[Motherboard] ThunderboltEX 5 Expansion Card Instructions
Compared to the previous-generation ASUS ThunderboltEX 4 expansion card, the ASUS ThunderboltEX 5 expansion card features dual USB Type-C ports that support up to 130W of fast charging, with up to 96W per device, and provides bandwidth of up to 120 Gbps for ultra-high-speed data transfer and video output. It also features a DisplayPort 2.1 port that supports up to three 8K 60Hz displays and includes DSC technology.
Contents:
1. ASUS ThunderboltEX 5 Expansion Card I/O Port Overview
2. ASUS ThunderboltEX 5 Expansion Card Preparations
3. ASUS ThunderboltEX 5 Expansion Card Installation and BIOS Settings
4. Q&A: Q1：Which motherboard models support the ThunderboltEX 5 expansion card?
Q2：Why isn’t my monitor displaying anything after connecting it to the ThunderboltEX 5 expansion card?
ASUS ThunderboltEX 5 Expansion Card I/O Port Overview 
1. Mini DisplayPort IN port
2. USB Type-C port (Supports up to 120 Gbps for Thunderbolt and USB4 devices, up to 130W total power, and features fast charging)
3. 6-pin PCIe power connector (features fast charging)
4. USB 2.0 header
5. 14-1 pin Thunderbolt header
6. PCIe 4.0 x4 interface
ASUS ThunderboltEX 5 Expansion Card Preparations
Firstly please help confirm your MB has a PCIe slot that supports Thunderbolt expansion cards.
（For example: ROG STRIX Z890-E GAMING WIFI）
1. Click the search icon in the upper-right corner of the ASUS website, enter and choose your motherboard model name.
2. Click the [Support] page on the website.
3. Click the [Manual & Document] page, then click [Manual], locate the user manual in your preferred language, and click [Download] to open it.
4. In the user manual, locate the section titled “[Thunderbolt (USB4) Header]” to check if there are any restrictions on which PCIe slots can be used for installing the Thunderbolt expansion card.
For example, the user manual for the ROG STRIX Z890-E GAMING specifically states: “The Thunderbolt card can only be used when installed to the PCIe x16 (G4) slot. Ensure to install your Thunderbolt card to the PCIe x16 (G4) slot.”
The location of the Thunderbolt PCIe slot on this model is shown in the figure below:：
ASUS ThunderboltEX 5 Expansion Card Installation and BIOS Settings
1. Shut down the computer and disconnect the power supply. Insert the ThunderboltEX 5 expansion card into the supported PCIe slot and press down until it is fully seated. 
2. Connect the included 14-to-1-pin Thunderbolt header cable to the ThunderboltEX 5 card (as shown in Figure A below) and to the TB(USB)_HEADER on the MB (as shown in Figure B below). 
3. Connect the included 10-to-1-pin USB 2.0 ribbon cable to the ThunderboltEX 5 card (as shown in Figure A below) and to the USB 2.0 header on the MB (as shown in Figure B below). 
4. Connect the 6-pin PCIe power cable from the power supply to the 6-pin header on the ThunderboltEX 5 card. 
5. If you are using the MB’s on-board display output, connect the Mini DisplayPort cable to the Mini DisplayPort IN port on the ThunderboltEX 5 card (as shown in Figure A below) and to the DisplayPort port on the MB’s I/O panel (as shown in Figure B below). 
If you are using a discrete graphics card, connect the Mini DisplayPort cable to the Mini DisplayPort IN port on the ThunderboltEX 5 card (as shown in Figure A below) and to the DisplayPort port on the discrete graphics card (as shown in Figure B below). 
6. After installation is complete, plug in the power and turn on the computer. During the boot screen, press the DEL or F2 key on your keyboard to enter the BIOS.
7. Press the F7 key on your keyboard, or select “Advanced Mode (F7)” in the BIOS settings. 
8. On the [Advanced] page, select [Thunderbolt(TM) Configuration]. 
9. Set [Thunderbolt 5 Enable] to Enabled, press F10 on your keyboard, then click OK to save and reboot, completing the BIOS setup. 
10. After booting into the system, download and install the ThunderboltEX 5 expansion card driver from the ASUS official website. For more details, please refer to the following FAQ:
[Motherboard] How to install motherboard drivers and utilities? | Official Support | ASUS Global
Q&A
Q1：Which motherboard models support the ThunderboltEX 5 expansion card?
A1：For a list of specific supported MB models, please refer to the ThunderboltEX 5 official website’s list of compatible MB：ThunderboltEX 5｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global
Q2：Why isn’t my monitor displaying anything after connecting it to the ThunderboltEX 5 expansion card?
A2：Please try the following troubleshooting steps:
Step 1: Make sure the ThunderboltEX 5 expansion card is installed in the correct PCIe slot and that all cables are properly connected as described in the steps above.
Step 2: Make sure the monitor is powered on and that the Thunderbolt cable is properly connected to the USB Type-C port on the ThunderboltEX 5 expansion card.
Step 3: Confirm the Thunderbolt feature is enabled in the BIOS.
Step 4: Make sure you have installed the latest driver for the ThunderboltEX 5 expansion card from the ASUS website.
Step 5: If you are connecting the DisplayPort cable to the MB, please verify that your CPU has an integrated graphics processor. If you are connecting the DisplayPort cable to a discrete graphics card, please verify that the discrete graphics card has the drivers installed. For detailed steps, please refer to the FAQ：[Graphic Card] How to Update ASUS Graphics Card Drivers？ | Official Support | ASUS Global