Sonnet: Allegro Pro USB 3.1 PCIe and USB-C 4-Port PCIe Dual-Controller Adapter

Sonnet Technologies, Inc. announced the availability of two four-port, dual-controller SuperSpeed USB 10Gb/s PCIe adapter cards, the Allegro Pro USB 3.1 PCIe and Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe.

Allegro Pro USB 3.1 PCIe dual-controller, four-port SuperSpeed
USB 10Gb/s USB-A adapter card

The Allegro cards add four powered USB-A or USB-C ports, respectively, to any Mac, Windows, or Linux computer with PCIe slots, and to Mac and Windows computers with Thunderbolt ports when installed in a Thunderbolt-to-PCIe card expansion chassis.

Allegro USB-C PCIe dual-controller, four-port
SuperSpeed USB 10Gb/s USB-C adapter card

Both company’s adapter cards feature dual USB 3.1 Gen 2 controllers and support the fastest SSD-based USB drives available with file transfer speeds up to 800MB/s from a single drive, and up to 1,200MB/s aggregate from four drives. Both cards support USB bus-powered SSD, SSD RAID, and HDD devices with up to 7.5W of power per port, without the user having to connect auxiliary power to the card or AC power adapters to the devices. Hubs and other USB-IF-compliant devices are also supported.

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“Although they feature modern CPUs, so many current desktop and workstation computers are equipped only with generations-old USB interfaces or, at best, a single modern USB port,” said Greg LaPorte, VP, sales and marketing, Sonnet. “For broadcasters, post, and AV professionals, the ability to move files quickly from and between multiple USB drives is critical; onboard I/O is too slow. Sonnet’s latest USB adapter cards make it easy for users to add four super-fast 10Gb/s USB-A or USB-C ports to their setups and benefit from faster data transfers.“

The company designed the Allegro cards with a focus on intelligent power management and delivery for powering attached drives through its ports. It incorporates technologies including independent power regulation that isolates each port to prevent cross-coupled power glitches – such as when a HDD spins up after connection – that may cause accidental disconnects, and resettable port power fuses. Additionally, the cards are optimized for Thunderbolt, offering performance when installed in any of the firm’s Thunderbolt-to-PCIe card chassis.

The Allegro Pro USB 3.1 PCIe card (part number USB3-PRO-4P10-E) is available at a suggested retail price of $149.

The Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe card (part number USB3C-4PM-E) is available at a suggested retail price of $149.