Sonnet Allegro Pro USB-C 8-Port PCIe Card

Sonnet Technologies, Inc. announced the Allegro Pro USB-C 8-Port PCIe card, an offering in its line of USB PCIe adapter cards.

It features 8 external USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) Type-C ports and fits neatly inside a single-width card space. It is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux computers with an available x16 PCIe slot, and Mac and Windows computers with Thunderbolt ports when installed in a Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion system with an available x16 PCIe slot.

What it does?
Allegro Pro USB-C 8-Port PCIe Card enables users to connect and power up to 8 USB peripherals to their computer at the same time and provides a 10Gb/s connection through each port. It supports USB bus-powered SSD, SSD RAID, and HDDs with up to 7.5W of power to every port, without the user having to connect auxiliary power to the card or AC power adapters to the devices for operation.

Why it’s important?
For broadcasters, post, and AV professionals, the ability to move files quickly to, from, and between multiple USB drives can be critical, but their computers often do not offer enough USB ports, or their onboard I/O is too slow. Allegro Pro card makes it simple for users to add 8 10Gb/s USB-C ports to their setups and benefit from faster data transfers – up to 1,000MB/s per port at the same time. Even in computers with multiple expansion card slots, every slot can be valuable – installing two 4-port adapter cards may not be an option. The Allegro Pro card is the only one available to feature 8 USB-C ports, fitting them neatly on a standard full-height, single-width PCIe card bracket. The card’s ports are spaced to enable connection of 8 cables – and even USB-C male to USB-A female adapters – at the same time.

How it’s distinctive?
Compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux, the Allegro Pro USB-C 8-Port PCIe Card is a computer card available featuring four USB 3.2 Gen 2 controllers and 8 external USB-C ports. With its architecture, this card delivers10Gb/s bandwidth to each of the ports. This is accomplished by providing each USB controller access to 2 lanes of PCIe 3.0 bandwidth via an x8 PCIe 3.0 bridge chip, plus by implementing data traffic management to eliminate bandwidth congestion. The company designed the card with a focus on intelligent power management and delivery for powering connected drives through its ports to deliver reliable operation when multiple drives are connected. This card incorporates technologies including independent power regulation that isolates each port to prevent cross-coupled power glitches – such as when a hard drive spins up after connection – that may cause accidental disconnects of other connected devices.

Key features:

• 8x10Gb/s USB-C Ports on a single card

• Supports 8 USB-C cables

• 4xindependent USB controllers, 10G/sb bandwidth/port

• Features 4xUSB 3.2 controllers and an x8 PCIe bridge chip that enables each port to support data transfers at up to 1,000MB/s, even while transferring files from multiple drives concurrently

• Data traffic management

• Powered ports

• Protected power delivery

• Supports 4 independent physical connections to VMs

• Supports hot-swappable device connections

• USB device support and compatibility

• Easy installation

• Great for use in Thunderbolt expansion systems

• Mac, Windows, and Linux compatible

• 2-year product warranty

• Free lifetime customer technical support

• Designed in USA

When you can get it?
The Allegro Pro USB-C 8-Port PCIe Card (part number USB3C-8PM-E) is available from the company’ webstore and soon from channel partners WW at the suggested retail price of $399.99.

Resource:
Video: Sonnet Allegro Pro USB-C 8-Port PCIe Card Product Overview