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When you're talking the Z77 chipset, one thing springs to mind first and foremost: Ivy Bridge. Intel's upcoming CPU isn't the only newcomer to the game, though, as Z77 is the first Intel desktop chipset to support the company's high-speed Thunderbolt interface -- assuming a Thunderbolt controller is on the mobo, of course. Most of Asus' Z77/H77 'boards have lacked an integrated controller, but it looks like Thunderbolt compatibility is coming thanks to an upcoming expansion card.
Asus told VR-Zone that the majority of the company's H77/Z77 retail mobos will be able to accommodate the Thunderbolt expansion card, which is set to launch on the 27th of this month. It's no freebie, though; you'll have to lay out an unspecified amount of cash to acquire a Thunderbolt controller card. Once you have one in hand, it'll hook up to the TB_HEADER pictured above.
Here's the list of supported motherboards:
Image credit: VR-Zone
Comments are closed on this article
fry
April 19, 2012 at 11:09am
Good to know. Looking forward to a quick expansion of Thunderbolt peripherals and an even quicker price drop now that the tech has moved beyond Apple products.
Slurpy
April 18, 2012 at 10:31pm
Wow, this brings back memories. . . I can't remember the last time I had to use an expansion card to add a new type of port. First-gen USB, I guess?
Engelsstaub
April 18, 2012 at 3:12pm
That's good to know. I'm contemplating building a new PC soon. It would be nice to have TB as an option. Hopefully the controller card is reasonably-priced. (I'm not expecting a bargain as it is geared towards professionals. I just don't need to be gouged either.)
I wonder what Linux support for TB will be like in the near future...
JohnP
April 18, 2012 at 12:44pm
Good to know as I have ordered the ASUS Z77 Deluxe card. At first I thought that putting a expansion card over the front panel header was NOT a good idea. Then I saw the black connector behind it.
That makes TWO ASUS only expansion slots on the Pro and Deluxe cards. The other is for their WiFi,WiFi/Bluetooth, or a rumored WiFi/SSD plugin module for the back panel. WiFi for Pro, WiFi/Bluetooth for Deluxe and God knows where for the Wifi/SSD module (saw the latter on a ASUS demo video on the Deluxe -no news since, not a peep).
