【Sonnet Technologies】Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe Card

Equipped with SSDs, the fastest USB drives you can buy today are capable of 800 MB/s data transfers, and many are bus-powered. Most desktop computers (even new models) include generations-old USB interfaces that will throttle that performance and may not offer adequate power to allow bus-powered drives to operate. Install Sonnet’s Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe card into a PCIe slot of your Mac Pro®, Windows®, or Linux® computer, or Thunderbolt Expansion System, and support fast USB drives at maximum performance.

Featuring two 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 controllers and four USB-C ports, the Allegro PCIe card supports data transfers at up to twice as fast as USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports are capable. With two controllers onboard, the Allegro card speeds data transfers between connected drives, and enables your computer to load and off-load data more quickly.

• Featuring two 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 controllers and four USB-C ports, the Allegro PCIe card supports data transfers at up to twice as fast as USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports are capable. With two controllers onboard,
• Four SuperSpeed USB-C 10Gbps Ports—Adds four USB-C 10Gbps ports to your Mac Pro or Windows PC computer with PCIe slots; or Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion system
• Powerful Performance with Dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 Controllers—Support data transfers at up to twice as fast as USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Gen 1; speed data transfers between connected drives
• Powered Ports—Supports USB-C bus-powered SSD, SSD RAID, and hard drive devices with up to 7.5W power per port
• Protected Power Delivery—Independent power regulation isolates each port to prevent cross-coupled power glitches that may cause accidental disconnects; resettable device overcurrent fuses protect the card and computer, and may be reset by a simple shutdown
• Broad USB Device Support & Compatibility—Supports storage, hubs, and other USB-IF compliant USB devices
• Add USB 3.2 Gen 2 to Thunderbolt Expansion Systems—Add four SuperSpeed USB-C 10Gbps ports to Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion systems
• Supports Hot-Swappable Device Connection—Plug in and disconnect peripherals without shutting off your computer
• Easy Installation—Quick and easy installation into any available PCIe slot
• Allegro card speeds data transfers between connected drives, and enables your computer to load and off-load data more quickly.

Unlike other 4-port USB cards (simple hubs that split a single USB controller’s bandwidth between all four ports), Sonnet’s Allegro PCIe card supports data transfers from a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 SSD RAID device at up to 800 MB/s— compared to using a USB 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 3.0 adapter card, transfers complete in half the time! Exploiting its dual controllers design, it’s possible to simultaneously transfer data to two connected drives at up to 660 MB/s each. With four drives connected, the four ports support simultaneous 300 MB/s transfers!

The Allegro card provides 7.5W of power through each of its ports, supporting USB bus-powered hard drives, and SSDs without the need to connect an additional AC power adapter.

Unlike ordinary USB-C cards, Sonnet's Allegro Pro has the following advantages:

• Delivers 7.5W of power per port to USB-C bus-powered devices
• Doesn't require separate power plug connection; gets the power required to operate connected drives from the slot it’s installed in
• Independent, per-port power regulation protects each port from glitches on adjacent ports, preventing auto-disconnects of already-connected drives
• Features a resettable fuse on each port, protecting both card and computer should a cable or peripheral fail; resetting a tripped fuse is simple—just shut down and restart your computer

Ordinary USB-C cards need a separate power plug connection. Sonnet’s Allegro gets the power required to operate connected drives from the slot it’s installed in. This enables you to install the Sonnet card in any compatible computer or Thunderbolt expansion system regardless of it having extra power connectors available.

Ordinary USB-C cards can deliver poor power regulation, allowing a connected drive to be forced off (auto-disconnected) when an additional drive is connected or disconnected. The Allegro card protects each port from power glitches on adjacent ports, preventing auto-disconnects of already-connected drives.

Unlike ordinary USB-C cards, the Allegro card features a resettable fuse on each port, protecting both card and computer should a cable or peripheral fail. Resetting a tripped fuse is simple—just shut down and restart your computer.

Got a Mac with a Thunderbolt connection, but no PCIe slot? The Allegro is ideal for use in Sonnet’s Thunderbolt 2 and Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe card expansion systems, including Echo Express™ and xMac™ desktop and rackmount systems.

Installing an Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe card in a multi-slot Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe card expansion system is a great way to inexpensively add four SuperSpeed USB-C 10Gbps ports to your computer.

The Allegro PCIe card features hot-pluggable and hot-swappable device connection support with automatic device configuration, and works with all USB-IF compliant USB peripherals. This full-height Sonnet card installs easily into any PCIe x4 (mechanical) or larger slot.