Following the release of Apple Thunderbolt 3 computers like the Mac Mini 2018 and the iMac Pro, we have seen some confusion about which thunderbolt expansion chassis you can use with a Thunderbolt equipped Apple computer and so we thought it would be helpful to put together a guide especially as the transition to Thunderbolt 3 has muddied the waters in this area.
The Current Problem With Pro Tools HDX Cards and Thunderbolt 3
Let’s get straight to the nub of the problem. Essentially make sure you check the Avid compatibility documents before you buy any hardware or look at upgrading software. As a general rule deviate from them at your peril.
Avid state in their Mac Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility document that…
“Thunderbolt 3 multi-slot chassis are not supported at this time unless using Sonnet's Echo Express III-D or III-R with a Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade Card.”
We reached out to Sonnet to try and understand the back story behind this statement and they told us the specific issue is that Avid HDX cards are NOT currently compatible with Thunderbolt 3 in multi-slot Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe card expansion chassis and for Pro Tools users this applies to the Sonnet Echo Express III-R and III-D as well as the Magma EBT3 chassis.
The problem when using Avid HDX cards in a multi-slot expansion chassis is the combination of a Thunderbolt 3 interface AND a PCIe 3rd generation 3 bridge chip on the backplane board with multiple slots (and this bridge chip is required to support multiple PCIe slots) means that the Avid HDX cards don’t work in these multi-slot chassis.
Sonnet have told us that Avid is aware of this and Avid are working to diagnose and fix it, but we have no information as to how long this might take. Rest assured that as soon as we get more information on this we will bring it to you.
Thunderbolt 3 Workarounds For Avid HDX Cards
In the meantime, Avid has qualified two Sonnet configurations that enable Pro Tools owners to use the Sonnet Echo Express III-R and III-D Thunderbolt chassis with HDX cards.
Purchase (at a discount from Sonnet) the Thunderbolt 2 card (BRD-UPGRTB2-E3) card and use it with an Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 bi-directional adapter in either a Thunderbolt 3 version of an Echo Express III-D or III-R, which will effectively downgrade it to Thunderbolt 2. The advantage to this configuration is that once Avid resolves the issue, the Thunderbolt 3 card can be installed back into the the III-D/ III-R TB3 Edition and the Apple TB3 - TB2 adapter will no longer be needed.
Purchase a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade (BRD-UPGRTB3-E3) card to use with a Thunderbolt 2 version of the Echo Express III-D or III-R, which both have a PCIe Gen 2 bridge chip on the backplane board. So if you in the market for a solution with this option buy the Thunderbolt 2 Echo Express option and upgrade it with a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card. The advantage to this option is that it does not require the use of an adapter. Sonnet explain that while this configuration does not yield the full Thunderbolt 3 performance of 2750 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth, it does provide somewhere in the region of 1600 MB/s, which they say is more than enough bandwidth for even aggressive Pro Audio workflows. Even the 1375 MB/s PCIe bandwidth from Thunderbolt 2, Sonnet say is much more bandwidth than is needed.
Only Got One HDX Card?
If you only need one HDX card then take a look at the Sonnet range of low cost eGFX Breakaway Boxes as Avid have qualified all 3 models of the Sonnet single slot Thunderbolt 3 eGFX Breakaway Box chassis. Even though Sonnet designed these for eGPU support, they are a cost effective solution for Pro Tools owners with a single HDX card.
Check The Compatibility Charts For The Computer You Plan To Use
Avid has provided a lot of detail covering Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis in their Mac Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility documents so as we ave already stated check these out before you buy. To help the community below are the details from Avid’s compatibility documents as of November 13th 2018. If you come to this article in the future check the latest version using the link above to get the most up to date information.
Mac Pro 6,1 ‘Trash Can’
Late 2013 Mac Pro 6,1 12-Core 'Ivy Bridge' 2.7 GHz
Late 2013 Mac Pro 6,1 8-Core 'Ivy Bridge' 3.0 GHz
Late 2013 Mac Pro 6,1 6-Core 'Ivy Bridge' 3.5 GHz
Late 2013 Mac Pro 6,1 4-Core 'Ivy Bridge' 3.7 GHz
Thunderbolt 2
PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-R - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card - can be upgraded with a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card for improved performance - see above.
