Skylake ASUS ThunderboltEX 3 Testing

[beelzebozo]

Thank you - I did a bit more troubleshooting. After doing some (potentially unrelated) graphics card troubleshooting I made the BIOS settings changes that you suggested. I had already replaced the OsxAptioFix2Drv file with the 2000 one, but despite this fix OS X would not boot. I then went back to USB3.1-enabled in the BIOS and the Apollo was recognized. I realized later this was most likely because I am still running El Capitan, and you mention in a previous post that it was not necessary to enable Intel Thunderbolt in El Cap.

Unfortunately when I restarted my computer the Apollo is no longer recognized despite the fact that I didn't change any settings from when it worked and the firmware installed. Upon booting into Windows I don't see the Apollo listed in Device Manager anymore either, though the BIOS still shows that PCI-EX3_16 has a Thunderbolt device installed.

Do you think it might be worth updating to Sierra in this case or continue troubleshooting in El Cap?

Thank you very much for your help!

I'm on Sierra now. You should see the Apollo Twin in Windows, maybe you need to reinstall the drivers or something. Maybe do a hard power reset - shutdown, unplug the power cord, plug it back in.

 

[QueenSalis]

I'm on Sierra now. You should see the Apollo Twin in Windows, maybe you need to reinstall the drivers or something. Maybe do a hard power reset - shutdown, unplug the power cord, plug it back in.

Yes, when I enabled Thunderbolt again I was able to see it in Windows. The combination of enabled USB 3.1, increasing the PCI cache size, and enabling Intel Thunderbolt even in El Capitan seemed to do the trick - it's pairing in both OS now. Thank you for your help!

 

[Xavier55]

Yes, when I enabled Thunderbolt again I was able to see it in Windows. The combination of enabled USB 3.1, increasing the PCI cache size, and enabling Intel Thunderbolt even in El Capitan seemed to do the trick - it's pairing in both OS now. Thank you for your help!

Can I ask why you went with a Thunderbolt expansion card? Will the onboard TB3 connection on the Z170-deluxe not work? Exploring thunderbolt options myself with the same setup.

 

[beelzebozo]

Yes, when I enabled Thunderbolt again I was able to see it in Windows. The combination of enabled USB 3.1, increasing the PCI cache size, and enabling Intel Thunderbolt even in El Capitan seemed to do the trick - it's pairing in both OS now. Thank you for your help!

Awesome!

 

[wildwillow]

I've started this thread in order to move along testing for the ASUS ThunderboltEX3 PCIe card on Skylake motherboards

Thanks for the info here beelze. I received mine today and I've managed to get it installed and set it up with a few alterations since I've been testing Thunderbolt 3's ability with DP 1.2 and at last after many reboots/tests I've got a picture with the ThunderboltEX 3 PCIe card and a Thunderbolt 3 USB-C cable.

My monitor is an LG 27UD88 4K UHD. It has a USB hub built into the rear that can been seen when connected to a USB Type C 3.1 connection, devices appear on the desktop of macOS Sierra. It took some time simply as the documentation with this card is pretty light to say the least.

Picture below:
You can see in the Display window that theres only one monitor attached, I have it connected via DP 1.2 to DP 1.2 direct my GTX970, then from the GTX970 using DP 1.2 to mDP into the Thunderbolt PCIe cards input, Thunderbolt 3 cable connected to the monitor. From the IOReg you can see that I've toggled the source between DP and USB-C showing the two connectors.

In the bottom window the USB Device Tree, under USB 3.1 Bus, this is the hub on the back of the monitor and the drive is mounted on the Sierra desktop.
I'm really happy with the outcome here, as when I started I was sure there would be limitations in OS X but apparently not.

increasing the PCI cache size

This helped with video output, I've set it to 128MB. Thanks.

