MSI Shows Off First USB4 Add-in Card on the Market

MSI was showing off something that no one else had at Computex this year, a USB4 add-in card which they are calling the MS-4489. This is the first official USB4 add-in card in the market. The card makes use of the ASMedia ASM4242 USB4 host controller. Much like Thunderbolt add-in cards, this card needs to be connected to your motherboard with a cable that will handle some of the communication between the USB4 controller and your system.

MSI MS-4489 USB4 Card

The really interesting thing about this card is that it offers 100 watt USB PD support on the primary USB-C port with the secondary port delivering up to 27 watts. The card also features two DisplayPort inputs if you wanted to use DisplayPort ALT mode over USB-C to connect displays to the card.

MSI MS-4489 USB4 Card

In order to deliver the 100W on the primary USB-C port MSI has added a 6-pin PCI-Express power connector on the end of the card. We should see many add-in cards like this later in the year not only from motherboard makers, but also some third parties.

Via TechPowerUp!

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