Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
2 Posts
0
2286
TB3 Adapter card for OptiPlex 7040
Hi, I would like to install a TB3 add-in card into the PCIe slot of my OptiPlex 7040 Minitower (MT). I want a Thunderbolt 3 connection on my OptiPlex 7040 so I can connect an eGPU to it. I was thinking about installing the ASUS ThunderboltEX 3 PCI-Express Adapter Card but it could be another adapter card if anyone has a better suggestion. Could anyone give me some advice about this please. Does the OptiPlex 7040 motherboard support the ThunderboltEX 3 (see picture) or maybe another TB3 adapter is a better choice? Thank you in advance for your advice.ThunderboltEX3 connected to a motherboard
jive8820
1 Message
0
November 20th, 2020 09:00
Hi @Garth4121
So, did you try it? What card did you find that worked?
Garth4121
2 Posts
0
November 20th, 2020 15:00
No, I didn’t. I bought a Tesla K80 GPU that I wanted to use to reduce the simulation time (acceleration) of my antenna designs in the 3D electromagnetic simulation software, CST Microwave Studio (MWS). Acceleration in CST MWS is only possible with a few compatible GPUs and the K80 is one of them. The tricky bit is that the Tesla K80 GPU has passive cooling and is designed to be cooled by lots of fans in a server. I can’t afford to buy my own server so I was planning to put my K80 in an Akitio Node eGPU box to cool it and connecting it to the OptiPlex 7040 motherboard in my Dell desktop computer via a thunderbolt cable and an ASUS ThunderboltEX 3 PCI-Express Adapter Card (or any similar card). But there was another problem. I didn’t know if that adapter card was compatible with my OptiPlex 7040 motherboard so I was asking in this forum because I didn’t want to buy it without first knowing if it was going to work. While I was trying to find out if it would work I found a better option for my K80. I watched a video on YouTube where a guy had got his K80 working in a desktop computer by connecting it directly to the PCIe x16 slot of an ASUS Z170-A motherboard and cooling it with a fan adaptor designed to fit on the end of the K80. So I ended up NOT cooling my K80 in my Akitio Node eGPU box and connecting it via a thunderbolt cable to a thunderbolt adapter card plugged into my OptiPlex 7040 motherboard. Instead I bought the same ASUS Z170-A motherboard as the guy in the YouTube video and a K80 fan adapter and fan. I’m pleased to say that I now have my K80 working in that. I’m sorry my reply might not help you as you probably only wanted to know if the ASUS ThunderboltEX 3 PCI-Express Adapter Card (or any similar Thunderbolt adapter card) was compatible with the OptiPlex 7040 motherboard. I’ve been waiting for a reply to my question for 2 years and it looks like I’m not going to get one. However the price of the ASUS ThunderboltEX 3 PCI-Express Adapter Card is now only AUD135 so you could take a gamble and just buy one and see if it works. Or you could take your computer to a computer shop and ask them to install a Thunderbolt adapter card . If they can’t get one to work then you won’t have to pay anything. Good luck.