PCI and thunderbolt for Mac Pro 2010 5,1

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PCI and thunderbolt for Mac Pro 2010 5,1

I am planning on buying a new audio interface for my computer and will have to upgrade to a thunderbolt connection. I am planning on buying the sonnet allegro 2-port USB-C 3.1 Pci expansion card and a thunderbolt adapter to connect to the interface which has thunderbolt 3.

I have heard something like the PCI port doesn't work on my model but I don't really understand

I'm hoping someone can confirm that this will be possible with the parts and model computer I have.

Thanks.

Posted on Jul 2, 2020 11:53 AM

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Answer 1

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MrHoffman

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126,019 points

Jul 2, 2020 7:29 PM in response to OMENS18

You cannot use Thunderbolt with a Mac Pro 2010.

There are no processor upgrades, no add-on adapters, nothing, that allows a Mac Pro 2010 to use Thunderbolt.

You’ll have to find a different audio widget, or a different I/O connection path for this audio widget.

Or you’re headed for a newer Mac.

A new Mac mini will very likely be faster, and (if you’re still on HDD) much faster.

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Answer 2

OMENS18 Author

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Jul 2, 2020 4:44 PM in response to Malcolm J. Rayfield

It seems that kind of conflicts with other sources that I have found, do you think you could elaborate? As far as I understand the usb-c is just slower speeds so if the interface had the ability to perform at that speed (adapter or not) it would work.

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Answer 3

BDAqua

Level 10

245,231 points

Jul 2, 2020 6:15 PM in response to OMENS18

Malcolm is correct...

Thunderbolt 3 uses the USB-C connector, but not all host connections, cables, and devices with a USB-C connector support Thunderbolt 3. This means that a USB-C device is compatible with a Thunderbolt 3 host connection, but a Thunderbolt 3 device is not compatible with a USB-C host connection. Therefore, it is important to know whether you have a USB-C or a Thunderbolt 3 host, cable, or device.

To determine if your component is a Thunderbolt 3 device, look for the Thunderbolt 3 symbol (shown below). USB-C devices do not include this symbol. For more information about USB-C, see the following FAQ: http://www.startech.com/faq/usb-c-port-capabilites.

Thunderbolt symbol: https://sgcdn.startech.com/005329/media/products/gallery_large/TBLT3MMXM.B.jpg.

https://www.startech.com/faq/thunderbolt-3-or-usb-c-port

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Answer 4

Jul 2, 2020 6:34 PM in response to OMENS18

USB-C is common connector design, which can use different and variously incompatible cables, as mentioned above.

Those different cables are used with different protocols, with Thunderbolt 3 and soon Thunderbolt 4 among those.

And a particular USB-C port may or may not support Thunderbolt. At all. Not all USB-C connections do.

Your Mac Pro 2010 lacks the ability to extend the PCIe bus outside of the box, which is the core of Thunderbolt.

The Xeon processors used on that Mac Pro didn’t offer Thunderbolt features.

More succinctly: “nope”.

You’ll need a different approach or a different Mac.

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Answer 5

OMENS18 Author

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9 points

Jul 2, 2020 7:02 PM in response to MrHoffman

Thanks so much for the clarification.

Can anyone here possibly point me towards a different approach or examples on how I would achieve being able to use that interface with my computer.

Is it possible to upgrade my processor? If not could I buy a newer mac pro and still use most of the parts from the current one?

What is the most practical way to go about this upgrade. If these are to big to answer here please refer me to somewhere I can better understand my options.

Thanks.

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Answer 6

Jul 2, 2020 12:21 PM in response to OMENS18

If the audio interface uses Thunderbolt there is no way to use it with a 2010 Mac Pro.

PCI USB-C cards only provide USB, not Thunderbolt 3, even though both use the same connectors.

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PCI and thunderbolt for Mac Pro 2010 5,1

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