Latest GPU Cards - Includes AMD Radeon VII, RX, RX Vega, Pro W and Pro WX models; and NVIDIA GeForce RTX series, TITAN, and Quadro models. (See Compatibility Charts)
- Quietest Configurable eGPU System Available Large built-in, variable-speed, temperature-controlled fan quietly and effectively cools whatever card you install.
Rank No. #16
AKiTiO Node Titan Thunderbolt 3 External GPU Enclosure (eGPU), Aluminum, 85W Charging, up to six 4K displays, 650W PSU, Thunderbolt Cable, Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 Equipped Mac and PC
- Device Ports: 1) Host Port - Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) up to 40 Gb/s (5000 MB/s); Host Port Requirements: Thunderbolt (USB) port, Host computer must support external graphics cards (eGPUs); 3 Year OWC Limited Warranty
- Connect up to six 4K displays (AMD Eyefinity technology supports up to six DisplayPort monitors on an enabled graphics card. Supported display quantity, type and resolution vary by model and board design); Play or work while charging: up to 85W for notebook charging (via One Thunderbolt 3 port with 85W power delivery), eliminates need for separate notebook power adapter
- Expansion Slots: Supports up to PCIe x16 mechanical, x4 electrical; PCIe (x16 mechanical) slot provides up to 75W of power, but additional power can be supplied to the PCIe card by connecting a pair of 8-pin (6+2) PCIe connectors up to a maximum of 500W
- Supports up to a full-length (max 12.59 in / 32 cm), full-height (max 6.69 in / 17 cm), and double-width (max 2.5 slots) PCIe card; Check manufacturer’s power requirements; maximum of 500W supplied to card
- Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 equipped PC, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, iMac; eGPUs are supported by any Mac with an Intel processor and Thunderbolt (USB-C) ports running macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 or later; Mac models with Apple silicon, including M1, M2, and later processors, do not support eGPUs; Not compatible with Boot Camp; XFX Cards not recommended on macOS; Apple recommends AMD branded or Sapphire cards; Windows 10 64-bit build 1809 should be considered the baseline for eGPU
Rank No. #17
TEKQ Databank M4 Support 4 Port M.2 SSD Expension Card PCIe 3.0 x 16 PCIe Adapter Card, Up to 32TB RAID Controller Card Broadcom PEX-8724, Support Non-Bifurcation Motherboard, with Active Cooling Fan
- PCI Express Base Specification, r3.0, compatible with r4 and r5 (backward compatible w/ PCIe r1.0a/1.1 & 2.0)
- Broadcom PEX 8724, PCI Express Gen 3 Switch, 24 Lanes, 6 Ports
- PEX 8724 offers Multi-Host PCI Express switching capability that enables users to connect multiple hosts to their respective endpoints via scalable, high-bandwidth, non-blocking interconnection to a wide variety of applications including servers, storage, communications, and graphics platforms.
- Internal interface: M.2-2280 (M Key).
- Maximum supported capacity: 32 TB (8 TB x 4).
Rank No. #18
Sonnet Echo Express III-D Thunderbolt 3 HDX Edition- 3 Slot PCIe Card Expansion System
- Desktop PCIe Expansion Chassis with Thunderbolt 3 Interface
- Avid-qualified model supports three Avid HDX cards
- 2nd Thunderbolt 3 port provides up to 15W of power to a connected peripheral
- Remarkably Quiet
- Two year warranty plus lifetime technical support
Rank No. #19
CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 Element Hub - Universal Multi-Port Hub, 4X Thunderbolt 4/USB4 Ports, 4X USB 3.2 Gen2 10Gb/s Ports, Single display up to 8K or Dual 4K 60Hz Displays, 60W Charging with 0.8m Cable
- Ultimate Compatibility - Works with Thunderbolt 4, Thunderbolt 3, USB 4, USB-C Gen. 1 & 2
- 4 x Thunderbolt 4 40Gb/s Ports - Ideal for high resolution displays & high speed NVME SSD storage devices
- 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gb Ports - Ideal for USB accessories such as keyboards, mice, SSD or HDD storage devices
- 60W Power Delivery - Charge your computer or tablet while connecting up to 7 additional devices!
- High Resolution Displays - 8K or dual 4K or 1440p extended displays supported.
Rank No. #20
Super Thunderbolt 3 Dock for Mac Studio&Mac Mini, Dock Station with Dual NVMe Slot (Up to 2800Mbps),4X USB 3.1 Port(10Gbps), CFexpress/TF/SD Card Readers,Support Daisy Chain (up to 5 Unit) (Silver)
- [11 PORTS] 3x USB-A (10 Gbps), 1x USB-C(10 Gbps), 2x NVMe Slot (NVMe1 Slot supports PCI-e Gen3,NVMe2 Slot support USB3.1 Gen2), 1x CFexpress Type-B Card Slot, 1x UHS-II SD4.0&TF Slot, 1x DC 72-watt power jack (12V/6A), and 1x Thunderbolt 3 daisy-chain port
- [PHOTOGRAPHER'S EXCLUSIVE] The front is equipped with the most popular CFexpress Type-B&UHS-II card reader, including 3 full-speed 10GB USB-A&C ports, which are convenient to connect various high-speed storage devices and improve work efficiency.
