An external graphics card, often referred to as an eGPU, is a bit of a misnomer. When most people talk about eGPUs, they are referring to eGPU enclosures. These enclosures are separate devices that usually come with a small power supply (PSU), Thunderbolt connectivity, and a large shroud and are designed to hold a graphics card. i.e. you will need to provide your own graphics card for them to work. A few manufacturers build dedicated units with integrated GPUs, but these are rare. We've researched both types for this list to make sure we cover all of our bases, and to eliminate any potential confusion we'll list in each article whether or not it includes a GPU or expects you to provide the your. choose which graphics card to use and upgrade it over time whenever it becomes obsolete. it is important to think carefully about what you are looking for if you o this route.
Make sure you know whether or not you're buying a dedicated case or eGPU when purchasing! There's nothing more disappointing than sitting down to game and realizing you don't have a graphics card ready.
Razer Core X Chroma (no GPU)
Razer has long been at the forefront of PC gaming peripherals, and their offering of eGPU enclosures is no different. The Core X is available in two colors and two variants. Standard black and white versions come with an internal 650 watt ATX power supply, deliver 100 watts via USB Type-C to a connected laptop and support up to 3 wide graphics cards. The Chroma variant offers all that plus four USB ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and RGB lighting. This means that the Chroma version can function not only as an eGPU enclosure for a user-supplied graphics card, but also as a kind of USB Type-C docking station. Both require Thunderbolt 3 to connect to a host machine.
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ASUS XG Station Pro (no GPU)
The ASUS XG Station Pro is a sleek eGPU enclosure. It features an all-aluminum body, the ability to accommodate up to 2,7-slot graphics card, and keeps things cool with two massive 120mm fans. ASUS has teamed up with renowned PC case maker In Win to ensure this would look nice next to your business laptop on a desk, which is a nice bonus if you're trying to convince your boss that your eGPU case is a business expense. It's also MacOS certified for Macbook gamers looking for a case solution. It requires Thunderbolt 3 and is certified by ASUS to work with graphics cards up to and including Radeon 5700XT and GeForce 3070 (excluding ASUS ROG Strix 3070).
Cooler Master MasterCase EG200 (no GPU)
Cooler Master's MasterCase EG200 is fairly consistent with most of the cases we've covered so far. It requires Thunderbolt 3, has three USB ports, packs a 500 watt power supply, delivers up to 60 watts of power to connected devices, and features a steel body. It's a solid choice for anyone looking for a GPU and will fit a 2,5 slot wide card. It does have a neat trick though: it includes a built-in hard drive bay that can be fitted with 2,5″ or 3,5″ hard drives so it can serve as an external hard drive. So, theoretically, you can offload your Steam library to the external hard drive and free up space when you're on the go, which is quite an interesting prospect given the limited number of laptop hard drives these days.
GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 3090 Game Box (GPU Included)
GIGABYTE's AORUS RTX 3090 gaming box features, as you might have guessed, an integrated GeForce RTX 3090. This is currently Nvidia's top-end offering and should be up to almost any gaming task you throw at it for years to come. To top it off, it's water-cooled with a built-in heatsink and fans to keep the 3090 inside running smooth and cool. Via its required Thunderbolt 3 connection, it also provides up to 100 watts of power, an Ethernet port, two USB ports, two HDMI connections and three DisplayPort connections for displays. This is a really massive eGPU with a host of performance that you'll probably be able to use for a very long time. If you demand the absolute highest end available, then here it is.
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Sonnet eGPU Breakaway Puck Radeon 5500XT (GPU inclus)
At the exact opposite end of the spectrum is the Sonnet eGPU Breakaway Puck with an integrated Radeon 5500XT. Besides being the smallest offering yet, it's also the most affordable, even though it includes an integrated GPU. AMD's Radeon 5500 XT won't break any records, but it's still a very solid card to play with. Especially as an eGPU where you risk throttling your system anyway with slow RAM speed or laptop CPU limitations. Sonnet also offers a wide range of enclosures, but to date this is the only dedicated eGPU they have produced.
External enclosures for graphics cards are becoming more and more popular over time. They give you the ability to use a laptop for work or school, then bring it home, plug in your eGPU, and hit some serious gaming without having to lug around a massive laptop focused on gaming. games. In many ways, it really is the best of both worlds, even if the cost is a bit higher. Portability when you want it and power when you need it!
For more hardware recommendations, check out the best budget wireless gaming mouse of 2021 | 5 Budget Wireless Mice and 5 Best Gaming TVs of 2021 for Nintendo Switch on Pro Gaming Guides.
