Product ID: BNDTB4M2E1
This Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe M.2 adapter lets you take advantage of the speed of PCIe solid-state drives, connected externally to your Thunderbolt 3 desktop or laptop computer. The adapter combines the StarTech.com Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Expansion Chassis (TB31PCIEX16) and the M.2 PCIe SSD adapter card ( PEX4M2E1), giving you a DisplayPort output and an additional Thunderbolt 3 port.
Get ultra-fast data access by adding this PCIe M.2 SSD adapter externally to your existing Thunderbolt 3 computer, using the Thunderbolt 3 chassis -- improving your storage performance and expanding overall capacity. The adapter supports PCIe M.2 SSDs (NVMe and AHCI): 2242, 2260, 2280, and 22110 drives.
Connect additional displays through the chassis’ dedicated DisplayPort output and second Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) port (USB-C video adapter may be required). With two extended displays, you can multitask effortlessly, avoiding the hassle of repositioning open windows or programs repeatedly throughout your workday.
You can assemble and connect the adapter in minutes. Put it together using only a screwdriver then plug and play with no software or drivers required.
The PEX4M2E1 and TB31PCIEX16 are backed by a StarTech.com 2-year warranty.
Warranty Information | Warranty | 2 Years |
---|---|---|
Number of Drives | 1 | |
Compatible Drive Types | M.2 (PCIe, AHCI, M-Key, NGFF) | |
Connector(s) | 1 - Internal Ports | PCI Express x16 |
1 - External Ports | Thunderbolt™ 3 USB-C (24-pin) (40Gbps) | |
1 - Internal Ports | PCI Express x4 | |
1 - Drive Connectors | M.2 (PCIe, AHCI, M-Key, NGFF) | |
1 - External Ports | DisplayPort (20 pin) | |
1 - Host Connectors | Thunderbolt™ 3 USB-C (24-pin) (40Gbps) | |
Environmental | Operating Temperature | Chassis: 5°C to 35°C (41°F to 95°F) PCIe Card: 5°C to 50°C (41°F to 122°F) |
Storage Temperature | Chassis: -20°C to 50°C (-4°F to 122°F) PCIe Card: -25°C to 70°C (-13°F to 158°F) |
|
Humidity | Chassis: 20-80%RH PCIe Card: 15% ~ 90% RH |
|
Hardware | Fan(s) | Yes |
1 - Fans | 92 mm | |
Air Flow Rate | 14.06 CFM | |
Noise Level | 24.55 dB | |
Interface | Thunderbolt | |
Bus Type | Thunderbolt 3 | |
Card Type | Standard Profile | |
Interface | PCI Express | |
Bus Type | PCI Express | |
Industry Standards | Thunderbolt 3 | |
Fan Bearing Type | Sleeve Bearing | |
Chipset ID | Chassis: Intel - Alpine Ridge DSL6540 PCIe Card: N/A |
|
Indicators | 1 - LED Indicators | power indicator only |
Packaging Information | Shipping (Package) Weight | 8.1 lb [3.6 kg] |
Package Length | 14.2 in [36 cm] | |
Package Width | 11.4 in [29 cm] | |
Package Height | 5.7 in [14.5 cm] | |
Performance | Maximum Data Transfer Rate | 40 Gbps (Thunderbolt 3) |
Bandwidth | 3.94 GB/s (x4 PCIe 3.0 ) | |
Type and Rate | Thunderbolt 3 - 40 Gbit/s | |
Hardware Raid Supported | No | |
Physical Characteristics | Color | Black |
Material | Aluminum and Steel | |
Cable Length | 19.7 in [50 cm] | |
Product Length | 11.0 in [28 cm] | |
Product Width | 5.6 in [14.2 cm] | |
Product Height | 3.2 in [82 mm] | |
Weight of Product | 3.6 lb [1.6 kg] | |
Power | Power Source | AC Adapter Included |
Input Voltage | 100 - 240 AC | |
Input Current | 2A | |
Output Voltage | 12V DC | |
Output Current | 5.417A | |
Center Tip Polarity | Positive | |
Plug Type | N | |
Power Consumption (In Watts) | 65 | |
Software | OS Compatibility | OS Independent |
Special Notes / Requirements | Note | The expansion chassis does not support video cards. |
This expansion chassis does not provide full power delivery but will provide 15W of power, resulting in a slow charge to some laptops, such as MacBook Pro. When the dock is connected to your host laptop, a charging icon may appear on your laptop's screen. This is only sufficient enough to charge your laptop in sleep state, and charging will require an extended time period. | ||
5K support can only be achieved using a Thunderbolt 3 5K monitor. DisplayPort 5K monitors will not work with this expansion chassis. | ||
System and Cable Requirements | Thunderbolt 3 equipped computer with a Thunderbolt 3 port. | |
Note | A 4K-capable display is required to achieve 4K x 2K resolution (4K is also known as 4K x 2K). | |
Certain monitors may be limited to 4K at 30Hz when connecting through DisplayPort. These monitors include the following models: Dell P2715Q, Viewsonic VX2475Smhl-4K, Philips 288P6LJEB, LG 31MU97C-B, Asus PB287Q (these models will need to be set to 4K at 30Hz). | ||
When connecting a display to one of the Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, a USB-C video adapter might be required depending on the input of your display. | ||
Secondary Thunderbolt 3 port can also be used to connect USB 3.1 (10Gbps) USB-Type C devices, such as USB 3.1 Hubs. Backwards compatible with USB 3.0 (USB 3.1 Gen 1), and USB 2.0. | ||
What's in the Box | 1 - Included in Package | Thunderbolt 3 PCIe expansion box |
Thunderbolt 3 cable | ||
4 - Included in Package | rubber feet | |
1 - Included in Package | x4 PCI Express® to M.2 PCIe SSD Adapter | |
universal power adapter (NA/JP, UK, EU, ANZ) | ||
low-profile bracket | ||
full-profile bracket (pre-installed) | ||
2 - Included in Package | quick-start guides | |
1 - Included in Package | SSD standoff and installation screw |
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We are always ready to assist you with any questions you may have.
