Displays offering endless PCIe connectivity alongside Thunderbolt 3 adapters.
Displays offering endless PCIe connectivity alongside Thunderbolt 3 adapters.
I have a miniITX build, and the only PCIe slot on the board is occupied by a graphics card, and I'm trying to find a solution to expand the amount of PCIe slots. When I'm browsing the net, I found this: a PCIe to Thunderbolt 3 adaptor, and two Thunderbolt 3s can be connected to it. And this: a Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe expansion case with three PCIe slots. Does this mean I can connect infinite PCIe peripherals since I can connect a PCIe to Thunderbolt 3 adaptor in the expansion box?
Bifurcation has boundaries, and even with "unlimited lanes" you won't achieve unlimited bandwidth. Don't forget the latency from Thunderbolt controllers, the small size of the Thunderbolt expansion card, and the potential incompatibility of the PCIe dock. But if they worked together, it wouldn't be creating something entirely new.
Eventually, you'll face a drop in performance exceeding half because of bandwidth limits. Thunderbolt offers four lanes, but using more than one reduces speed significantly. Also, latency becomes an issue.