Thunderbolt 3 Controller Firmware Update and an eGPU

[PavelPr]

Hi,

I now see that there is a Thunderbolt 3 Controller Firmware Update (version 46) for my NUC (NUC8i7BEH). I am using an eGPU (Aorus Gaming Box 2080Ti).

Has anyone with an eGPU applied it, and could share their impressions?

Thank you!

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello PavelPr,  

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.   

I would like to let you know that the drivers on our website under your NUC will only apply/work for your Intel® NUC Kit NUC8i7BEH and I recommend you to use the drivers from Gigabyte and/or Nvidia for your AORUS RTX 2080 Ti GAMING BOX to be able to enjoy the latest features for your device.

- AORUS RTX 2080 Ti GAMING BOX: https://www.gigabyte.com/us/Graphics-Card/GV-N208TIXEB-11GC/support#support-dl-driver-vgadriver

However, if you are only interested to know the performance of the device or setup, the community members may share their experience with this setup or similar.

Please keep in mind that this thread will no longer be monitored by Intel.

Regards,  

Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[PavelPr]

Hi,

Thanks for writing back. I don't require support for the eGPU itself because it has nothing to do with the question.

On April 26, Intel released a firmware update for the Thunderbolt 3 controller that is present in my NUC (see here: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/126140/Intel-NUC-Kit-NUC8i7BEH). There is no detailed changelog for that firmware update, with its description only stating that it provides "Security Enhancements" (it is unclear what these security enhancements precisely are).

The reason I am cautious with this is that in the past, BIOS updates that introduced changes that had to do with security and Thunderbolt 3, also introduced issues with eGPU connectivity (see here: https://community.intel.com/t5/Intel-NUCs/NUC8i7BEH-BIOS-version-0083-and-eGPU-issues-and-a-workaround/td-p/1201583). This is admittedly a Thunderbolt 3 controller firmware update (as opposed to a BIOS update), but I am cautious nonetheless. Seeing that I don't have a firmware image for the firmware version that's presently installed on my NUC (the one that came with it), I presumably will not be able to roll this back in case of an issue. I am therefore trying to exercise caution.

Due to the above reasons, I am trying to ask the community about their experiences with this update, when combined with an eGPU.

One more thing: the release notes document that is downloadable along with the update states that a Thunderbolt device should be attached to the NUC before and while updating. Because I use an eGPU, I am concerned with the possibility that updating the Thunderbolt 3 controller firmware might result in a loss of image signal, during the update (the computer outputs image through the eGPU that is connected via Thunderbolt 3). Seeing that one cannot apply the update without a Thunderbolt 3 device being connected – and that I don't have any Thunderbolt 3 device apart from the eGPU in my possession – how should I proceed?

Thanks!