Sonnet Echo Express III-D - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card - can be upgraded with a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card for improved performance - see above.
Sonnet xMac Pro Server - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Thunderbolt 3
PCIe Gen3 Chassis: Sonnet Echo Express III-R Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card with the use of a Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade Card and Apple adapter.
Sonnet Echo Express III-D Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card with the use of a Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade Card and Apple adapter.
eGFX Breakaway Box (GPU-350W-TB3Z) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable and an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter required. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended.
eGFX Breakaway Box 550 (GPU-550W-TB3) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable and an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter required. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended.
eGFX Breakaway Box 650 (GPU-650W-TB3) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable and an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter required. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended.
iMac Pro 1,1
Late 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac Pro 1,1 8-Core i7 'Xeon W' 3.2 GHz
Late 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac Pro 1,1 10-Core i7 'Xeon W' 3.0 GHz
Late 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac Pro 1,1 14-Core i7 'Xeon W' 2.5 GHz
Late 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac Pro 1,1 18-Core i7 'Xeon W' 2.3 GHz
Thunderbolt 2
PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-R - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card - can be upgraded with a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card for improved performance - see above.
Sonnet Echo Express III-D - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card - can be upgraded with a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card for improved performance - see above.
Thunderbolt 3
PCIe Gen3 Chassis: Sonnet Echo Express III-R Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card with the use of a Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade Card and Apple adapter.
Sonnet Echo Express III-D Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card with the use of a Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade Card and Apple adapter.
eGFX Breakaway Box (GPU-350W-TB3Z) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended.
eGFX Breakaway Box 550 (GPU-550W-TB3) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended.
eGFX Breakaway Box 650 (GPU-650W-TB3) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended.
iMac 18,x And 17,1
Mid 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac 18,3 Quad-Core i7 'Kaby Lake' 4.2 GHz
Mid 2017 Retina 5K 27" iMac 18,3 Quad-Core i5 'Kaby Lake' 3.8 GHz
Mid 2017 Retina 4K 21" iMac 18,2 Quad-Core i7 'Kaby Lake' 3.6 GHz
Late 2015 Retina 5K 27" iMac 17,1 Quad-Core i7 'Skylake' 4.0 GHz
Thunderbolt 2
PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-R - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card - can be upgraded with a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card for improved performance - see above.
Sonnet Echo Express III-D - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card - can be upgraded with a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card for improved performance - see above.
Thunderbolt 3
PCIe Gen3 Chassis: Sonnet Echo Express III-R Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card with the use of a Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade Card and Apple adapter.
Sonnet Echo Express III-D Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card with the use of a Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade Card and Apple adapter.
eGFX Breakaway Box (GPU-350W-TB3Z) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended. iMac 17,1 also requires an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
eGFX Breakaway Box 550 (GPU-550W-TB3) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended. iMac 17,1 also requires an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
eGFX Breakaway Box 650 (GPU-650W-TB3) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended. iMac 17,1 also requires an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
iMac 15,1 And 14,x
Mid 2015 Retina 5K 27" iMac15,1 Quad-Core i5 'Haswell' 3.3 GHz
Late 2014 Retina 5K 27" iMac15,1 Quad-Core i7 'Haswell' 4.0 GHz
Late 2013 27" iMac14,2 Quad-Core i7 'Haswell' 3.5 GHz
Thunderbolt 2
PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-R - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-D - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Mac Mini 8,1 (2018)
Late 2018 Mac mini 8,1 6-Core i7 'Coffee Lake' 3.2 GHz
Late 2018 Mac mini 8,1 6-Core i5 'Coffee Lake' 3.0 GHz
Thunderbolt 2
PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-R - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card - can be upgraded with a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card for improved performance - see above.
Sonnet Echo Express III-D - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card - can be upgraded with a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card for improved performance - see above.
Thunderbolt 3
PCIe Gen3 Chassis: Sonnet Echo Express III-R Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card with the use of a Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade Card and Apple adapter.
