there’s a nice and slim enclosure from RocketStor that only allows for single slot cards and ideally below 75W cards. I have the thunderbolt 2 version and a Quadro k1200 that I’m waiting to test once my laptop comes in, but ideally you could have a simple solution for something like a 1650Ti if you take the shrouds off and just leave the heatsinks (the enclosure has active cooling to blow air across the card). I’m going to try the quadro k1200 then look into fitting a shroudless 1050Ti in it for a moderately good modular workstation/gaming setup
Is it foolish to want to use a 3080 with an eGPU enclosure? I mean will TB4 provide enough bandwidth to take advantage of the grunt there?
So my new external graphics card dock arrived (Will add some pics later). I figured I would start a thread on using desktop graphics cards with our Framework laptops and let people post things like benchmarks, the good, the bad etc.
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To this discussion, what is the general conclusion on the best value graphics dock and sweet spot for GPU horsepower?
I have a GTX 1070 sitting around gathering dust since replacing it with a 2070 Super in my desktop a while ago, and my old GPU is something I’d like to leverage for my docked laptops.
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I’m particularly interested in what docks are generally found to be the best and have other helpful features.
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I have already shared my experience using Razer Core 1 eGPU+NVidia 1060 and Frame.Work here: eGPU support? - #14 by KOSTYANTYN_RUKHLIS
eGPU support? - #15 by KOSTYANTYN_RUKHLIS
eGPU support? - #16 by KOSTYANTYN_RUKHLIS
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It really depends on the game:
What I mean is does Thunderbolt 4 provide enough bandwidth to support the card without bottlenecking it?
It depends? It sounds like a cheeky answer but for some workloads it won’t be bottlenecked at all while for others TB4 will really limit the performance.
What kind of stuff will you use the external GPU for?
I think Sonnets video best explains why their eGPUs (even the newest one that I just got) use TB3 instead of TB4!
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That enclosure to the right of center in the thumbnail looks awesome! is that a PCIe slot enclosure like the one in the center or something else?
I wish I knew what it was but it sure reminds me of the Velkase Velka Small-Form Factor PC case
I looked it up, its a $800 enclosure capable of holding and powering 3 PCIe cards!
EDIT: The one I would go with from Sonnet because I love the Idea of slim eGPU’s is a combination of these:
I think Sonnet’s philosophy of modularity might compliment Frame.work’s really well! just a little expensive to buy into.
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I went with the big fat one I the middle so I could also use it as a stand lol. Oh and look how tiny my current GPU looks in there!
It’s really great having everything power off and go dark when I remove the one and only TB cable plugged into my framework laptop!
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Thank you guyz for sharing info on eGPU. Now i wait for hdd addition to nvme and i’m in 
Like the modular storage cards?
Maybe if it would fit 2.5inch hdd yeah. Lets say framework will make on the side where it has one module,larger. As for power user,hdd recovery is possible. I had few drives that died on me and was able to recover data.
When they make a larger laptop, a Mini PCIe module would be awesome.
Is mini PCIe capable of a x4 link (Thunderbolt)? Those are usually for things like WiFi cards which have a x1 interface if I’m not mistaken.
The more I look at eGPU enclosures, the more it seems… not worth it.
The Razer Core X, for example, is significantly larger than my unbridled gaming desktop. Most of the other ones I’m considering appear to be similar in size.
There’s no way this could come close to replacing my 5 year old 10 liter PC with 4 SSDs and a (admittedly upgraded) 2070 Super (the Core X is 13+ Liters, and ONLY has the GPU and power supply in it).
I initially thought about going eGPU for flights to visit friends on my work trips and LAN. It would still be easier to carry my full desktop PC and borrow a monitor.
So what to do? Is there something smaller than a desktop computer or am I just not getting it?
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