Thunderbolt – How to Use Dedicated GPU

compatibilitygputerminalthunderbolt

My goal is to have the noisy machine in another room, while having my peripherals, well, here.

I already got myself a CalDigit TS4 that would serve as a terminal for my peripherals, including displays, I got a 15m Thunderbolt cable, but now, as I'm looking for a motherboard with a Thunderbolt interface, I'm having hard time understanding what GPU is going to be utilized for the video signal through the said thunderbolt connection. Will it be the internal GPU of the CPU, or the dedicated GPU connected to the motherboard.

I would like some sort of confirmation that what I've imagined here will actually work. That the dedicated GPU will be used as a display signal over the Thunderbolt connection.

Thanks

Best Answer

The manual fully and explicitly answers all your questions:

  • The upper USB-C port is flexible and will either use the CPU-integrated GPU (if present) or DisplayPort-In 1
  • The lower USB-C port is hardwired to DisplayPort-In connector 2
  • To use your dedicated GPU, you must connect one or two of its DisplayPort outputs to the DisplayPort-In connectors on your mainboard

Be aware: If the mainboard does not have a DisplayPort-In system like this one, your dedicated GPU will not be used for Thunderbolt/DP Alt Mode!

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