Originally developed by Intel, Thunderbolt 3 is one of the most impressive features of the relatively new USB type C format.

It delivers a theoretical maximum of 40 gigabits per second using the PCIe bus and enables lightning-fast transfers between PCs, peripherals and expansion hubs. The right add-in card will allow supported motherboards to take advantage of this cutting-edge technology.

we’ve put together a collection of the best Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Cards that are currently available on the market. To help you find the perfect Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Card among a wide variety of options, we constantly update our collection with new and trending models.

10 Best Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Cards

Based on dozens of customer reviews and ratings, the followings are the top 10 best-selling Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Cards:

# Preview Product Price
1 GIGABYTE GC-Titan Ridge 2.0 (Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Card Component) GIGABYTE GC-Titan Ridge 2.0 (Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Card Component) $89.99 View Product
2 Sonnet Echo Express SEIIIe Thunderbolt 3 Edition (3-Slot PCIe Card Expansion Chassis) Sonnet Echo Express SEIIIe Thunderbolt 3 Edition (3-Slot PCIe Card Expansion Chassis) $549.99 View Product
3 ASUS ThunderboltEX 3-TR Expansion Card for Z490 (Intel 10th Gen CPUs)motherboard (PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3 USB Type-C® ports with 100w USB quick charge, 2 x mini DisplayPort IN ports) ASUS ThunderboltEX 3-TR Expansion Card for Z490 (Intel 10th Gen CPUs)motherboard (PCIe 3.0 x4… $149.99 View Product
4 Sonnet Echo Express SE1 Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Chassis (Echo-EXP-SE!-T3) Sonnet Echo Express SE1 Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Chassis (Echo-EXP-SE!-T3) $304.48 View Product
5 QNAP Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Card for TVS-h1688X and TVS-h1288X NAS (QXP-T32P) QNAP Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Card for TVS-h1688X and TVS-h1288X NAS (QXP-T32P) $152.58 View Product
6 Highpoint RocketStor 6661A Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe 3.0 X16 Expansion Chassis Highpoint RocketStor 6661A Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe 3.0 X16 Expansion Chassis $199.00 View Product
7 ASUS Expansion Card for Z170 & X99 Motherboards ThunderboltEX 3 ASUS Expansion Card for Z170 & X99 Motherboards ThunderboltEX 3 $138.86 View Product
8 GIGABYTE (Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Card Components Other GC-Alpine Ridge GIGABYTE (Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Card Components Other GC-Alpine Ridge $198.68 View Product
9 Sonnet Echo III Desktop a 3-Slot Desktop Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System Sonnet Echo III Desktop a 3-Slot Desktop Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System $899.99 View Product
10 GIGABYTE GC-MAPLE RIDGE (Intel/Thunderbolt 4/ JHL 8540 Controller/ 2x USB Type-C/ 1x DisplayPort 1.4/ 2x Mini DisplayPort/ Max Bandwidth 40GB/s/ PCle Card) GIGABYTE GC-MAPLE RIDGE (Intel/Thunderbolt 4/ JHL 8540 Controller/ 2x USB Type-C/ 1x DisplayPort… $379.99 View Product

Top Rated Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Card Reviews

Since we’ve mentioned 10 different models of Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Cards on the above list, it may be difficult for you to find the right one for your needs. This is why we listed the key features of each of these Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Cards below:

1

GIGABYTE GC-Titan Ridge 2.0 (Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Card Component)
GIGABYTE GC-Titan Ridge 2.0 (Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Card Component)

$89.99
View Product
Product Highlights:

  • Intel Thunderbolt 3 Certified add-in card
  • Intel DSL7540 Thunderbolt 3 controller
  • Dual Thunderbolt 3 Ports (USB Type-C)
  • Max Bandwidth 40 Gb/s
  • DisplayPort 1.4 Capable with 4K Video Throughout
2

Sonnet Echo Express SEIIIe Thunderbolt 3 Edition (3-Slot PCIe Card Expansion Chassis)
Sonnet Echo Express SEIIIe Thunderbolt 3 Edition (3-Slot PCIe Card Expansion Chassis)

$549.99
View Product
Product Highlights:

  • Connects three pcie cards to any mac with thunderbolt 3 ports-use multiple high-performance pcie cards at the same time
  • Three pcie 3.0 slots-supports three full-height, half-length+ (up to 7.75 inches long)
  • 40gbps thunderbolt 3 interface-offers 2750 mb/s of pcie bandwidth, doubling the performance of thunderbolt 2
  • Two thunderbolt 3 (usb-c) ports-one port reserved for connection to the computer
  • See Computer Compatibility at Bottom of Page, Includes 2-year warranty and free lifetime customer support since 1986
3

ASUS ThunderboltEX 3-TR Expansion Card for Z490 (Intel 10th Gen CPUs)motherboard (PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3 USB Type-C® ports with 100w USB quick charge, 2 x mini DisplayPort IN ports)
ASUS ThunderboltEX 3-TR Expansion Card for Z490 (Intel 10th Gen CPUs)motherboard (PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, 2 x Thunderbolt™ 3 USB Type-C® ports with 100w USB quick charge, 2 x mini DisplayPort IN ports)

$149.99
View Product
Product Highlights:

  • Compatible with ASUS Z490( Intel 10th Gen CPUs) series motherboards with PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and 4.6 inch x 7.1 inch form size
  • External Connectors: A single port integrating Thunderbolt 3, reversible USB 3.1 Type-C and DisplayPort 1.4, delivers up to 40 Gbps transfer speed, 100W USB quick charge function and 8K Ultra HD support
  • Bundle with: 2 x mini DisplayPort, 1 x 14-1 pin Thunderbolt header cable, 1 x USB 2.0 cable
4

