PCIe Chassis for Decklink Mini Monitor 4k & iMac

Hi there,

I was looking to connect a Deck Link Mini Monitor 4k to a 2019 iMac via a PCIe Thunderbolt Chassis in particular, the Startech TB31PCIEX16 or the OWC Mercury Helios 3S

Idea is to have the Mini Monitor 4k connected to the imac with Thunderbolt using either chassis, then connect the Mini Monitor 4k to an external monitor via HDMI. I figured this would create the necessary pipeline to circumvent the OS and GPU and get an accurate output on a calibrated display for use with Resolve.

I'd probably also use the Display port connector on the Startech Chassis to make a 2nd connection to the same second monitor for regular use when not editing/doing post, through the Mini Monitor specifically.

It seems from other threads that similar Sonnet and Akito enclosures work, so I was hoping either of the above would also do the trick as either are the ideal potential solution. I believe both only use 4 PCI lanes even though it will house x16 PCIe cards up to version 3.0. But looking at the Mini Monitor 4k spec, that seems adequate as it appears to be PCIe 2.0 requiring 4 lanes.

Altogether, this is half the price of buying a Blackmagic UltraStudio 4K Mini, albeit with less connections.

Does anyone have any experience of this setup. Any potential issues? Drivers? Maybe audio?

Many thanks

have you tried this yet? I'm looking at the UltraStudio 4K Mini to get two more screens (LG CX48, Benq 271) and was thinking about your route as well...

Hi Adam,

Just bumping this as I didn't try in the end as the pandemic curtailed my plans somewhat. But I've upgraded my Mac since and have an Eizo monitor working with a Decklink Mini monitor but I would like to return to this again as I would like to use a Decklink capture card for ingest from old analogue equipment.

Did you (or anyone else) go down the Thunderbolt enclosure route with a PCIe card? If so any tips, pointers, pitfalls or learning experiences?

Many thanks!

I've done PCIe enclosures with DeckLink cards and every one I've used (3+) just... worked. No issues, on compatibility problems. (Only issue I've ever had with an external enclosure is with GPUs).

An alternative is to get a Mini Monitor as it's thunderbolt already and would be cheaper than getting a DeckLink card and an enclosure (although you wouldn't get passthru).

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/produc ... /W-DLUS-13

But if you want to stay future proof (as much as possible with electronics) check the compatibility with Apple silicon.

I've done PCIe enclosures with DeckLink cards and every one I've used (3+) just... worked. No issues, on compatibility problems. (Only issue I've ever had with an external enclosure is with GPUs).

An alternative is to get a Mini Monitor as it's thunderbolt already and would be cheaper than getting a DeckLink card and an enclosure (although you wouldn't get passthru).

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/produc ... /W-DLUS-13

Thanks Mike. I already have a Ultrastudio Mini Monitor I use from my iMac to an Eizo Colour edge Monitor for post work. Reason I want the Decklink is to capture old analogue sources. Getting a Studio 4k Decklink or an Intensity Pro 4K with an external PCIe enclosure is going to be cheaper than an ultrastudio 4k Mini for e.g.

Great to know this combo has worked for you easily, several times over. Think I'm going to try and preowned Decklink Studio 4k first up, likely in a new OWC Helios 3S I'll treat myself to.

But if you want to stay future proof (as much as possible with electronics) check the compatibility with Apple silicon.

I've just upgraded to an Intel iMac 2020 as I need dual boot into Windows and also to install older MAC OS's for some legacy film projects that require older NLE software, that isn't supported on MAC OS for Apple Silicone. I'm bridging two worlds for the time being and it will be good few years before I jump to Apple Silicon fully. I'll be looking forward to extra Thunderbolt ports when I do though!