- [ULTRA-FAST STORAGE UPGRADE] The expandable NVMe slot is perfect for inserting an ultra-fast upgrade, Backup or transfer all your video, music, photography or other large files at lightning fast speeds up to 2800 MB/s（NVMe1 Slot can provide the above high-speed read speed, NVMe2 Slot due to the USB transmission mode, the maximum transmission speed is limited to 950Mbps）
- [COMPACT USER-FRIENDLY DESIGN]Adds to your Mac Studio& Mac Mini, desktop or laptop PC with a sleek enclosure made of aluminum alloy；use the daisy-chain port to connect up to 5 additional Thunderbolt 3 compatible devices, including Thunderbolt 3 docks and displays
- [COMPREHENSIVE COMPATIBILITY] Supports Mac Studio/Mac mini M1, desktop and laptop computers with USB4/ Thunderbolt 3&4 female port.
Last update on 2023-08-03 / Affiliate links / Product Titles, Images, Descriptions from Amazon Product Advertising API
How Do You Buy The Best thunderbolt expansion chassis?
Do you get stressed out thinking about shopping for a great thunderbolt expansion chassis? Do doubts keep creeping into your mind? We understand, because we’ve already gone through the whole process of researching thunderbolt expansion chassis, which is why we have assembled a comprehensive list of the greatest thunderbolt expansion chassis available in the current market. We’ve also come up with a list of questions that you probably have yourself.
We’ve done the best we can with our thoughts and recommendations, but it’s still crucial that you do thorough research on your own for thunderbolt expansion chassis that you consider buying. Your questions might include the following:
- Is it worth buying an thunderbolt expansion chassis?
- What benefits are there with buying an thunderbolt expansion chassis?
- What factors deserve consideration when shopping for an effective thunderbolt expansion chassis?
- Why is it crucial to invest in any thunderbolt expansion chassis, much less the best one?
- Which thunderbolt expansion chassis are good in the current market?
- Where can you find information like this about thunderbolt expansion chassis?
We’re convinced that you likely have far more questions than just these regarding thunderbolt expansion chassis, and the only real way to satisfy your need for knowledge is to get information from as many reputable online sources as you possibly can.
Potential sources can include buying guides for thunderbolt expansion chassis, rating websites, word-of-mouth testimonials, online forums, and product reviews. Thorough and mindful research is crucial to making sure you get your hands on the best-possible thunderbolt expansion chassis. Make sure that you are only using trustworthy and credible websites and sources.
We provide an thunderbolt expansion chassis buying guide, and the information is totally objective and authentic. We employ both AI and big data in proofreading the collected information. How did we create this buying guide? We did it using a custom-created selection of algorithms that lets us manifest a top-10 list of the best available thunderbolt expansion chassis currently available on the market.
This technology we use to assemble our list depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the following:
- Brand Value: Every brand of thunderbolt expansion chassis has a value all its own. Most brands offer some sort of unique selling proposition that’s supposed to bring something different to the table than their competitors.
- Features: What bells and whistles matter for an thunderbolt expansion chassis?
- Specifications: How powerful they are can be measured.
- Product Value: This simply is how much bang for the buck you get from your thunderbolt expansion chassis.
- Customer Ratings: Number ratings grade thunderbolt expansion chassis objectively.
- Customer Reviews: Closely related to ratings, these paragraphs give you first-hand and detailed information from real-world users about their thunderbolt expansion chassis.
- Product Quality: You don’t always get what you pay for with an thunderbolt expansion chassis, sometimes less, and sometimes more.
- Product Reliability: How sturdy and durable an thunderbolt expansion chassis is should be an indication of how long it will work out for you.
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FAQ:
Q: How does a Thunderbolt 3 expansion chassis work?
A: This Thunderbolt 3 PCIe expansion chassis lets you add an external PCIe x16 slot to your laptop or desktop computer, through an external Thunderbolt 3 connection. Expand the Capabilities of Your Thunderbolt 3 Computer This Thunderbolt 3 PCIe enclosure makes it easy to expand your system with the capabilities you need to work at peak productivity.
Q: Can you add a PCI Express card to a Thunderbolt 3 chassis?
A: This Thunderbolt™3 PCIe expansion chassis lets you add a PCI Express card to your laptop or desktop computer, through an external Thunderbolt 3 connection.
Q: What can I add to my Thunderbolt 3 enclosure?
A: Expand the Capabilities of Your Thunderbolt 3 Computer This Thunderbolt 3 PCIe enclosure makes it easy to expand your system with the capabilities you need to work at peak productivity. You can add many types of PCIe cards or video capture cards.
Q: Is there a warranty on Thunderbolt 3 expansion?
A: It’s easy to access and edit large uncompressed files such as videos and images on the fly, making it ideal for dynamic on-site production. This external Thunderbolt 3 PCIe expansion chassis is backed by 2-year warranty and free lifetime technical support.