SPARKLE - FAQ

Q1

Thunderbolt™/USB

Can my TBT3 notebook supports TBT5 products?

A: Thunderbolt™5 is an innovation that was not available when Thunderbolt™3 PCs were developed. Therefore, Thunderbolt™3 PCs do not support this new technology.
Thunderbolt™4 and Thunderbolt™3 PC technical supporting situations are provided in the following table,

Q2

Thunderbolt™/USB

Can I use 2 eGFX BOXes on my Notebook?

Thunderbolt Host only supports one eGFX device, and eGFX needs to be 1st level to connect to Host.

Q3

Thunderbolt™/USB

When connecting my Docking Station / eGFX BOX to Host USB Type C port, why is it not working?

- Please make sure your Host supports Thunderbolt 3 spec.

- A regular USB Type C port does not support Thunderbolt Docking Station/eGFX BOX.

- Please use the Thunderbolt cable that comes with our Docking Station/eGFX BOX. Or buy one with Intel certified cable.

Q4

Thunderbolt™/USB

Before you install GFX BOX Graphics Driver, please be noted the followings.

- Please read your eGFX BOX spec for dimension and power limitation.

- Please make sure the Graphics Card you have supports Thunderbolt eGFX.

- Sparkle eGFX BOX GPU support list as following,
● Radeon RX500/RX5000/RX6000/RX7000 series
● Radeon Pro WX5000/WX7000/WX8000/WX9000 series
● Nvidia GTX 1000/ Geforce RTX 2000/RTX3000 series
● Nvidia Quadro T/RTX series

- Then go to AMD or Nvidia to download your Graphics Card driver. www.amd.com or www.nvidia.com.

Here is the example for Mini eGFX Workstation RTX3000 driver search criteria,

Q5

Thunderbolt™/USB

My NB comes with standalone Graphics Card, and can not install eGFX BOX driver correctly, what should I do?

- Please disable the standalone Graphics Card from Device Manager.

- Then install eGFX Graphics Card driver. (If needed, please uninstall standalone Graphics Card driver.)

Q6

Thunderbolt™/USB

Can my eGFX BOX support Sparkle M.2 riser card?

Yes, but only one M.2 SSD is supported due to eGFX BOX supports only PCI-E x4 spec.

Q7

Thunderbolt™/USB

Can I change the Power Supply Unit by myself?

Every eGFX BOX is certified by Intel, including the Power Supply Unit, so we do not recommend to change the PSU by yourself.

Q8

Thunderbolt™/USB

When using my NB with Docking Station/eGFX, sometimes my NB and the Docking Station/GFX will be disconnected?

Please update your NB BIOS and Windows to latest one.

Q9

Thunderbolt™/USB

When system goes into sleep mode, I remove Thunderbolt cable, the system will be crashed.

We recommend you not to remove Thunderbolt cable during sleep mode.

Q10

Thunderbolt™/USB

Can I do Hot-Plugging the Graphics Card on my eGFX BOX?

eGFX BOX PCI-E slot does not support Hot-Plug mode, so please turn off eGFX BOX power before you remove Graphics Card or any other add-on cards.

Q11

Thunderbolt™/USB

Why eGFX BOX charging is very slow to my notebook?

If your Host power consumption is higher than the eGPU BOX can provide, please plug-in your Host power adapter for charging normally.