External graphics card for laptops

External graphics processing units eGPUs sound great.

Using one of the best external GPUs can boost your laptop performance, regardless of if you're trying to gain some frames in Apex Legends or make your Premiere Pro renders a little faster. A good GPU enclosure goes beyond being a box for your graphics card. Our picks come with enough power to feed hungry graphics cards without sacrificing efficiency, and they're cool and quiet, allowing you to game or create without distractions. The base model comes packed with an internal watt power supply and can fit up to a three-slot GPU. The more expensive Chroma model comes with a beautiful RGB underglow and boosts the power supply to W.

External graphics card for laptops

Ultraportable laptops are great when you need to put together a presentation for work, crunch some numbers or binge-watch your favorite Netflix shows. But graphically taxing games and support for VR headsets are out of reach. Or are they? If you have a laptop with a Thunderbolt 3 port or one of the new Thunderbolt 4 ports , there's a good chance that you can attach an external GPU eGPU , providing all the benefits of an Nvidia or AMD graphics card, without carrying around a bulky notebook. There are even a couple of external boxes that play nice with MacBooks, so Mac lovers can also know the joys of super-high-res PC gaming. To help you find the best eGPU, we put some of the most popular models through rigorous testing. However, once you get past the initial sticker shock and the box's out-of-this-world looks, you get an eGPU that's easy to open with enough ports to support a sizable gaming battle station. Design: Asus sure knows how to put the "show" in showpiece. The front, top and right black plastic sides of the ROG XG Station 2 are stamped with thick lines meant to mimic circuitry gone wild. It gives the box a funky, futuristic chic that I can't get enough of. But the show really begins once a GPU is added and the box is connected to a laptop. The front-mounted red Tesla coil springs to life, while the interior backlighting illuminates the box with pulsating red light. Ports: Ports include four USB 3. Slide the long button on the top right toward the back of the box, and both sides fall away, opening like some techno-fauna.

That's another cost to consider. But if you have a modern laptop with a decent CPU say, from the last three years or sothere's a good chance an eGPU will deliver an improved gaming experience.

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So, if you are looking at getting an external graphics card, one of the options below should meet your needs. Value Pick: Akitio Node. Honorable Mentions. An eGPU or, external GPU, or external graphics card is, essentially, a graphics card that sits in an external chassis apart from the main computer be it a lapto p or a desktop. Still, though, there are use cases where an external graphics card makes sense. If you have a newer laptop that came with integrated graphics, you could upgrade your GPU-computing power by adding an external graphics card. And, the nice thing about some of the external GPU enclosures out there is that they are upgradeable. For a quick look at our three favorite external GPUs, the table below showcases our pick for the best overall external graphics card, the best value option, and the best budget-friendly option. Check Price.

External graphics card for laptops

Using one of the best external GPUs can boost your laptop performance, regardless of if you're trying to gain some frames in Apex Legends or make your Premiere Pro renders a little faster. A good GPU enclosure goes beyond being a box for your graphics card. Our picks come with enough power to feed hungry graphics cards without sacrificing efficiency, and they're cool and quiet, allowing you to game or create without distractions. The base model comes packed with an internal watt power supply and can fit up to a three-slot GPU. The more expensive Chroma model comes with a beautiful RGB underglow and boosts the power supply to W. Regardless of the model you choose, all you need is a single Thunderbolt 3 cable to hook up the enclosure. You'll need to bring your own graphics card, but you can fit nearly anything inside the Razer Core X outside of the RTX and In addition to plenty of room, the power supply is more than enough to handle even the most power-hungry graphics cards. Plus, the unit comes stock with a mm fan, adding a little more cooling potential. The current version is the Breakaway Box , and Sonnet offers it in two different models -- and ex.

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Oh, and one word of warning for M1 Mac owners. However, if your laptop cannot run a particular game and you really want it to, an external graphics card is a viable solution. The Plus, the unit comes stock with a mm fan, adding a little more cooling potential. A good GPU enclosure goes beyond being a box for your graphics card. Update now! However, once you get past the initial sticker shock and the box's out-of-this-world looks, you get an eGPU that's easy to open with enough ports to support a sizable gaming battle station. Compatibility: The T is the only ultraportable that would work with the Node. For the price, you still get Razer's premium build quality along with a space large enough to fit some of the most powerful graphics cards on the market. To help you find the best eGPU, we put some of the most popular models through rigorous testing. That makes it the cheapest option in the long run.

Laptops, especially gaming laptops, are a study in compromises. Smaller machines are lighter and easier to travel with, but bigger, heavier boxes offer the dedicated graphics cards necessary for high-end gaming.

The eGPU barely has any ports, and it was compatible with only one out of two Windows laptops we tried. Read More. Measuring 6. The more expensive Chroma model comes with a beautiful RGB underglow and boosts the power supply to W. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors. Bear in mind that you can use an external GPU for your desktop, but they are much more common for laptops. You can use the latest graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia in the enclosure, including Nvidia Quadro cards for professional workloads. From there, you just pop the card in, close the box and you're ready to rock. Which upgrades improve your PC performance the most overall? That makes it the cheapest option in the long run. Ports: Ports include four USB 3. They don't play nicely!