Thunderbolt 3 compatibility

[jantariq]

After reading a little about TB3 compatibility on the motherboards, it seems that there is problems using the TB3 port, even though it is physically there. I'm working with music, and interfacing is through TB3. If I build a Hackintosh and the TB3 doesn't work, the machine is of no use to me. Which motherboards do people recommend where the TB3 works without problems? My plan is to use a 7700 CPU.

 

[Jamesbond007]

After reading a little about TB3 compatibility on the motherboards, it seems that there is problems using the TB3 port, even though it is physically there. I'm working with music, and interfacing is through TB3. If I build a Hackintosh and the TB3 doesn't work, the machine is of no use to me. Which motherboards do people recommend where the TB3 works without problems? My plan is to use a 7700 CPU.

To use a i7 7700 CPU you will need a socket 1151 motherboard (but not Z370). If you want to have Thunderbolt 3 on the motherboard as well, the choice will be limited to some Z270 and Z170 motherboards.

For Z270 there are the following Gigabyte motherboards that have Thunderbolt 3 onboard :
GA-Z270X-UD5
GA-Z270X-Gaming 7
GA-Z270X-Gaming 8
GA-Z270X-Gaming 9

But the problem is they seem to be out of production and no longer available anywhere.

For Z170 there are the following Gigabyte motherboards that have Thunderbolt 3 onboard :
GA-Z170X-UD3 Ultra
GA-Z170X-UD5 TH
GA-Z170X-Ultra Gaming
GA-Z170X-Gaming 7
GA-Z170X-Gaming G1
GA-Z170X-Gaming GT
GA-Z170X-Designare

Of these the GA-Z170X-Ultra Gaming and GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 seems to be still available from Amazon. The problem is, these motherboards may need a BIOS update for them to recognize a Kaby Lake CPU like the i7 7700. If you choose to use a i7 6700 CPU then there will be no such problem.

 

[Crevice]

could you use a z370 mobo with something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0722SV69N/?tag=tonymacx86com-20

 

[jantariq]

Is there a possibility to have the TB3 port separate from the motherboard?

 

[Jamesbond007]

Is there a possibility to have the TB3 port separate from the motherboard?

Yes, the GC Alpine Ridge Thunderbolt 3 card mentioned above allows you to have Thunderbolt 3 ports with a motherboard that does not have Thunderbolt 3 itself. However, to use that card your motherboard must have a Thunderbolt header onboard, and there is no guarantee that the card will work with the motherboard you bought when in MacOS.

 

[jiffyslot]

I was going to pull the trigger on an Asus or Gigabyte X299 Designare EX v.1 or the Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 and the Gigabyte Alpine Ridge TB3 card (matching the TB card with the MOBO manufacturer) or an ASRock Z270 SuperCarrier, but I'm reading a lot of mixed reviews on the quality of these boards. I know that there is compromise in everything, butAre the people who have great success with basic power on/power off functionality just not reporting that success? It's hard to tell when just a few user reviews can skew an overall rating. So far, the best choice seems to be the Hades Canyon NUC, but without the ability to run MacOS. Thunderbolt functionality is a must for my build. What's a guy to do? I'm not keen on rolling the dice on used boards, and the great ones seem to be gone.

 

[pastrychef]

The most successful implementation of Thunderbolt on a hack that I've seen is from kgp and his X299 build.

Others who use Thunderbolt typically have to work with limitations such as the need to initialize Thunderbolt devices in Windows first or no hot plugging.

If Thunderbolt is essential to you, I would recommend following kgp's build.

 

[Midphase]

I'm working with music, and interfacing is through TB3. If I build a Hackintosh and the TB3 doesn't work, the machine is of no use to me.

Honestly, there are times when an actual Apple Mac might be best. Either that, or sell your TB audio interface for a USB one.

I hate to say it, but if Thunderbolt is mission critical for your work, that is the one time that I recommend to my friends that they stick with an iMac Pro or other Apple hardware.

 

[zipb]

TB is sort of usable, all TB audio interfaces(Lynx, UA) I've tried worked on my hack. But they will have to be connected on boot, often there's no hot swap, you will have unreliable/no sleep or shutdown problems.
TB networking will not work at all. I had to update my TB first in Windows before it was usable in MacOS.
This has been the case ever since the Z77 era some 5 years ago, and not much has changed. TB is not a priority for the people that have the right skills for patching on this list(or any other Hack list AFAIK) so progress is slow.
Mind you, there are plenty of non-TB alternatives on a hack because most of them have free PCIe slots for expansion.

 

[eddieboy]

To use a i7 7700 CPU you will need a socket 1151 motherboard (but not Z370). If you want to have Thunderbolt 3 on the motherboard as well, the choice will be limited to some Z270 and Z170 motherboards.

For Z270 there are the following Gigabyte motherboards that have Thunderbolt 3 onboard :
GA-Z270X-UD5
GA-Z270X-Gaming 7
GA-Z270X-Gaming 8
GA-Z270X-Gaming 9

But the problem is they seem to be out of production and no longer available anywhere.

For Z170 there are the following Gigabyte motherboards that have Thunderbolt 3 onboard :
GA-Z170X-UD3 Ultra
GA-Z170X-UD5 TH
GA-Z170X-Ultra Gaming
GA-Z170X-Gaming 7
GA-Z170X-Gaming G1
GA-Z170X-Gaming GT
GA-Z170X-Designare

Of these the GA-Z170X-Ultra Gaming and GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 seems to be still available from Amazon. The problem is, these motherboards may need a BIOS update for them to recognize a Kaby Lake CPU like the i7 7700. If you choose to use a i7 6700 CPU then there will be no such problem.

Hey there Jamesboond 007, I have a ga-z170x-ud3 ultra with a i7-6700 and I'm having problems with getting my ac-alpine ridge to recognize my Apollo 8 thunderbolt. I got it to work with the onboard thunderbolt. Did all the updates on windows and everything and it was able to recognize in windows but once I install Mac OS X Sierra it only recognizes on the onboard thunderbolt not the add on card. So if you know of anything why its not recognized plz let me know. This is for my music production. Would really appreciate it, thanks