Magma ExpressBox 3T gives you 3 external PCIe slots over Thunderbolt
Laptops aren't exactly renowned for their expandability, especially those beautiful slivers of aluminum from Apple. (Simply upgrading the RAM on your Air requires you break out the soldering iron.) Magma has a solution, the ExpressBox 3T. This silver case houses its own 220w power supply and a trio of PCIe 2.0 slots. Two of those slots are of the x8 variety (though one can hold an x16 card) while the third is scaled back to x4. And they all talk to your notebook via that wonderful little port known as Thunderbolt. It even comes with a carrying case which, we suppose, makes this hunk of metal "portable," but we certainly wouldn't want to lug it around very often. Sadly there's no info just yet about price or release date, but we do have a gallery of images below and the complete PR after the break.
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Magma Announces Three-Slot Expansion Chassis for Thunderbolt™ Technology
Sleek design of Magma's new ExpressBox 3T to be on display at Intel Developer Forum
San Diego, CA – September 7, 2011 – Magma, an innovative and visionary developer of PCI Express® connectivity products, introduces ExpressBox 3T, an expansion chassis with three PCIe slots and a lightning fast connection through Thunderbolt. The introduction of Thunderbolt technology is a great opportunity for Magma to support the next generation of "outside the box" high-speed connectivity. Magma's ExpressBox 3T provides an easy, rock solid migration path to newer and faster Apple computers while protecting the customers' investment in specialized PCI Express peripherals made for video capture and edit, broadcast video, pro audio, communications, data acquisition and more.
Developed by Intel® with collaboration from Apple, Thunderbolt is a high-speed I/O technology running at 10Gbps per channel that brings together high-speed data transfer and high-definition (HD) display on to a single cable. High performance workflows are possible by connecting a Thunderbolt equipped computer to a Magma ExpressBox 3T containing PCIe cards for video capture, media transcoding, audio processing, and fast data storage. And because Thunderbolt is also based on DisplayPort technology, a high-resolution display can be daisy chained with your Magma ExpressBox 3T.
"ExpressBox 3T is the first Magma expansion product specifically made for Thunderbolt-equipped computers. Now, with Thunderbolt technology, mobile, and all-in-one customers have easy access to the fastest I/O technology available today," says Randy Jones, CEO and President at Magma. "ExpressBox 3T is a "must-have" expansion solution for media creators. Magma retains its leadership position by continuing to introduce cutting edge technology for media production and other computing professionals."
Product Information
ExpressBox 3T is a sleek anodized silver chassis with three PCIe 2.0 slots, a cooling fan, a 220W internal power supply, and travel bag for easy transportation. ExpressBox 3T and up to six Thunderbolt devices can be daisy-chained including Thunderbolt and DisplayPort displays. Magma is actively working with development partners such as Apple, Avid, AJA, Red, ATTO, Fusion-io and Promise Technology to validate application performance with ExpressBox 3T in broadcast video and pro audio environments.
About Magma
Magma develops and manufactures PCI & PCI Express Expansion Systems for servers, desktops and portable platforms. Magma's patented expansion products extend your system's PCI and PCI Express outside the computer over cable to a chassis containing additional card slots. Magma's ExpressBox™ line of products includes enclosed and non-enclosed solutions ranging from low-end single slot expansion products to fault-tolerant, highly reliable, accessible and serviceable (RAS) chassis specifically designed for mission critical environments. Magma is dedicated to providing rock solid expansion products for the most demanding configurations. As new interconnect protocols become available, Magma will continue its leadership position at the forefront of expansion technology innovation. Magma products are platform independent, and are used in a variety of industries including audio and video production, test and measurement, medical imaging, surveillance, aerospace and defense, telecommunications, data acquisition, and high performance computing. Magma's team of experienced engineers has been developing expansion and connectivity solutions since 1987. Magma products are assembled in San Diego, CA and go through rigorous certification and quality processes. Magma is the trade name of Mission Technology Group, Inc.
Magma and ExpressBox are trademarks of Mission Technology Group, Inc. Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the US and/or other countries. All trademarks are the property of the respective trademark owners.
