Thunderbolt for windows?

January 8, 2013 4:53 PM

How do I get my windows box to work with my Thunderbolt display? I'm trying to get rid of an extra monitor. I'm willing to invest in a new motherboard and/or video card. Has anyone done it?
posted by empath to computers & internet (5 answers total)

Here is a motherboard that supports thunderbolt. It's not super duper cheap, but it looks like it otter work.
posted by aubilenon at 5:19 PM on January 8

Actually strike that, it looks like people are having trouble getting that to work right. So nevermind!
posted by aubilenon at 5:24 PM on January 8

Any recent PCI Express video card with displayport/mini displayport should connect to a Thunderbolt display just fine. If the video card has full sized displayport output you may need a $8 cable from Monoprice to adapt the full size displayport output to the monitor's Thunderbolt sized displayport input.
posted by thewalrus at 5:49 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]

Anecdotes here, here, and here suggest that you are mistaken, thewalrus. The plugs look the same but Thunderbolt screens will not work unless plugged into Thunderbolt ports.

It looks like you're in the market for a new motherboard, empath.
posted by zjacreman at 7:34 PM on January 8

zjacreman: Problem is that the only ones about with thunderbolt seem to be those gigabyte ones like I linked. While reviews are positive in general, I do see a lot of "I can't get video to work over thunderbolt" comments.
posted by aubilenon at 2:31 AM on January 9