GC-ALPINE RIDGE in hands

[eddieboy]

I'd like to let everyone know that I have this GC-Alpine Ridge card working on my setup. I had to update my Bios to get it to work. I was on F4 and went to F23g. I haven't done major testing yet but I'm attached to a RAID via an Apple thunderbolt 3-2 adapter. Using BM disk test I get normal speeds for this RAID setup.

The BIOS gave me a little trouble but nothing that I couldn't fix since I took copious notes on my previous setting and referred to BIOS settings for my original install. I think the only thing I actually had to change in the BIOS was the XHCI Handoff to Enabled. Everything else was already the same as with my previous BIOS setting.

I searched for a few hours trying to find someone who got this card working and couldn't really get a straight answer so I'm posting so someone might see that it does work. At least with my setup.

Hey DonL, I have a similar board as yours with GC-Alpine. I have a GA-Z170X-UD3 Ultra and got the USB-c/Thunderbolt to work on my board with the Apollo 8. But I ended up getting the GC-Alpine so I can use with other devices. Cause I was thinking on getting Thunderbolt display. I got everything updated and everything on Windows. It picked it up and read my Apollo 8 but once I went to OS X it wasn't picking it up. The only one that picked it up was the one on my board. I tried to used the HDMI from the alpine and that picked it up but for some reason it doesn't pick up on the Thunderbolt. So can you or anyone help me out with this issue cause I use my hack for music production. Appreciate it if someone can help me out, thanks.

 

[DmitriZigany]

Ok! I think I got it working!
What seems to have made my Hack start in macOS with the Alpine-Ridge card installed was changing Internal Graphics from "Enabled" to "Auto"!!

So now it starts and I have been able to mount a FW drive! (via TB3 to TB2 adapter, to a TB2 to FW800 adapter then a FW800 to FW400 adapter through a FW cable and then a FW400 to FW800 adapter into the harddrive)
So if that works through that effload of adapters I feel pretty confident that a Thunderbolt device should also work

One thing: I wanted to test out with my MOTU828mk3 audio interface (FW) that I had got working in Windows via all those adapters, but after installing the MOTU drivers, the Hack wouldn't start so I had to restart from backup drive and then remove the MOTU components and extensions and then it started again.

Now I just need to buy the Apollo Twin mkII interface and hope it works!
Cheers!

 

[eddieboy]

Ok! I think I got it working!
What seems to have made my Hack start in macOS with the Alpine-Ridge card installed was changing Internal Graphics from "Enabled" to "Auto"!!

So now it starts and I have been able to mount a FW drive! (via TB3 to TB2 adapter, to a TB2 to FW800 adapter then a FW800 to FW400 adapter through a FW cable and then a FW400 to FW800 adapter into the harddrive)
So if that works through that effload of adapters I feel pretty confident that a Thunderbolt device should also work

One thing: I wanted to test out with my MOTU828mk3 audio interface (FW) that I had got working in Windows via all those adapters, but after installing the MOTU drivers, the Hack wouldn't start so I had to restart from backup drive and then remove the MOTU components and extensions and then it started again.

Now I just need to buy the Apollo Twin mkII interface and hope it works!
Cheers!

Hi there DmitriZigany, let me know how it works with the Apollo Twin cause I have the Apollo 8 and can't get the thunderbolt 3 to work with my Apollo.

 

[DmitriZigany]

Hi there DmitriZigany, let me know how it works with the Apollo Twin cause I have the Apollo 8 and can't get the thunderbolt 3 to work with my Apollo.

Will do!
Do you get the Thunderbolt to work with anything else?

 

[Drakoz]

I can not find the "Thunderbolt" option on my bios ...
Version Bios: F9c
Mobo: GA z270x K7
Obs : I have an GC Alpine Ridge

 

[roethlar]

I want to use only the DisplayPort over USB-C feature of the GC-Alpine Ridge to drive a UltraFine 4k display. I am not interested in any of the Thunderbolt 3 features. I do not own any of the compatible boards of the GC-Alpine Ridge so I will not be able to connect the internal header connector. In fact, I want to use the card in an external PCIe case connected through Thunderbolt 2. I was wondering if any of the owners of the card could tell if DisplayPort over USB-C on the card works without connecting the headers.

I'm using it this way. DisplayPort out from my Vega to in on the Alpine Ridge, TB3 cable from the Alpine to the LG. It only works for one display (I have two), though.

This works regardless of whether or not the motherboard header is connected to the card. I have not been able to get any other TB devices to work, though.

 

[DmitriZigany]

Hi there DmitriZigany, let me know how it works with the Apollo Twin cause I have the Apollo 8 and can't get the thunderbolt 3 to work with my Apollo.

I bought an Apollo Twin mkII QUAD today, seems to be working flawlessly! (no hot-plugging though)

 

[joevt]

I am looking for any reports of using DDC/CI to control brightness of the LG UltraFine 5K. What app did you use and did it work?

 

[tonyarnold]

@joevt I wrote a utility to do this, but DDC/CI is hilariously broken on the LG 5K UltraFine. You could try using one of the utilities out there, and it will work for setting the brightness, but it will never report the correct brightness.

Your best bet is to find a way to re-init the onboard USB hub in the screen after connect/disconnect (which is what I assume you're facing?)

 

[joevt]

@joevt I wrote a utility to do this, but DDC/CI is hilariously broken on the LG 5K UltraFine. You could try using one of the utilities out there, and it will work for setting the brightness, but it will never report the correct brightness.

Your best bet is to find a way to re-init the onboard USB hub in the screen after connect/disconnect (which is what I assume you're facing?)

I don't have an LG 5K display. The problem I'm facing is that I keep saying it may be possible to control the brightness using DDC/CI but nobody tries it or they don't report failure/success so I can never be sure. Even from the you, I haven't seen an explicit statement of success/failure. You say you wrote a utility to do this, but you didn't say your utility does that.

Re-initing the onboard USB hub is not a solution for people using a GC-ALPINE RIDGE to power an LG 5K display where the add-in card is not in a motherboard that supports add-in cards.