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Live Chat (opens in new window)If you set your display to [email protected] and connect a display to the DisplayPort output on the laptop docking station, your display may flicker. This issue only affects certain monitors and is a result of an interoperability issue between the hardware used in the display and the docking station. This issue is not specific to StarTech.com docking stations.
To resolve this issue, try any of the following:
This docking station provides 15 watts of power, which may be enough to display a charging icon, but is likely not enough to restore battery power while the system is on and being used. If an icon is displayed and the system is put into sleep mode, battery power will be restored slowly.
If your computer is not detecting your Thunderbolt™ 3 device, try the following:
For more information about how to update the software, firmware, drivers, and BIOS or UEFI, refer to the website of the manufacturer of the Thunderbolt 3 host device. The following website includes links to some of the manufacturers of Thunderbolt 3 host devices: https://thunderbolttechnology.net/updates. If the manufacturer of your host device is not listed, you should contact the manufacturer or refer to their website for more information.
For more information about how to check which version of the Thunderbolt software and firmware you are currently using, see the following FAQ: https://www.startech.com/faq/thunderbolt-3-check-software-firmware.
For more information about Thunderbolt 3 host system and motherboard compatibility, refer to the Thunderbolt 3 Compatibility and Troubleshooting guide.
When you connect a Thunderbolt™ device to any Windows operating system that can support Thunderbolt 3, a pop-up message appears. To use your Thunderbolt 3 device do one of the following:
Caution! If you select Do Not Connect, only video will pass through on your Thunderbolt 3 device.
If you accidentally set a Thunderbolt™3 device to not connect to your computer when prompted by the system, you can force the software to prompt you again for authentication. To do so, complete the following:
To use a Thunderbolt 3 adapter to output to a display at 60Hz, your monitor must support the refresh rate and you need to set the monitor to work at 60Hz. By default, most monitors are set to DP1.1, which will not work with this Thunderbolt 3 device when you use a display at 60Hz. In most cases, you need to set your monitor's DisplayPort settings to DP1.2.
To resolve this issue, use the buttons on your monitor to change the DisplayPort settings to DP1.2. For more information about changing your monitor settings, refer to the website of the manufacturer of your monitor.
When you connect a Thunderbolt™ device to any Windows operating system that can support Thunderbolt 3, a pop-up message appears. To use your device, complete the following:
If you accidentally set your Thunderbolt device to Do Not Connect in step three above, refer to the following FAQ: https://www.startech.com/faq/thunderbolt-3-denied-authentication.
If you accidentally set a Thunderbolt™3 device to not connect to your computer when prompted by the system, you can force the software to prompt you again for authentication. To do so, complete the following:
You can use the Thunderbolt™ software to manage your Thunderbolt 3 devices on a computer running a version of Windows. To manage your Thunderbolt 3 devices, complete the following:
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 essential 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. 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™ 3 is the latest version of the Thunderbolt standard for connecting computers and electronic devices. It is capable of the following:
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: https://www.startech.com/faq/usb-c-port-capabilites.
Thunderbolt symbol: https://sgcdn.startech.com/005329/media/products/gallery_large/TBLT3MMXM.B.jpg.
If you use an adapter, Thunderbolt 3 host connections are compatible with Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 devices. You can use the StarTech.com TBT3TBTADAP to make a Thunderbolt 3 host connections backwards compatible.
Thunderbolt 3 devices are not backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 host connections.
Although the Thunderbolt™ 3 standard is capable of data transfer speeds up to 40Gbps, not every cable can support this bandwidth. For example, cables over a certain length or made with certain materials are only capable of data transfer speeds up to 20Gbps.
To confirm the capability of your Thunderbolt 3 cable, refer to the information provided by the manufacturer. StarTech.com lists the capabilities of the Thunderbolt 3 cables on the individual product pages.
There are two different Thunderbolt 3 cable symbols: the 20Gbps symbol and the 40Gbps symbol. The 20Gbps symbol is composed of the Thunderbolt 3 symbol, and the 40Gbps symbol is composed of the Thunderbolt 3 symbol and the number three. These images are shown below.
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.
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