MSI is back with a new expansion card, this time delivering the ability to upgrade your PC with a few USB4 ports. Tapping into not only the throughput potential that USB4 has to offer but also up to 100W PD (power delivery) for connected devices.
It is the new MSI USB4 PD100 Expansion Card (Model MS-4489), and it will have two USB4 (USB-C) ports along with two DP inputs. Its transfer capabilities will support the full 40Gbps spec, along with Thunderbolt 3 compatibility.
The 100W PD will be limited to the main USB-C port while the second port will be capable of up to 27W. While the second port would only be good for powering smaller accessories, the main port would supply enough power for larger choices like an external monitor. It does this by taking power not only from PCIe but also from the PSU as well via a 6-pin connector. The PSU connection is required, so you’d have to make sure you have one that is not in use already by something else (ie, video cards, etc).
If both ports are in use for PD purposes, you’ll likely see some load balancing as it is likely limited to 100W overall, but this is still good nonetheless.
It’s a little familiar to the company’s Thunderbolt 4 PCIe Expansion Card it released last year, but it looks a little more powerful thanks to its PD capabilities. The TB4 card is powerful for transfer speeds but limited to just PCIe for power (15W PD).
The card may only work with MSI boards depending on the TB header design, but we aren’t certain just yet. If it is anything like the TB4 card, it will feature MSI’s exclusive TB header. This would mean it wouldn’t work with other brands of motherboards. This isn’t such a problem though since other brands have solutions as well. For example, the ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 card not only supports TB4, but it also supports 100W PD as well. Which kind of makes it the king of all three cards now mentioned in this story (but isn’t compatible with MSI boards). So MSI’s card isn’t the only cool kid (or the coolest kid) on the block. Some could even say that MSI is a little behind in its game these last few years. But, at least they are finally getting these options out there.
There is no pricing or release information just yet, but it will likely fall around $69+ range if MSI wants to remain competitive to the TB options out there, including its own TB4 solution. You’re also likely to see it launch sometime this year (hopefully, sooner than later so the company can move on to more feature-competitive options).
