What's the difference between Titan Ridge and Alpine Ridge

Posted by Bill Dong on

TITAN RIDGE VS ALPINE RIDGE

Alpine Ridge:

The Alpine Ridge uses Intel chipset DSL6540, and the video links are negotiated at DisplayPort 1.2 speeds and sent down over either HDMI 1.4 or Thunderbolt 3.  The manual states to officially allow for a maximum resolution of 4K 24Hz over the HDMI port, but the Thunderbolt ports allow for up to 4K 60Hz (a single 5K Thunderbolt display can allegedly work on the Alpine Ridge as well).  Only bus power is provided with the Alpine Ridge unfortunately and the card is supplied with a total of 38W, which allows you to power typical USB devices, but does not provide enough power for device fast charging (such as a MacBook Pro).

Note:

The GC Alpine Ridge is not a GPU.  You need a GPU to pass video signals to it.  It’s primary purpose is providing Thunderbolt 3 connectivity.

Titan Ridge:

The Titan Ridge on the other hand uses the Intel chipset DSL7540 and negotiates over DisplayPort 1.4.  You can use a combination of 2 of the 3 outputs (DisplayPort or the two Thunderbolt 3 ports) at up to 8K 60Hz or allegedly can drive a single 4K display at 120Hz that is FreeSync/G-Sync/VRR or native 120Hz capable! This could be a game changer (no pun intended).  Depending on the requirements of the device, with the Thunderbolt 3 ports on the Titan Ridge, you may also be able to fast charge your devices right out of the box without adding additional power, as you get up to 75W of bus power.  A current 16″ MacBook Pro will require 87W, and thus, at least one of the 3-pin PCIe power taps on the card need to be connected up to something (powering both taps is probably a good idea to give the card its full 100W).

Note:

The GC Titan Ridge is not a GPU.  You need a GPU to pass video signals to it.  It’s primary purpose is providing Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, but it does provides some advancements and advantages over the Alpine Ridge at just a small premium in price.

 

Check out flashed titan ridge and alpine ridge

 


Share this post



← Older Post Newer Post →