Thunderbolt PCI card

[rubytopaz]

I have an  ENVY Phoenix: 810-170st that I use in my recording studio. I'm buying a new audio interface. It uses Thunderbolt 3, but is backwads compatible and can use earlier Thunderbolt connections. I want to install a Thunderbolt pci card. I need to know if my motherboard will support it. The motherboard is:

Pegatron
IPIWB-PB
HP name: Pittsburgh2

I called support, was handed to 4 or 5 different sections and then cut off, so I'm trying this.

Can anyone help?

Thanks

[wb2001]

@rubytopaz,

Thunderbolt requires a PCIEx4 slot.  You only have 2 slots, the PCIEX16 graphic slot, and a lowly PCIEx1 slot.

[rubytopaz]

Thanks for the reply.

I think that I have more than that. I have added two UAD cards (an Octo card and a Quad card), I added a firewire card (which I want to replace with the Thunderbolt) and I thought there was another, beside the graphics card.

[jtpolk]

As noted by another poster, you need a PCIe x4 slot, and you have only a PCIe x16 and PCIe x1 slots. One of the things about Thunderbolt AICs (Add In Cards) is that they take the output from a from your video cards DisplayPort - it goes from your video card to your Thunderbolt AIC. Then the other little detail (really, the deal breaker) is that you need a Thunderbolt Header on the motherboard, that you attach with an internal cable to the Thunderbolt AIC.

So, if your motherboard does not have a Thunderbolt Header on the motherboard to attach the cable to the AIC, it isn't going to work.

I recently found out in another discussion that the header is called a GPIO (General Purpose I/O) header.

When I first found out about Thunderbolt AICs I was excited by the fact that I could simply slide in a card, at a reasonable price...on certain brands of motherboards...on certain motherboards of certain brands, and the reason is that had to that that GPIO or Thunderbolt AIC header. Oh, well....

[rubytopaz]

Thanks. A lot of important info. I'm not sure if you're saying that my motherboard doesn't have a header or that I need to check to see if it does. I'm also wondering if I can replace one of my slots with a PCIe x4 slot...if that's even possible.
Thanks again.
The weird thing is this...a while ago, when my computer was still under warranty, I called HP. They had a Thunderbolt card. I asked if it would work in my computer. They said yes. I must have gotten somebody who didn't know what they were talking about. Wouldn't be the first time.

[jtpolk · Accepted solution]

I did some searches, and it seems you have a motherboard called the Pittsburgh2. I found a web page of information about the motherboard on HP's website with specifications.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c03605561

If you go down to the final item on the page, 'Motherboard Layout" and click the plus sign, there is a figure (Figure 2: Layout) that has all the connectors and the like for the Pittsburgh2 motherboard, with labels. Makes your job of figuring out things pretty simple, if this is the correct motherboard.

enjoy!

[rubytopaz]

Thanks!!!!