[Solved] Thunderbolt on Z170-HD3

[spyderfyre]

Hey guys,
I have the Z170-HD3 MB running the latest version of Sierra.

I'm looking to add the Gigabyte GC Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 addon-card so that the Apollo Twin (Audio Interface) can operate properly.

1. Has anyone done this addition successfully yet?
2. Will this card work with my Z170-HD3?
3. What else do I need to make things work with the Thunderbolt Apollo Twin?
4. Any advice or suggestions?

Thank you

 

[spyderfyre]

No one?

 

[Adrian B]

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GC-ALPINE-RIDGE-rev-10#ov

You will need to give it a go, BIOS updates - particular settings will be required and you probably need to 'activate' ThunderBolt from a Windows installation just as other users have done.

You can download Windows and install onto an old HDD or buy a small cheap HDD like a 250GB WWD Blue, install Windows but you shouldn't need to actually activate the install with a licence to get ThunderBolt running.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

 

[spyderfyre]

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GC-ALPINE-RIDGE-rev-10#ov

You will need to give it a go, BIOS updates - particular settings will be required and you probably need to 'activate' ThunderBolt from a Windows installation just as other users have done.

You can download Windows and install onto an old HDD or buy a small cheap HDD like a 250GB WWD Blue, install Windows but you shouldn't need to actually activate the install with a licence to get ThunderBolt running.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/software-download/windows10

Thank you for the response. I do not mind Flashing and updating the Bios, installing, tweaking etc... For the same price or even less I see that I can buy a new MB with an onboard Thunderbolt 3.

Is there a straight forward and guaranteded Gigabyte Motherboard (with onboard Thunderbolt) that I can buy where sleep works and with less problems than what I've read on the forums? My Z170-HD3 wasn't so bad. I would be nice to have something similar in specs.

My Specs:
Core i5-6500
Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3
Crucial (64GB)
Samsung 850 EVO 500GB
Nvidia GeForce GTX 750Ti SE

 

[Adrian B]

Sleep should work, but there may be additional work to be done some boards to ensure that power management works - this will aid sleep functionality and reliability. AMD GPUs can prevent sleep, Asus DVD optical drives can cause the same issue.

The following board would be another consideration, this is a premium board:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H74VOY2/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

 

[spyderfyre]

Soooo, I got it installed alongside windows audit works in Windows 10. I didn't need to update the bios to activate... Still on F6. But, when I log into MacOS 10.12.5 I get "No Drivers Are Loaded" under Thunderbolt in System Profile.

What am I doing wrong?

 

[spyderfyre]

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!
- Got everything up and running. iMac 17,1 Bios version F6
- Activated the GC-Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 in Windows 10 using the files from the Gigabyte website
- Rebooted and there was my Apollo Twin Quad under windows' Device Manager
- Bios > Peripherals > Thunderbolt > Security > Change it to "LEGACY" Save and Exit
- Start Sierra again then it should be there as well. If not, shut down completely then start your mac again and you should be good to go

 

[BiggerJim]

SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!
- Got everything up and running. iMac 17,1 Bios version F6
- Activated the GC-Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 in Windows 10 using the files from the Gigabyte website
- Rebooted and there was my Apollo Twin Quad under windows' Device Manager
- Bios > Peripherals > Thunderbolt > Security > Change it to "LEGACY" Save and Exit
- Start Sierra again then it should be there as well. If not, shut down completely then start your mac again and you should be good to go

I'm speccing up a machine; how'd this one work out? Can you tell us what the latency was, or if there were any issues with glitching etc? Thanks

 

[spyderfyre]

I'm speccing up a machine; how'd this one work out? Can you tell us what the latency was, or if there were any issues with glitching etc? Thanks

Works like a charm. Only problem is if computer goes to sleep then will have to reboot to get it working.

Also when booting up wait for the beep sound during bios posting and turn on whatever you want working via Thunderbolt. In my case the Apollo Twin Quad. Works great thereafter until next shutdown.

Very little latency if any at all with my Audio Interface. That's about it

 

[jonclef]

Works like a charm. Only problem is if computer goes to sleep then will have to reboot to get it working.

Also when booting up wait for the beep sound during bios posting and turn on whatever you want working via Thunderbolt. In my case the Apollo Twin Quad. Works great thereafter until next shutdown.

Very little latency if any at all with my Audio Interface. That's about it

How are you plugging the Apollo twin to the Alpine ridge? does your Apollo twin have a thunderbolt 3 connection? Im asking cause I have the Apollo silver , its thunder bolt (1 or 2) and im wondering if i plug it into the DP port on the Alpine Ridge, will it read. Id rather not have to get a thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter.