Allegro USB-C 4-port PCIe Card
2X THE PERFORMANCE OF USB 3.0 AND USB 3.1 GEN 1 CONNECTIONS
Equipped with SSDs, the fastest 3.1 Gen 2 USB drives you can buy today are capable of 800 MB/s data transfers—many are bus-powered, too. But, most desktop computers (even new models) include generations-old USB interfaces that will throttle that performance and may not offer adequate power to allow bus-powered drives to operate. Break through the bottleneck—install Sonnet’s Allegro™ USB-C 4-Port PCIe card in your Mac Pro® tower, Windows® PC, or Linux(1) computer with PCIe slots; or Thunderbolt™ to PCIe card expansion system to support your fast USB drives at maximum performance.
TWO CONTROLLERS, FOUR PORTS
Featuring two 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 controllers and four USB-C ports, the Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe card supports data transfers at up to twice as fast as USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports are capable. With two controllers onboard, the Allegro card speeds data transfers between connected drives, and enables your computer to load and off-load data more quickly.
SPEED AND POWER
Unlike other 4-port USB cards (simple hubs that split a single USB controller’s bandwidth between all four ports), Sonnet’s Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe computer card supports data transfers from a single USB 3.1 Gen 2 SSD RAID device at up to 800 MB/s— compared to using a USB 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 3.0 adapter card, transfers complete in half the time! Exploiting its dual controllers design, it’s possible to simultaneously transfer data to two connected drives at up to 660 MB/s each. With four drives connected, the four ports support simultaneous 300 MB/s transfers!
The Allegro card provides 7.5W of power through each of its ports, supporting USB bus-powered hard drives, and SSDs without the need to connect an additional AC power adapter.
SONNET PORT POWER ADVANTAGES:
Unlike ordinary USB-C adapter cards, the Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe was designed with a focus on intelligent power delivery and management for powering attached drives through its ports.
NO AUXILIARY POWER REQUIRED
Ordinary USB-C cards need a separate power plug connection. Sonnet’s 4-port USB-C card gets the power required to operate connected drives from the slot it’s installed in. This enables you to install the Sonnet card in any compatible computer or Thunderbolt expansion chassis regardless of it having extra power connectors available.
INDEPENDENT, PER-PORT POWER REGULATION
Ordinary USB-C cards can deliver poor power regulation, allowing a connected drive to be forced off (auto-disconnected) when an additional drive is connected or disconnected. The Allegro card protects each port from power glitches on adjacent ports, preventing auto-disconnects of already-connected drives.
RESETTABLE FUSES
Unlike ordinary USB-C cards, the Allegro card features a resettable fuse on each port, protecting both card and computer should a cable or peripheral fail. Resetting a tripped fuse is simple—just shut down and restart your computer.
OPTIMIZED FOR THUNDERBOLT
Got a Thunderbolt connection, but no PCIe slot? The Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe card is ideal for use in Sonnet’s Thunderbolt 2 and Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe card expansion systems, including Echo Express™ and xMac™ desktop and rackmount chassis. Now you can add four SuperSpeed+ USB-C ports to your computer without expansion card slots.
PERFECT FOR THE EXTRA SLOT IN YOUR MULTI-SLOT THUNDERBOLT CHASSIS
Installing an Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe card in a multi-slot Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe card expansion chassis is a great way to inexpensively add four SuperSpeed+ USB-C ports to your computer.
BROAD DEVICE SUPPORT, EASY INSTALLATION
The Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe card features hot-pluggable and hot-swappable device connection support with automatic device configuration, and works with all USB-IF compliant USB peripherals. This full-height Sonnet card installs easily into any PCIe x4 (mechanical) or larger slot.
• SuperSpeed+ USB x4 - Adds four 10Gbps USB-C ports to your Mac Pro, Windows PC, or Linux(1) computer with PCIe slots; or Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion system
• Dual USB 3.1 Gen 2 Controllers - Support data transfers at up to twice as fast as USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Gen 1; speed data transfers between connected drives
• Powered Ports - Supports USB-C bus-powered SSD, SSD RAID, and hard drive devices with up to 7.5W power per port
• Protected Power Delivery - Independent power regulation isolates each port to prevent cross-coupled power glitches that may cause accidental disconnects; resettable device overcurrent fuses protect the card and computer, and may be reset by a simple shutdown
• Broad USB Device Support & Compatibility - Supports storage, hubs, and other USB-IF compliant USB devices
• Optimized for Thunderbolt - Provides maximum performance over Thunderbolt
• Supports Hot-Swappable Device Connection - Plug in and disconnect peripherals without shutting off your computer
• Easy Installation - Quick and easy installation into any available PCIe slot
MAC COMPATIBILITY
Mac Pro® 3,1(1), 4,1 or 5,1
macOS 10.10.5, 10.12.6+(2)
(not compatible with macOS 10.11)
macOS Mojave compatible
WINDOWS COMPATIBILITY
Computer with PCIe slots
Windows 10, 8.1, 7
Windows Server 2016, 2012, and 2008 (64-bit editions)
LINUX COMPATIBILITY(3)
Computer with PCIe slots
Linux 4.12+(1) Kernel (LTS version only)
THUNDERBOLT COMPATIBILITY
• Supports USB 3 peripherals on a Mac or Windows PC when installed in a Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 3 PCIe expansion system(4)
• macOS 10.12.6+(2,1)
• Windows 10 Build 1709 or newer (64-bit edition)
