Currently using Windows 11 Education for school, but planning to switch back to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (fully upgraded and stock).
Which BIOS version are you using?
Latest: 03.05
Which Framework Laptop 13 model are you using?
CPU: AMD Ryzen™ 7 7840U
RAM: 32GB Framework RAM
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 2TB
Hi everyone,
I’m considering building an eGPU setup for my beloved Framework Laptop 13. I don’t game much, but when I do, I’d love to hit a stable 60 FPS with better graphical settings than what the integrated Radeon 780M can handle. My focus is mainly on story-driven games, so I’m not chasing crazy performance—just a smooth and enjoyable experience.
Currently, I’m using Windows 11 Education for school, but I’ve daily-driven Ubuntu before and really enjoyed it. I miss the experience, which is why I want to set up the eGPU with Linux compatibility in mind.
So, what hardware would you recommend for this setup?
I’ve come across some examples on YouTube where people have successfully built eGPU setups for similar use cases. What’s your experience or advice?
TH3P4G3 you linked seems to work pretty well with AMD Framework-13 laptops: see this thread where another user had no luck with some Lenovo eGPU enclosure on Ubuntu and after switching to TH3P4G3 it worked like a charm.
TH3P4G3 uses PCIe 3.0 though, so if you have a strong GPU with PCIe 4.0 support you may want to consider for example something like ADT-Link UT3G (number 1 on egpu.io ranking right ahead of TH3P4G3) to use more of your GPU’s capabilities (you will still be limited to 40Gbps by the USB-4 link though, so it’s up to 8Gbps gain comparing to PCIe 3.0).
OTOH TH3P4G3 supports PD to host and TB daisy-chaining (allowing to connect high speed peripherals like USB hubs etc to it), so if you are a 1-cable dreamer like me and don’t care about much more than 60fps, then it may be a better option nevertheless.
Thank you for the reply.
I’ve research all the resources you have gave me and just ordered the ADT-Link UT3G
Now waiting for that to arrive and then I can go see for a GPU en PSU.
What GPU could you recommend? I was thinking of looking for one secondhand, maybe a 3080 (10Gb) or would going AMD be smarter?
cool When you are done setting it up please do post your build on egpu.io for future reference for others
This is a very complex question with multiple factors to consider. The main factor is usually your budget as you can go anywhere from 250 to 2500usd for consumer/gaming GPUs (…and virtually to infinity with server ones for AI or mining workloads ).
Now before I write anything more, I must emphasize that gaming GPUs are quite far from my area of expertise, so wait for more input from others before making your decision.
Having said this, I have a feeling that Nvidia is quite overpriced comparing to what it actually offers and you can get similar power for considerably less money with AMD.
Linux support wise, both seem to be in a good shape currently. AMD had some bugs a few months ago, but from what I heard they were fixed (I cannot say for sure as I’m currently using Nvidia that I got very cheaply from decommissioning some old mining farm).
).