Meta-Thunderbolt

The author shares their experiences with Thunderbolt technology, expressing a love-hate relationship due to its impracticality for serious workloads. They recount their attempts to build a home server using a Titan Ridge PCIe Add-In Card, which provides Thunderbolt 3 ports. The card requires specific connections to function, including power connectors and a proprietary header for certain motherboards. The author explores the concept of external GPUs (eGPUs) and the challenges they face, such as high costs, performance penalties, and issues with hot-plugging.

After acquiring a barebones eGPU enclosure at a flea market, the author successfully connected it to the Titan Ridge card, creating a functional setup that surprisingly worked without extensive debugging. They detail the process of connecting a GPU and achieving display output, despite some limitations in resolution. The author also experiments with connecting an eGPU enclosure to different motherboards, encountering various compatibility issues and performance challenges.

Ultimately, the author reflects on their experiences with Thunderbolt, humorously acknowledging their tendency to create complex setups that defy expectations. They conclude by contemplating the potential of further expanding their setup with additional eGPU enclosures, highlighting the unpredictable nature of their technological endeavors.