Sonnet Echo Express SE1 Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Chassis (Echo-EXP-SE!-T3)
Sonnet Echo Express SE1 Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Chassis (Echo-EXP-SE!-T3)

$304.48
View Product
Product Highlights:

  • Connects a PCIe Expansion Card to Computers Without Slots—Use high-performance PCIe cards with any Mac or Windows PC with a Thunderbolt 3 port (not to be used as a GPU chassis)
  • One PCIe 3.0 x8 Slot—Supports one half-length+ (up to 7.75 inches long), full-height, single-width PCIe card (plus one daughter card)
  • 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Interface—Offers 2750 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth, doubling the performance of Thunderbolt 2
  • Full Performance In a Small and Light Design—Takes up little space on the desktop, but large enough to support nearly every Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe card, at full performance
  • Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) Ports—One port reserved for connection to the computer; second port supports daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt(5) devices to your computer, attaching a single USB(6) peripheral device, or connecting up to two 4K displays or one 5K display(4)
5

QNAP Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Card for TVS-h1688X and TVS-h1288X NAS (QXP-T32P)
QNAP Thunderbolt 3 Expansion Card for TVS-h1688X and TVS-h1288X NAS (QXP-T32P)

$152.58
View Product
Product Highlights:

  • Ports: 2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type-C)
  • PCIe and Lanes: PCIe Gen3 x 4
  • Bracket: Low-profile pre-installed; full-height
  • Form factor: Low-profile
  • Only for TVS-h1688X and TVS-h1288X NAS
6

Highpoint RocketStor 6661A Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe 3.0 X16 Expansion Chassis
Highpoint RocketStor 6661A Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe 3.0 X16 Expansion Chassis

$199.00
View Product
Product Highlights:

  • Thunderbolt 3 40GB/s Ports/daisy chain support for up to 6 devices
  • Dual ultra-quiet, High-efficiency cooling fans
  • Easily install nearly any Full-height/full-length PCIe 3.0 card (storage I/O, networking, video, sound)
  • Versatile storage & connectivity expansion; NVMe RAID drives, USB/eSATA/Mini-SAS connectivity
7

ASUS Expansion Card for Z170 & X99 Motherboards ThunderboltEX 3
ASUS Expansion Card for Z170 & X99 Motherboards ThunderboltEX 3

$138.86
View Product
Product Highlights:

  • Compatible with a variety of ASUS Z170 and X99 motherboards
  • Enables up to 40 Gbps transfer speeds
  • One Type-C port supports Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1 and DisplayPort 1.2
  • Includes secondary USB 3.1 Type-A port
  • Supports USB Power Delivery Specification for up to 36W charging. Please refer the User Manual before use.
  • NOTE:Kindly refer to the user manual provided as a PDF manual in the product description section
8

GIGABYTE (Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Card Components Other GC-Alpine Ridge
GIGABYTE (Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Card Components Other GC-Alpine Ridge

$198.68
View Product
Product Highlights:

  • Intel Thunderbolt 3 Certified add-in card
  • Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports (USB Type-C)
  • 40 Gb/s Bi-directional Bandwidth
  • Displayport 1.2 capable with 4K video throughout
  • Daisy-chain up to 12 devices (6 devices per port)
  • Note: Kindly refer User Manual before use
9

Sonnet Echo III Desktop a 3-Slot Desktop Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System
Sonnet Echo III Desktop a 3-Slot Desktop Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe Card Expansion System

$899.99
View Product
Product Highlights:

  • Adds Connectivity & Capabilities: Connects up to three high-performance non-GPU PCIe cards via a Thunderbolt 3 cable to your computer lacking expansion slots.
  • Pro Tools | HDX Compatible: HDX compatibility mode enables use of up to three Pro Tools | HDX PCIe cards with no additional parts needed.
  • Broad PCIe Card Compatibility: Every Thunderbolt 3 compatible, non-GPU card supported regardless of length or height.
  • Three PCIe 3.0 Slots: One x16 plus two x8 slots support three full-height, single-width cards, or one double-width card plus one single-width card.
  • Pro Power Integrated: 400W power supply with 75W auxiliary power. Saves energy by powering on/off automatically with the computer.
10

GIGABYTE GC-MAPLE RIDGE (Intel/Thunderbolt 4/ JHL 8540 Controller/ 2x USB Type-C/ 1x DisplayPort 1.4/ 2x Mini DisplayPort/ Max Bandwidth 40GB/s/ PCle Card)
GIGABYTE GC-MAPLE RIDGE (Intel/Thunderbolt 4/ JHL 8540 Controller/ 2x USB Type-C/ 1x DisplayPort 1.4/ 2x Mini DisplayPort/ Max Bandwidth 40GB/s/ PCle Card)

$379.99
View Product
Product Highlights:

  • Intel Thunderbolt 4 Certified add-in card
  • Intel JHL8540 Thunderbolt 4 controller
  • Dual Thunderbolt 4 Ports (USB Type-C)
  • Max Bandwidth 40 Gb/s
  • DisplayPort 1.4 Capable with 4K Video Throughout

Video Overview

Gigabyte Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 PCIE card unboxing and review.

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This video does cover some of the installation process. Does this product work with Firewire devices? Watch the video to find out. Thunderbolt PCIE card …

Final Words

So, these are all of the Best Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Cards available on the market. We hope this collection was helpful to find the right Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Card for the money. However, we recommend checking out the features, benefits, and problems of each of these Thunderbolt 3 PCIe Cards before taking your decision.