Sonnet Announces Echo Express II Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis for PCI Express Cards
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Compact Two-Slot Chassis Enables Users to Connect High-Performance PCIe® Cards to Thunderbolt™-Enabled Computers That Lack Expansion Slots
Sonnet today announced the Echo™ Express II, the newest member of the company's popular Echo family of Thunderbolt™ expansion chassis for PCIe® cards. Featuring two PCIe slots, the new Thunderbolt-to-PCIe expansion chassis enables the use of a wide variety of high-performance PCI Express® cards — originally designed for use in desktop computers — with any computer equipped with a Thunderbolt port.
The Echo Express II was designed for users needing a compact solution to connect two PCIe cards to their computers, and supports the majority of Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe cards. Based on the original Echo Express expansion chassis, the Echo Express II adds a second slot to support two half-length (up to 7.25 inches long), full-height, single-width PCIe 2.0 x16 cards. Like its siblings, the Echo Express II expansion chassis has dual Thunderbolt ports to support daisy-chaining of devices.
The new Echo chassis includes three temperature-controlled, variable-speed fans for cooling the cards and the chassis' components, and a universal 100W internal power supply. This Sonnet solution also conserves energy by powering on and off with the computer to which it is attached.
The Echo Express II enables iMac®, Mac® mini, MacBook® Air, and MacBook Pro computers equipped with a Thunderbolt port to use Thunderbolt-compatible professional video capture, audio interface, SAS and SATA HBA, 8Gb Fibre Channel, 10Gb Ethernet, and RAID controller cards. The list of compatible cards is available on Sonnet's website and is continually expanding as more cards are tested and certified. Like the other models in the Echo family, the Echo Express II was designed, engineered, and built by Sonnet in California. The system is backed with Sonnet's Pro five-year warranty.
"Feedback from our customers on the Echo Express line has been overwhelmingly positive. These products have been integrated into the workflows of many creative professionals, with users discovering new applications every day," said Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies. "Similar to the Echo Express Pro, the Echo Express II was designed to accommodate the needs of users requiring two slots for expansion cards, but not the extra length afforded by the Echo Express Pro's longer design."
The Echo Express II (part number ECHO-EXP2H) is now available for USD $699. More information on the product and compatible PCIe expansion cards is available at www.sonnettech.com/product/echoexpresschassis.html.
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