Sonnet Echo Express III-D Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card with the use of a Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade Card and Apple adapter.
eGFX Breakaway Box (GPU-350W-TB3Z) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended. Mac mini 8,1 also requires an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
eGFX Breakaway Box 550 (GPU-550W-TB3) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended. Mac mini 8,1 also requires an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
eGFX Breakaway Box 650 (GPU-650W-TB3) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended. Mac mini 8,1 also requires an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
Mac Mini 7,1 And 6,2
Late 2014 MacMini7,1 Dual-Core i7 'Haswell' 3.0 GHz
Late 2012 MacMini6,2 Quad-Core i7 'Ivy Bridge' 2.3 GHz
Thunderbolt 2
PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-R - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-D - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
MacBook Pro 15,x 14,x 13,x And 11,x
Mid 2018 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 15,1 6-Core i9 'Coffee Lake' 2.9 GHz
Mid 2018 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 15,1 6-Core i7 'Coffee Lake' 2.6 GHz
Mid 2018 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 15,1 6-Core i7 'Coffee Lake' 2.2 GHz
Mid 2017 Retina 13" MacBook Pro 14,2 Dual-Core i5 'Kaby Lake' 3.3 GHz
Mid 2017 Retina 13" MacBook Pro 14,2 Dual-Core i7 'Kaby Lake' 3.5 GHz
Mid 2017 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 14,3 Quad-Core i7 'Kaby Lake' 3.1 GHz
Late 2016 Retina 13" MacBook Pro 13,2 Dual-Core i5 'Skylake' 2.9 GHz
Late 2016 Retina 13" MacBook Pro 13,2 Dual-Core i7 'Skylake' 3.3 GHz
Late 2016 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 13,3 Quad-Core i7 'Skylake' 2.9 GHz
Mid 2014 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 11,2 Quad-Core i7 'Crystalwell' 2.5 & 2.8 GHz
Mid 2014 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 11,3 Quad-Core i7 'Crystalwell' 2.5 & 2.8 GHz
Late 2013 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 11,2 Quad-Core i7 'Crystalwell' 2.3 & 2.6 GHz
Late 2013 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 11,3 Quad-Core i7 'Crystalwell' 2.3 & 2.6 GHz
Thunderbolt 2
PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-R - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card - can be upgraded with a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card for improved performance - see above.
Sonnet Echo Express III-D - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card - can be upgraded with a Thunderbolt 3 upgrade card for improved performance - see above.
Thunderbolt 3
PCIe Gen3 Chassis: Sonnet Echo Express III-R Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card with the use of a Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade Card and Apple adapter.
Sonnet Echo Express III-D Thunderbolt 3 Edition - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card with the use of a Sonnet Thunderbolt 2 Upgrade Card and Apple adapter.
eGFX Breakaway Box (GPU-350W-TB3Z) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended. MacBook Pro 11,1 also requires an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
eGFX Breakaway Box 550 (GPU-550W-TB3) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended. MacBook Pro 11,1 also requires an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
eGFX Breakaway Box 650 (GPU-650W-TB3) - Supports one HDX card. Avid Pro Tools HDX PCIe Card Power Adapter Cable. Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps; 1-meter) recommended. MacBook Pro 11,1 also requires an Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.
MacBook Pro 10,x And 9,1
Mid 2012 Retina 15" MacBook Pro 10,1 Quad-Core i7 'Ivy Bridge' 2.6 GHz
Mid 2012 15" MacBook Pro 9,1 Quad-Core i7 'Ivy Bridge' 2.6 GHz
Thunderbolt 2
PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-R - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-D - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
MacBook Air 7,2 And 6,2
Early 2015 11" MacBook Air 7,2 Dual-Core i7 'Broadwell' 2.2 GHz
Mid 2013 11" MacBook Air 6,2 Dual-Core i7 'Haswell' 1.7 GHz
Thunderbolt 2
PCIe Gen2 Chassis: Magma EB3T - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-R - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
Sonnet Echo Express III-D - Supports up to three HDX cards or one HD Native card
What If My Computer Is Not Listed?
If your computer is not on this list and you have checked the latest Avid Mac Pro Tools System Requirements compatibility documents then it isn’t compatible and we cannot recommend that you buy an unapproved Thunderbolt expansion chassis.