Support for external Thunderbolt 3 enabled monitor for Predator P09_9000_RGB machine

Krishna0808
Krishna0808 Member Posts: 6 New User
edited February 15 in 2020 Archives
Hi,

I recently bought a predator machine (Predator Orion P09_9000_RGB) and overall I am very happy with this machine. I also have "LG UltraFine 5K Display https://www.lg.com/in/monitors/lg-27MD5KA-B" which supports only supports Thunderbolt 3. I use it with my Macbook Pro and it works great there. However, I am not able to get it to work with my predator machine.

Going through the internet, I found that people have managed to use this display with windows machines but none of them have information for ACER machines: https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/5fan7e/lg_ultrafine_4k_compatible_with_windows_10_on_a_pc/. For machines that do not have a thunderbolt 3 slot, people have used a thunderbolt 3 expansion card if the motherboard supports it but as per the information shared by people, the motherboard should support thunderbolt 3. In most of such cases, the information was for the information was for non-acer machines.

I had contacted ACER support through my vendor but have not received a satisfactory response. I am putting my question here in case someone else ran into t his same problem. It will be great if people can advise me about the source of action. The machine is still under warranty so i am not sure if there is some dedicated channel to get better support from ACER.

Thanks in advance


Answers

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,101 Trailblazer
    Specs say One USB 3.1 Type C port (Gen 2), not Thunderbolt. I expect you could add a card as suggested, you have several x16 slots after all.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • Krishna0808
    Krishna0808 Member Posts: 6 New User
    Thanks for responding. Yes, the machine has a USB3.1 slot at the top. The doubt that I have is whether the motherboard supports thunderbolt 3. I am not sure what motherboard this machine uses. I am also not sure about the compatibility of available expansion cards. As per link: https://thunderboltlaptop.com/thunderbolt-3-pcie-cards, it recommends checking for a compatible motherboard.

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,101 Trailblazer
    edited April 2020
    A lot of motherboards have a single x16 slot, for their GPU card and only x1 slots for further expansion. Since the TB3 cards want at least a x4 slot, the x1 won't give you the performance you need. Your MB has several x16 slots, so as long as you aren't using them all for GPUs you should be good.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • Krishna0808
    Krishna0808 Member Posts: 6 New User
    edited April 2020
    Currently, I only have NVidia RTX 2080 Ti GPU installed on this machine. Is there a way to check the other x16 slots myself? Also as per the above link, the motherboard should have a slot for Thunderbolt header. i wish there was a youtube video showing the installation. On the local amzon site, i see ASUS expansion car but it mentions some specific motherboards. https://www.amazon.in/Asus-Thunderbolt-Express-Interface-Card/dp/B01HDUVJ54/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=asus+thunderbolt+3&qid=1585849571&sr=8-1. Don't know if it is compatible.

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,101 Trailblazer
    Here's an image of the MB, I see no Thunderbolt headers:

    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • Krishna0808
    Krishna0808 Member Posts: 6 New User
    Thanks for helping out here. Does this mean I am out of luck here? If so, it is a pity that after spending so much money on a machine like this, I am left with no options.
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,101 Trailblazer
    No, you stil have the option of putting a Thunderbolt card into one of the extra x16 slots.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • Krishna0808
    Krishna0808 Member Posts: 6 New User
    OH, do you mean I do not need a thunderbolt header? I thought you need a slot as well as a header? the above link seems to indicate that.
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,101 Trailblazer
    Ah, I see that now. The cards require a GPIO connection to the motherboard and I don't see one called out on that motherboard, so you are out of luck it seems. :(
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.