 

[BoomR]

Hey team - just picked up my ThunderboltEX - 3 card and dropped it into a new build that's almost done - ASUS Z170 - Pro running latest Sierra. I've had some success already with the ThunderboltEX II - Dual card in my X99 build, so thought this would be a snap. LOL Guess again...

When I activate TB in the Z170-Pro bios, WOW...there are TONS more options now! And nowhere to be found is the setting that provides the "Legacy" option from the drop-down list. I'm not having much luck right off the bat. Things I've done:

1. Prepped the card by booting into Win10 and installing all the drivers. BTW, it's working like a champ in Windows, and sees my Belkin TB2 docking station connected to it (using Apple TB3 > TB2 adapter), including a USB3 flash drive plugged into it, and it recognizes the Belkin's USB audio codec in the Audio control panel, etc.
2. Replaced OsxAptioFix2Drv.efi with OsxAptioFix2Drv-free2000.efi in Clover EFI
3. Changed the slot speed from Auto to 4X in BIOS.
4. I've tried all 4 of the Security Level options: No Security (is this "Legacy?"), User Authentication, Secure Connect, and Display Port Only. Just curious on how these new options map to the older menu...?

No Security option is the only one that doesn't give me the dreaded "Couldn't allocate runtime area" - the rest stop me cold, and that's even with OsxAptioFix2Drv-free2000.efi. Here are some shots of what the latest BIOS > Advanced > Thunderbolt menu for my board looks like:



Thanks for any suggestions you might have to get me over the hump on this one!
--BoomR

 

[wildwillow]

Hey BoomR.
I don't have any Thunderbolt devices to help you out yet. No security must be the same as Legacy mode. I can get this device working exactly the same using all the features of USB type C > Data/DP1.2 and USB support whether I'm on the latest BIOS or an older BIOS. Just wanted to let you know your post hasn't been missed. Other than what is in this thread, I have no other settings to offer you at this time.
BIOS 1801 Thunderbolt security below.

 

[BoomR]

Hey BoomR.
I don't have any Thunderbolt devices to help you out yet. No security must be the same as Legacy mode. I can get this device working exactly the same using all the features of USB type C > Data/DP1.2 and USB support whether I'm on the latest BIOS or an older BIOS. Just wanted to let you know your post hasn't been missed. Other than what is in this thread, I have no other settings to offer you at this time.
BIOS 1801 Thunderbolt security below.

View attachment 236139

Thanks so much @wildwillow !! I will give that a try again. I know that if I use anything OTHER than No Security, I get the blasted OsxAptioFix/cannot allocate runtime area... even though I also have the OsxAptioFix2Drv-free2000.efi in place as well. And when I do get a successful boot with "No Security," I'm not convinced that the TB port/card is working.

As I mentioned, I've got my Belkin Thunderbolt 2 docking station connected (did that pre boot-up). And I had a Lexar USB 3.0 flash drive plugged in. In Windows, Device Manager sees the USB audio codec, and the USB flash drive mounted immediately. But when I reboot to macOS (10.12.3), zip...zero...nada... LOL

Well, back to the drawing board. I appreciate your assistance & hopefully I can get this sorted out!! Cheers!
--B

(PS... I'm happy to lend you a TB device if you want to test)

 

[wildwillow]

In Windows, Device Manager sees the USB audio codec, and the USB flash drive mounted immediately. But when I reboot to macOS (10.12.3), zip...zero...nada... LOL

In your first BIOS screen shot, it says that your Thunderbolt USB support is disabled.

(PS... I'm happy to lend you a TB device if you want to test)

Brilliant thanks, throw it across the pond

 

[BoomR]

In your first BIOS screen shot, it says that your Thunderbolt USB support is disabled.

Ahhh... when I select that field, the help text in the lower-left corner of the UI says something about "booting from USB devices attached to TB." So I thought it was strictly for that purpose. I'll activate that option & then try again! THANKS!!

Brilliant thanks, throw it across the pond

OH! I forgot you were across the pond!! Well, it was the thought that counts, right??!! THANKS!!