ASRock Thunderbolt Motherboards Feature DisplayPort Input

[btarunr]

Premium socket LGA1150 motherboards shipping with Thunderbolt connectivity hardly surprise us, yet ASRock managed to do so, with a nifty little addition to its functionality. The company's Thunderbolt-equipped motherboards, namely Z87-Extreme4 TB4, Z87-Extreme9/ac and Z87-Extreme11/ac, feature a full-size DisplayPort input in addition to two Thunderbolt ports that each double up as mini-DisplayPort outputs wired to the processor's integrated graphics. This allows you to install a discrete graphics card of your choice, wire its DisplayPort output to the board's input, and get its digital display output relayed through the Thunderbolt ports, using which you can daisy-chain your high-resolution display with other high-bandwidth devices. On its specs sheets, ASRock is dubbing this implementation as an "experimental feature," and isn't making a song-and-dance about it. In any case, it sure gives ASRock a sharp edge over Thunderbolt-equipped motherboards from other brands, and in our opinion, is the best implementation of Thunderbolt to date.



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[Ikaruga]

Interesting

 

[Covert_Death]

freaking loving ASRock these past few years, great designs, great features, good quality that you can count on, and best customer support i've ever run into... way to go!

 

[EarthDog]

Heh, Intel is sure trying to push this TB garbage...

 

[Frick]

Heh, Intel is sure trying to push this TB garbage...

That is what they are NOT doing, which is the problem. I'd love to have TB docks, but there are almost none to be had.

ITX versions please!

 

[Covert_Death]

That is what they are NOT doing, which is the problem. I'd love to have TB docks, but there are almost none to be had.

ITX versions please!

what are you going to stick into it?

the great thing about USB is backwards compatibility, until TB starts to show that it can do this with new iterations then its a no go for me, i don't want 6 different ports on my MoBo, i want 6 of the same port so that i know i have enough for my devices

 

[EarthDog]

That is what they are NOT doing, which is the problem. I'd love to have TB docks, but there are almost none to be had.

ITX versions please!

Yeah, on that side, I agree. Or what is available are just too damn expensive for no reason. USB3 throughput is fine for 90% of people I would imagine.

 

[NeoXF]

what are you going to stick into it?

the great thing about USB is backwards compatibility, until TB starts to show that it can do this with new iterations then its a no go for me, i don't want 6 different ports on my MoBo, i want 6 of the same port so that i know i have enough for my devices

Exactly.

Jesus, if Intel think they've figured out some kind of magic connectivity, why not forward it for future USB 4.0 drafts and such, otherwise TB is going to die just like any other form of wired connectivity before it (and it should). They don't call it UNIVERSAL Serial Bus for nothing.

 

[GSG-9]

Exactly.

Jesus, if Intel think they've figured out some kind of magic connectivity, why not forward it for future USB 4.0 drafts and such, otherwise TB is going to die just like any other form of wired connectivity before it (and it should). They don't call it UNIVERSAL Serial Bus for nothing.

They tried that (2009), when it was light peak they pushed TB for the usb connector. It is my understanding the USB Compliance Committee and Intel were not seeing eye to eye, fast forward 4 years and we have Thunderbolt on Display Port, an apple/intel baby.

I like its bandwidth, and the ability to daisy chain displays. If they ever release any tech that does that...

Wiki for just the facts.