Sonnet Unveils Allegro Pro USB 3.0 PCIe

Sonnet Technologies has unveiled the Allegro Pro USB 3.0 PCIe, a 4-port, 4-controller SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCI Express 2.0 adapter card with charging capabilities.

The Allegro card provides users with a simple way to add four USB 3.0 ports, each providing full 5Gbps bandwidth, to Mac Pro and Windows computers with PCIe slots, and to Thunderbolt™-to-PCI Express card expansion chassis. This Sonnet pro adapter card supports bus-powered hard drives, SSDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray devices through each of its ports, and supports simultaneous sync and charge of iPad mobile digital devices and other devices that support USB 3.0 charging.

A typical USB 3.0 adapter card utilises a single USB 3.0 controller chip, splitting its bandwidth among two to four ports. For users wishing to copy files between drives connected to the card, bandwidth sharing has a measurable impact on data transfer speed potential. Sonnet's Allegro Pro USB 3.0 PCIe card is equipped with four independent USB 3.0 controllers, with each port receiving its own dedicated bandwidth. As a result, the Sonnet pro card supports data transfers up to 450 MB/s per port and up to 1800 MB/s aggregate for the card, enabling high-speed data transfers between connected drives.

Sonnet specially engineered the Allegro Pro USB 3.0 PCIe card to provide extra power through its ports without the need for the user to connect an auxiliary power cable. Delivering up to 10W of power per port, this Sonnet solution supports USB 3.0 bus-powered hard drives, SSDs, DVDs and Blu-ray devices without the need to connect an additional AC power adapter. The Allegro Pro card also supports the USB 3.0 charging specification that enables users to charge and sync simultaneously iPad, iPhone, and other devices that support USB 3.0 charging.

The Allegro Pro USB 3.0 PCIe is a full-height PCIe 2.0 card that can be installed into any x4 mechanical or larger PCIe slot in a Mac Pro tower or Windows desktop or server computer. The card is also ideal for use in any Thunderbolt-to-PCIe card expansion system, such as Sonnet's Echo™ Express line, xMac™ Pro Server, or xMac mini Server. The combination enables users to add four more SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports to iMac, Mac mini, new Mac Pro, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro computers with Thunderbolt ports.

"With the card's one-controller-per-port design and charging port capabilities, the Allegro Pro USB 3.0 PCIe card is a uniquely powerful solution for users needing to add USB 3.0 ports to their system," said Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies. "Users connecting multiple drives for backups and drive-to-drive duplication can benefit from significantly faster data transfers, and all will appreciate the 10W of bus-power per port with charge and sync capabilities."

Compatible with OS X 10.8.5+ (including Yosemite); Microsoft Windows 8 and 7; and Windows Server 2012 and 2008; the Allegro Pro USB 3.0 PCIe (part number USB3-PRO-4PM-E) is available now at a suggested retail price of $129. The card is backed with Sonnet's five-year warranty.

Image: Photo Caption: Sonnet Allegro™ Pro USB 3.0 PCIe Professional 4-Controller, 4-Port USB 3.0 PCIe 2.0 Adapter Card.

www.sonnettech.com

(JP)