31–40 of 43 posts
Just as this technology is being commoditized in a high quality way, Apple decides to drop support :(
Did apple ever have eGPU support? and even if they did, they had a nasty fallout with nvidia some time ago.
Nowadays, I'm only using it for my linux based desktop and I'm thinking of getting rid of the egpu enclosure.
This is ATX and not PCI express. It’s been designed to use old cards…
The link doesn’t load for me but in my experience eGPUs are buggy whether it’s a Mac, PC, Lenovo, Dell… in fact Thunderbolt in general is a buggy experience everywhere. It had so much promise.
I think the problem is ultimately that there never was going to be benefit even if it was assumed to work perfectly. You spend $150+GPU+PSU cost, tether your laptop to a wall outlet, and add size and weight to your “portable” kit. That doesn’t compete all that well with just buying a higher end laptop or waiting a few years to buy the next generation of laptop. If you’re willing to go through all that expense and com…
anyone who uses a 2nd monitor is also “tethering” themselves to a desk, not sure that is a strong argument.
Futher, cpu speed increases have kind of plateaued, while GPUs have not.
Finally, most laptops max out around ~150-200watts of available power. While that $3000 Alienware laptop may have a 4080, its not a real desktop gpu, which in an egpu enclosure can pull 450 watts.
Finally, a goid egpu box is also a dock, one cable into the laptop, plug and go.
I was going to ask if this would be good to use with a Framework laptop... but it doesn't look like you can even get Thunderbolt for the Framework... Update (I can't reply to the reply because of HN's "posting too fast" bullshit): Thanks for the reply. I thought a TB port would have to be one of the modules, and none is listed. But I guess TB ports are built-in, based on this: https://frame.work/blog/framework-laptop…
Thunderbolt isn't a port type, it's an interconnect. You can read a summary of this here: https://www.reddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/1225cru/how_d... But, the takeaway is, you wouldn't see a "thunderbolt" port separate from a USB-C port; the physical interface doesn't differ, just how the data is marshalled along the wire.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thunderbolt isn't a port type, it's an interconnect. You can read a summary of this here: https://www.reddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/1225cru/how_d... But, the takeaway is, you wouldn't see a "thunderbolt" port separate from a USB-C port; the physical interface doesn't differ, just how the data is marshalled along the wire.
I never said you would see a separate port. But there ARE USB-C ports that do not support Thunderbolt. Therefore I expected TB capability to be called out in the module description for the USB-C ones.
If I have a laptop with two USB-C ports, but only one supports thunderbolt, that is because one is wired to the xHCI hub and the other is wired through PCI-e via the thunderbolt interconnect. The physical connection is the same, so there would be no reason for Framework to sell a "thunderbolt-capable USB-C".
If you're going to argue about something you don't seem to have comprehension of, at least try to consume the provided answers before you stubbornly dig in.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the problem is ultimately that there never was going to be benefit even if it was assumed to work perfectly. You spend $150+GPU+PSU cost, tether your laptop to a wall outlet, and add size and weight to your “portable” kit. That doesn’t compete all that well with just buying a higher end laptop or waiting a few years to buy the next generation of laptop. If you’re willing to go through all that expense and com…
I moved to egpus a few years back and it has been great. I have a desktop when I need one for gaming and a laptop when I am on the go. anyone who uses a 2nd monitor is also “tethering” themselves to a desk, not sure that is a strong argument. Futher, cpu speed increases have kind of plateaued, while GPUs have not. Finally, most laptops max out around ~150-200watts of available power. While that $3000 Alienware laptop…
For example, consider a small form factor desktop in a case like this one in the DAN C4-SFX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiCwDRzLHDk
What percentage of extra weight/space is this compared to carrying a laptop, eGPU, and second monitor? Could you not just carry two larger sized portable displays and the ITX desktop system and have the same outcome (but with better modularity and price/performance value)?
In my opinion, most people who want portable gaming are fine with buying a typical gaming laptop which they'll probably get many years of above-console quality gaming out of. That laptop-wattage 4080 you mentioned is more than good enough for playing literally any game. The people who feel like "as long as it fits in a duffel bag it's portable" and want the most performance possible should probably skip the eGPU and just travel with an ITX build desktop PC.
In other words, an eGPU fits in a weird middle zone between those two solutions that doesn't make a lot of sense. It's saving you a very slight amount of kit over just carrying a desktop around with you, and it's the most costly solution.
The link doesn’t load for me but in my experience eGPUs are buggy whether it’s a Mac, PC, Lenovo, Dell… in fact Thunderbolt in general is a buggy experience everywhere. It had so much promise.
> …in fact Thunderbolt in general is a buggy experience everywhere. On Macs at least, Thunderbolt is extremely dependable. I don’t have as much experience with it on other platforms, but I’ve never personally experienced a problem using external SSDs on my Intel NUC with TB3 support.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I never said you would see a separate port. But there ARE USB-C ports that do not support Thunderbolt. Therefore I expected TB capability to be called out in the module description for the USB-C ones.
You're missing the entire point. If I have a laptop with two USB-C ports, but only one supports thunderbolt, that is because one is wired to the xHCI hub and the other is wired through PCI-e via the thunderbolt interconnect. The physical connection is the same, so there would be no reason for Framework to sell a "thunderbolt-capable USB-C". If you're going to argue about something you don't seem to have comprehension…
Maybe you're replying to the wrong person. If you don't understand comment threading on Internet forums, you need some remedial instruction. I have no idea where you should turn for that. But step 1 is to stop lashing out against random people because you're frustrated.