Usage Notes & Warnings
•
Thunderbolt Certification and Apple Support —
The OWC Mercury Helios FX is Thunderbolt certified for Windows
and macOS, and is certified for external graphics on Windows 10, but not yet certified for external graphics on macOS
at the time of this writing. Because of this only a limited number of AMD GPUs will work with the initial releases of
macOS 10.13. We anticipate the number and type of GPUs that Apple officially supports will grow over time. For more
information about GPUs and links to related resources, please visit the product web page.
• Keeping the installed card cool
— the Helios FX has been optimized for maximum airflow and cooling the installed
card, including a temperature-controlled fan. You do not need to apply changes or customizations to the chassis. So
long as you do not block any of the vents, compatible cards should remain sufficiently cool during use.
• Fan operation
—the Helios FX’s main fan does not operate when the connected host computer is in Sleep mode or
is turned off. The power supply fan will run whenever the box is powered and switched on, even if disconnected from
the host computer, or if the host computer is in Sleep mode.
• GPU power requirements
— the Helios FX supports the power requirements of most but not all GPUs. Please check
the product web page for the latest compatibility list.
• Power LED operation
— The power indicator LED only powers on when the host computer is connected and
powered on as well. The LED will power off when the host computer is in Sleep mode.
• Changing the installed card
—
PCIe cards are not hot-pluggable
!
Never install a PCIe card into the Helios
FX while it is connected to a host or power outlet. If you need to swap out the installed card, shut down the host
computer, then disconnect the power cord and Thunderbolt cable from the Helios FX before replacing the card.
• Thunderbolt 3 host performance
— While the Helios FX features a 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 connection, some
host computers equipped with Thunderbolt 3 use a 2-lane PCIe interface. For computers configured in this way,
performance of the Thunderbolt 3 connection is limited to 20 Gbps. Please check with the computer manufacturer to
determine how many PCIe lanes are available on the host computer’s Thunderbolt 3 ports.
• GPU Performance
— the performance of the Helios FX is defined by the combination of the host computer, the
installed GPU, and available Thunderbolt bandwidth. While you may not achieve full desktop performance in all
applications, you should see a significant graphics performance boost.
• Power Delivery
— the Helios FX provides up to 87W of upstream power for charging the host computer. Note that
some PC laptops with Thunderbolt 3 do not accept charging from a Thunderbolt peripheral and therefore will see no
charging benefit.
• Identifying Thunderbolt 3 40Gbps cables
— certified Thunderbolt 3 (40 Gbps) cables will have the Thunderbolt 3
logo with the number ‘3’ as well.
• Operating system updates may change compatibility status
– specific drivers that work under one OS version
may not work in a later version. Before upgrading you computer to the latest OS, we recommend that you contact the
GPU manufacturer or system provider to verify eGPU compatibility with the OS you plan to use.
4
Phone:
M–F, 8am–5pm Central Time
(866) 692-7100 (N. America) | +1 (815) 338-4751 (Int’l)
Chat:
M–F, 8am–8pm Central Time
www.owcdigital.com/support
Email:
Answered within 48 hours
www.owcdigital.com/support
© 2018 Other World Computing, Inc. All rights reserved.
OWC and the OWC logo are trademarks of Other World Computing, Inc. registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and/or in Canada. Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc.,
registered in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other
countries. Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other marks may be the trademark or registered
trademark property of their owners.
R1 02/14/17 DM
OWCQSGHELIOSFX
