Question

Currently running S1 on a Win7 PC and Studio 192/DP88 hardware.  I've seen lots of posts on this Forum from user's trying to get Thunderbolt working on their PC.  I would like some advice before I build, whether the ASUS PRIME X299-Deluxe product is a viable option.

I've found a number of MBs with a TB Header but very nothing currently available with an integrated TB Controller and Port on the board which would be ideal.  So for now the PCiE adaptor seems to be the best option, but these are not available from any of the retail sources I have searched thus far. This whittles the field down to the ASUS PRIME X99-Deluxe package since it includes both the MB and the Adaptor (even though I might prefer to stay a bit behind the bleeding edge with a "Coffee Lake" instead of a "Sky Lake" Processor).  And I understand the posts regarding the need for the StarTech TB3 - TB2 connector (Thanks for the heads up).

So my question is this; assuming my build succeeds, will this PC work with the Quantum DAC?  Hopefully some one who has gone down this rabbit hole can give me some advice.

Answer 1

Yes, you will need to use the Startech Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter. The Apple Adapter will not work on many PC systems. 

We bought systems and built a few here in the test lab. One of our beta testers had the X99 system and you'll need to buy the ASUS Thunderbolt Riser Card to go with your motherboard. Keep in mind that the PCIe Card is not just a plug-in card, it is a repeater for the embedded chip on the motherboard. (For anyone else reading this), if your motherboard does NOT have support for Thunderbolt on the board, this PCIe card will NOT work. 

There are a few other things you'll need to make sure you do when you build your system. Even people buying systems with Thunderbolt 3 on-board will need to do these things too. 

• Make sure your system has all drivers installed
• Make sure you have ALL updates installed, we run the latest libraries from Microsoft, you will too. 
• Make sure you have installed the latest BIOS for your motherboard
• Make sure you have installed the latest Firmware for your Thunderbolt available from your motherboard / vendor download page. 

In your system BIOS you'll need to set the permissions level to No Security:

We snapped this image from our Dell XPS13 (bad image, from iphone 6).

Your Thunderbolt settings may look different as ASUS may look similar to the Gigabyte screen below.  

Here's a screenshot from our Gigabyte System: 

Once you have your system up and running. Intel will ask you for permission as well.

 

In this example we're using the Cal-Digit External Thunderbolt Storage Chassis, Quantum (and any other Thunderbolt device) will show up just the same. You'll have to grant it access to the system to "Always Connect".

After all that you will be set and Quantum (and your other Thunderbolt Interfaces will work). 

Seems like a lot of work. Thunderbolt is plug and play on Apple Mac OS X. None of this is necessary. 

Also this is for Windows 10, no support for Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 for this setup. 

Answer 2

The Apple TB3 to TB2 adapter (MMEL2AM/A) works great with the Dell XPS 15 9560. It's much smaller and also cheaper than the StarTech adapter too! I got mine used for $25.

Answer 3

I have an ASUS X299-A with the Asus Thunderbolt EX card and the Apple USB-C adapater.

It works great for me.

Only had it a few weeks but have never had less latency, and I've been doing this many years.

Buzzripper