Connect a Low-Profile PCIe Card to Computers Without Expansion Slots Shopping for a new computer? Small and thin is in—the latest ultra-light notebooks, small form factor, and all-in-one desktops are slender marvels of engineering. But, thinness comes with a cost—there’s nowhere to install PCIe cards that provide additional connectivity and processing capabilities beyond a computer’s standard ports. Thin Mac® and Windows®(1) computers with Thunderbolt™ 3 ports still offer tremendous processing power, but for many, such as pros in the creative fields, onboard processing power alone is not enough. Fortunately, you don’t have to limit your choices to desktop workstations—think external. Sonnet’s Echo™ Express SEL (Thunderbolt 3 Edition) enables you to connect a single low-profile PCIe card outside of the computer. Through its x8 PCIe 3.0 slot, this little expansion system supports many Thunderbolt-compatible 16Gb and 8Gb Fibre Channel, 40Gb and 10 Gigabit Ethernet, video capture and processing, SAS and SATA host bus adapters, and RAID controller cards. The Echo Express SEL (Thunderbolt 3 Edition) features 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3, which offers double the speed and connectivity of Thunderbolt 2, and yields up to 2750 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth, enabling it to support 4K video capture and processing cards at high frame rates, and 16Gb FC cards and dual-port 10GbE cards at full performance(2)(3). With the ability to handle the most demanding, highest performance PCIe cards, support for connecting two 4K displays @ 60Hz or one 5K display @ 60Hz(4), and support for a vast array of Thunderbolt(5) and USB(6) peripheral devices, Thunderbolt 3 is a leap forward in every way. |
Key Features
Connects a PCIe Expansion Card to Computers Without Slots—Use high-performance PCIe cards with any Mac or Windows PC with a Thunderbolt 3 port One PCIe 3.0 x8 Slot—Supports low-profile card 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Interface—Offers 2750 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth, doubling the performance of Thunderbolt 2 Small Package, Full Performance—Smallest Thunderbolt 3-to-PCIe card expansion system available, supports the most popular low-profile, Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe cards at full performance Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Ports—One port reserved for connection to the computer; second port supports daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt(5) devices to your computer, attaching a single USB(6) peripheral device, or connecting up to two 4K displays or one 5K display(4) Remarkably Quiet—Temperature-controlled, variable-speed fan automatically and quietly cools the card Energy Saver Mode—Powers on/off automatically with the computer Rugged Aluminum Housing—Provides robust and secure protection Power for Peripherals—Provides up to 15W of power to connected peripheral or host(7) Thunderbolt Cable & ThunderLok Included—Includes 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable and ThunderLok 3 Thunderbolt connector retainer clip to secure cable from accidental disconnections |
Small Package, Full Performance Measuring just 4 inches wide by 8.4 inches long by 2.8 inches tall, the Echo Express SEL is ideal for use in circumstances where connecting a single low-profile PCIe card is required. Many of the most popular Thunderbolt-compatible high-speed networking and storage controller cards are a perfect fit, and even the BlueFish 444 Epoch 4K Neutron video card can be accommodated. |
![]()
|
Thunderbolt 3 — The Echo Express SEL (Thunderbolt 3 Edition) includes two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports; the first connects it to your computer, while the second supports daisy chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices to a single port on your computer. The SEL includes 10Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 support, meaning you can connect a USB device to the second port using the proper cable or adapter. The SEL also provides full support for connecting two 4K displays @ 60Hz or one 5K display @ 60Hz(4). For connected devices requiring extra power, 15 watts is provided to connected bus-powered devices. |
![]() |
|
Compact, desktop 1-slot Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System for a low-profile PCIe card; features temperature-controlled fan and two Thunderbolt 3 ports to support daisy chaining of up to six devices.
Related products
Expansion TB3
Sonnet’s Echo 11 Thunderbolt 3 Dock connects your peripherals to your computer through a single cable. Simply plug in your devices—such as a printer, keyboard, mouse, cable modem, hard drive, optical drive, USB license dongle, headphones or powered speakers, phone, tablet, and (up to) two 4K displays—to the dock with their supplied cables, and then connect your computer with the included Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable. The Echo 11 dock even charges compatible computers(5) through the same cable. When it's time to take your computer and go, just unplug the Thunderbolt cable to disconnect from everything at once!
Expansion TB3
Compact, desktop, 3-slot Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System for up to three full-height, half-length+ PCIe cards. Features temperature-controlled fan, and two Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Expansion TB3
Desktop, 1-slot Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System for up to full-height, half-length+, double-width PCIe card. Features temperature-controlled fan, and two Thunderbolt 3 ports. Second Thunderbolt 3 port supports daisy chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices, a single USB 3 Gen 1 (5Gb) or Gen 2 (10Gb) peripheral device, or one 5K or two 4K displays.
Expansion TB3
Desktop, 1-slot Thunderbolt 3 to eGPU Expansion System for eGPU-compatible GPU cards; also supports every other Thunderbolt-compatible card available up to full-length, full-height, and double-width. Features temperature-controlled fan, and one Thunderbolt 3 port. Thunderbolt Certified for Mac and Windows.
Expansion TB3
Portable eGPU for computers with Thunderbolt 3 ports. Features AMD Radeon RX 560 or RX 570 GPU, temperature-controlled fan, three DisplayPort ports, one HDMI port, and one Thunderbolt 3 port.
Expansion TB3
Rackmount, 3-slot Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System with integrated power supply, variable speed fans, and two Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Expansion TB3
Desktop, 3-slot Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System with integrated power supply, variable speed fans, and two Thunderbolt 3 ports.