Personal News
GPD is funding a new compact external GPU docking station that can both boost the gaming capabilities of select laptops and portable gaming PCs, and also help anchor them to a desk for mobile workers (via Liliputing).
The company calls it the G1, and it features an AMD Radeon RX 7600M XT chip with HDMI 2.1 plus two DisplayPort 1.4 video outputs, a USB 4/Thunderbolt 4 connector for connecting and charging, and something called Oculink (more on that). topic in a bit).
GPD says it’s the “world’s smallest mobile graphics card extender,” just over an inch thick (29.8mm), about nine inches long ( 225 mm) and four and a third (111 mm) deep – all with an integrated power supply.
GPD isn’t quite the household name, but the Shenzhen, China-based company has made a bit of a name for itself among PC gamers enamored with the recent portable gaming boom. Currently, that market is heavily held by Valve’s Steam Deck, and there’s a lot of interest in Asus’ upcoming ROG Ally, but GPD has been plugging in for years.
Geeks are paying attention to other PC gaming handhelds like the Ayaneo 2S and GPD’s Win Max 2, and both companies will be selling versions with an Oculink connector. The Steam Deck isn’t designed to support external graphics, so GPD hopes the G1 graphics dock can be a big differentiator for its own devices – although it says you can use Thunderbolt 3, 4 or USB-4 if you don’t. mind having less bandwidth.
The concept of a combination docking station and external graphics card (or eGPU) is not new. Alienware helped kickstart the idea with its “Amplifier” external chassis that housed both a high-end desktop graphics card and a USB hub to simplify your setup, and eGPU.io hosts a buyers guide to the devices. who followed. More recently, Asus produced painfully expensive but compact ROG XG graphics docking stations with Nvidia RTX 3080 and 3090 that cost up to $2,000.
The Alienware Amplifier and the ROG XGs have something in common: they eschew standardization by using different proprietary connectors that only work with their own corresponding laptops. Meanwhile, Framework creates a new backslot ecosystem that supports add-on GPUs. So is GPD seeking to adopt a real comparison standard? Good kind of!
The G1 is unusual in that it uses Oculink, which is a connector for PCI-Express that you would more commonly see in enterprise server racks. If your laptop has an additional internal M.2 port, it can be equipped to use this connector and plug in the G1 – potentially giving you reliable and better GPU performance (GPD claims up to 63 Gbps of bandwidth) by compared to the more widely supported USB4. and Thunderbolt-based eGPUs (up to 40 Gbps). Weak desktops could also get in on the action with an Oculink adapter card.
A problem with Oculink, aside from not being available in most laptops or handhelds, is that it doesn’t carry the power and data you need to fully connect and charge a PC. So you probably won’t just plug in Oculink, but also a USB-C connector to give your laptop or handheld up to 60W of power, and access the three USB-A ports and drive SD card.
Of course, the G1’s GPU and docking station will need their own power supply, but luckily it doesn’t have a massive power adapter like some other eGPU solutions. Instead, the G1 packs a 240W GaN power supply inside its own chassis.
GPD cites the impressive performance of its RX 7600M, saying the mobile chip can beat a desktop RTX 3070 GPU in most games. GPD says it tested the 7600M paired with the same Ryzen 7 7840U you’ll find in newer gaming handhelds, against the 3070 paired with a Ryzen 5600X desktop. It’s basically the same desktop my editor Sean Hollister runs, and he was impressed to see it.
If true, that could make for a remarkably powerful desktop PC you could stuff into a small messenger bag – complete with a gaming handheld, a gaming handheld-sized eGPU, and three cables. (Oculink, USB-C and AC), plus your mouse and keyboard.
The G1 is on Indiegogo, but the campaign has yet to begin as of this writing. GPD is looking for 20,000 HKD to fund the project, but will get the money even if the goal is not met. Still, given that GPD has successfully funded nearly every product shipped this way, we expect the G1 to see the light of day. Mom is the word on what the G1 will cost though.
