I've been wondering about this since before TB3 eGPUs were a thing (I think I even discussed it here before, but can't find the thread), but ever more since: why are all the external GPUs and enclosures for desktop GPUs?
Of course, I understand the arguments for using desktop GPUs. They're
Especially with the advent of thin-and-light PCs, I definitely see a market for small, lightweight, semi-portable eGPUs with decent performance that don't break the bank. To be specific: sticking an MXM 1070 or 1080 into something like this would be beyond silly, even if you'd have more space to cool them than inside of a laptop, thus reducing the cost somewhat. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about ~$300-500 (in my mind, at least) devices with GTX 1050 (Ti) - 1060 level GPUs, bringing good 1080p gaming even to ultrabooks. Of course you'd have the same issues as eGPUs have today, with reduced performance when using internal displays, but that doesn't really take away from the fact that this would trounce any iGPU (nor is that really fixable until TB4, which I guess won't arrive until PCIe 4.0 does - unless later revisions of TB3 support teaming of multiple connections or some such horribly problematic and latency-ridden solution).
SFF PC makers like Zotac manage to build not-overly expensive PCs with decent GPUs in very small cases using external PSUs. Why not build something similar that's just a GPU? Say you make a case that's 5cm*15cm*15cm (2" * 6" * 6").
Arguments clearly in favor of this:
While designing and manufacturing a cooling system wouldn't be free, MXM is standardized enough that one cooling system could fit all GPUs (below its power/thermal limits, of course). Laptop makers and SFF PC makers design compact custom cooling solutions all the time, without this bankrupting them. And again, this would be less space constrained than a laptop or even SFF PC that also needs to cool a CPU (heck, in my proposed case you could fit a slim 120mm or 140mm fan and a heatsink and call it a day).
MXM also has standardized power delivery, and given that you can buy 120W pico PSUs (12V DC - ATX power adapters) for $35 at retail, integrating power delivery on the board (wether from a 12V source or a ~20V laptop brick) should be a negligible cost. Designing a TB3-to-MXM PCB isn't that much of a challenge - it's all PCIe, after all. Even adding in features like additional USB ports or ethernet (either through a separate USB connection, TB3, or both with muxing to allow for flexibility) wouldn't add that much cost. Some, sure, but not a lot.
90W external power bricks are cheap (unless you look at name-brand replacement parts, which are massively overpriced). Considering how cheap they are at retail, imagine how little OEMs pay for them. And remember, external power bricks are rated for continuous power, not peak, so a 90W power brick should be able to power a 90W eGPU setup just fine, even if it spikes to 100W+ from time to time. It would definitely power a <75W GTX 1050/1050Ti + whatever controllers are needed with zero issues. 120W power bricks aren't that much more expensive. Even 220W power bricks aren't that expensive, if you want this thing to power your laptop while you're at it.
All of this is wild speculation, of course. But I don't see any compelling arguments for me being wrong in any of my assumptions. Selling an external mobile GTX 1050 in a compact enclosure with a 90W power brick bundled for $300 should be very doable. And I'm quite convinced that the size, ease of use and all-in-one nature of this could increase the adoption rate of external GPU systems dramatically.
Of course, I understand the arguments for using desktop GPUs. They're
- Far cheaper
- Faster (not thermally/power limited)
- Available
- Replaceable
- Self-contained (i.e. have their own cooling)
- Based on open and accessible standards
- You can BYO GPU
- Big, bulky
- Very varying in size, leading to oversized enclosures (most GPUs are tiny compared to what there's room for in most eGPU enclosures)
- Not at all portable
- Power hungry
- Dependent on PCIe power cabling, leading to the use of huge PSUs
- Very expensive, and thus only relevant to the scant few people who have money to spare, a spare GPU lying around, and then buy a PC with TB3. A Razer Core with a GTX 1060 is a $700+ proposition.
Especially with the advent of thin-and-light PCs, I definitely see a market for small, lightweight, semi-portable eGPUs with decent performance that don't break the bank. To be specific: sticking an MXM 1070 or 1080 into something like this would be beyond silly, even if you'd have more space to cool them than inside of a laptop, thus reducing the cost somewhat. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about ~$300-500 (in my mind, at least) devices with GTX 1050 (Ti) - 1060 level GPUs, bringing good 1080p gaming even to ultrabooks. Of course you'd have the same issues as eGPUs have today, with reduced performance when using internal displays, but that doesn't really take away from the fact that this would trounce any iGPU (nor is that really fixable until TB4, which I guess won't arrive until PCIe 4.0 does - unless later revisions of TB3 support teaming of multiple connections or some such horribly problematic and latency-ridden solution).
SFF PC makers like Zotac manage to build not-overly expensive PCs with decent GPUs in very small cases using external PSUs. Why not build something similar that's just a GPU? Say you make a case that's 5cm*15cm*15cm (2" * 6" * 6").
Arguments clearly in favor of this:
- Portability
- Size (doesn't require loads of desk space)
- Performance would still be good
- All-in-one solution, not requiring users to buy/own a separate GPU
While designing and manufacturing a cooling system wouldn't be free, MXM is standardized enough that one cooling system could fit all GPUs (below its power/thermal limits, of course). Laptop makers and SFF PC makers design compact custom cooling solutions all the time, without this bankrupting them. And again, this would be less space constrained than a laptop or even SFF PC that also needs to cool a CPU (heck, in my proposed case you could fit a slim 120mm or 140mm fan and a heatsink and call it a day).
MXM also has standardized power delivery, and given that you can buy 120W pico PSUs (12V DC - ATX power adapters) for $35 at retail, integrating power delivery on the board (wether from a 12V source or a ~20V laptop brick) should be a negligible cost. Designing a TB3-to-MXM PCB isn't that much of a challenge - it's all PCIe, after all. Even adding in features like additional USB ports or ethernet (either through a separate USB connection, TB3, or both with muxing to allow for flexibility) wouldn't add that much cost. Some, sure, but not a lot.
90W external power bricks are cheap (unless you look at name-brand replacement parts, which are massively overpriced). Considering how cheap they are at retail, imagine how little OEMs pay for them. And remember, external power bricks are rated for continuous power, not peak, so a 90W power brick should be able to power a 90W eGPU setup just fine, even if it spikes to 100W+ from time to time. It would definitely power a <75W GTX 1050/1050Ti + whatever controllers are needed with zero issues. 120W power bricks aren't that much more expensive. Even 220W power bricks aren't that expensive, if you want this thing to power your laptop while you're at it.
All of this is wild speculation, of course. But I don't see any compelling arguments for me being wrong in any of my assumptions. Selling an external mobile GTX 1050 in a compact enclosure with a 90W power brick bundled for $300 should be very doable. And I'm quite convinced that the size, ease of use and all-in-one nature of this could increase the adoption rate of external GPU systems dramatically.