Hi all,

I am using a Dell Alienware M15-R6 gaming laptop, with a 3060 NVIDIA graphics, and Intel i7v11 processor. It has what it claims is a Thunderbolt 4 port. I am "broadcasting" live video over Zoom.

What I want is an external TB enclosure with a Quad capture card in it, to capture 4 separate 4K cameras as vMix inputs. I would also like to, either with the same enclosure or a daisy chain, use an external recorder to record the vMix output.

I now have a Sonnet SE 1 enclosure (It supports PCIe-4), and an Elgato Cam Link 4K Pro Quad HDMI capture card inside. So far, the 4 cameras seem to be "working". Still checking for glitches. I still have the option to return that hardware and replace it with something else that might work better.

I also have a Plugable dock with several USB-A and USB-C ports, some with higher data rate ratings, and I could use individual capture devices with it. Haven't yet tried putting (4) 4K cameras into that dock yet. Same TB3 port, though, with its data rate limit.

Questions for the group:

1- Is it reasonable to expect to capture (4) 4K cameras and an external recorder over a TB4 port and a TB3 enclosure (or 2)?

2- Am I better off with a 2-slot PCIe enclosure, like the Sonnet SE iiie? Or 2 single slot enclosures in a Daisy Chain?

3- Are there hardware equivalents that you would recommend over what I have now? Such as Highpoint Rocketstor enclosures over the Sonnet? Or a BMD Quad Capture card over the Elgato? (The BMD quad uses PCIe-8, so it may not be supported over TB3)

4- Anyone got other ideas?

Thank you very much!