Sonnet Launches Echo™ Express SEL

Sonnet has launched the Echo™ Express SEL, the latest addition to its line of Thunderbolt™ 2-to-PCIe® expansion systems.

SEL enables the use of a wide variety of high-performance PCI Express® (PCIe) cards with any Mac® computer with a Thunderbolt port. The new model is the smallest and quietest Echo chassis yet, according to the company, supporting one low-profile PCIe card.
The Echo Express SEL incorporates Thunderbolt 2 technology, delivering twice the bandwidth of Thunderbolt and providing sufficient throughput to support high-performing PCIe cards.
The new expansion chassis is suited for use with high-bandwidth networking cards, host bus adapters, and storage interface cards, allowing them to connect with Thunderbolt-enabled iMac®, Mac mini, MacBook Air®, and MacBook Pro® computers, as well as Mac Pro® computers that lack PCIe expansion slots.
Echo Express SEL's dual Thunderbolt 2 ports not only support full-bandwidth connectivity with 20 Gb/sec Thunderbolt 2-equipped host computers, but provide full backward compatibility with 10 Gb/sec Thunderbolt-equipped computers and devices, and support daisy-chaining of other Thunderbolt 2 and Thunderbolt devices.
The Echo Express SEL supports low-profile, single-width PCIe 2.0 x8 cards. The majority of the most popular Thunderbolt-compatible 16Gb and 8Gb Fibre Channel, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, SAS and SATA host bus adapters, and RAID controller cards fall into this category.
Thunderbolt 2 technology is essential for enabling many high-performance cards, such as 10 Gigabit Ethernet, to yield optimal performance over Thunderbolt. In a test using Small Tree Communications' dual-port 10 Gigabit Ethernet CAT6 Network Adapter with the Echo Express SEL, the company says performance increased by 40 percent compared to the same card tested in a standard 10 Gb/sec Thunderbolt-to-PCIe chassis. The list of compatible PCIe cards is available on Sonnet's website, and is continually expanding as more cards are tested and certified.
Measuring 4 inches wide by 8.4 inches long by 2.8 inches tall and weighing just 1.75 pounds, the Echo Express SEL is compact and lightweight. The SEL features a temperature-controlled fan to help keep warm cards cool. When not needed, the fan slows down.
The Echo Express SEL ships with an 80W external power adapter, keeping the system's energy usage low. The SEL conserves energy by automatically powering on whenever the connected computer powers on or wakes, or powering off when the computer powers off or sleeps. Sonnet includes a cable locking mechanism that secures the Thunderbolt connectors and prevents accidental cable disconnects.
"Many of our customers that have only one PCIe card, such as a high-speed 10 Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, or high bandwidth storage interface card, need the increased performance of Thunderbolt 2 but want the smallest and quietest chassis possible," said Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies.
"Now, users purchasing a new Mac Pro, or other Thunderbolt 2 technology-enabled computers, will be able to take advantage of the groundbreaking performance of Thunderbolt 2 technology using Sonnet's most affordable Thunderbolt 2-to-PCIe card expansion chassis."
www.sonnettech.com
(IT/JP)