
Does eGPU help video editing?Īn external GPU (eGPU) enclosure allows you to connect and use a desktop -class graphics card to your notebook. Thunderbolt 4 also guarantees you can run a pair of 4K displays at minimum and transfer data at up to 32Gbps. While USB4 offers the same 40Gbps speed as Thunderbolt 4, there is also a slower 20Gbps version of USB4. Thunderbolt 4 is basically a guarantee that you are getting the best version of USB4. Thunderbolt is expensive because of two reasons: Licensing fees required by Intel (initially co-developed with Apple but Intel gained all rights in 2012) Technical requirement of having a Thunderbolt controller module on both the host and peripheral device. Thunderbolt Won’t Be Going Away on New Apple Silicon Macs.
#EXTERNAL GPU ENCLOSURE USB C WINDOWS#
… Most modern MacBooks use Thunderbolt ports for charging, but most Windows laptops, especially inexpensive ones, don’t necessarily have the Thunderbolt interface. 2 NVMe slot, mini PCIe, or an ExpressCard slot, your laptop/PC supports eGPU. If your laptop has Type-C Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 2, M. How much does an eGPU cost?īest eGPU Enclosures – October 2021 External GPU Buyer Guide … Luckily, more and more manufacturers are starting to make eGPU cases that can work with Macs just fine. Adding an external SSD can turn an eGPU case into an almost functional rig, only requiring the laptop’s processor to run games and other apps. Some eGPU cases also double as external mounts for HDD or SSD devices. Thunderbolt 4 is compatible with plenty of connections including DisplayPort, PCle and USB 4. Thunderbolt 4 is an upgraded cable connection interface from Intel capable of powering your devices, transferring data, and displaying a video source to an external monitor all at once - all with just one port. However, there’s very often a better and cheaper alternative that you can use instead. If the eGPU is the only way for you to achieve your goals, it’s worth the investment. It’s not a question of whether an eGPU does its job well but whether the eGPU is the best fit for the job.

Can I plug a USB-C into a Thunderbolt 4 port?.Though, Alienware says that it could support USB 4, which theoretically allows for a higher data and power bandwidth if you have the right cables. Instead, it has two plugs for external power bricks, and Alienware says it has iterated on models that include two 330W AC adapters or two 425W AC adapters, but apparently, it hasn’t landed on one versus the other.Ĭoncept Polaris will feature its share of USB-A and USB-C ports, and a 2.5 gigabit ethernet port. Unlike the previous eGPU from Alienware, Polaris doesn’t also try to fit its power supplies within the confines of the enclosure. When connected to an Alienware laptop, the idea is that you’ll be able to change things on the Polaris like the color of its LEDs, as well as control its power levels and temperature limit. Image: DellĬoncept Polaris can house a full-size, 16-inch desktop graphics card like the Nvidia RTX 3090, and with the right card, it should be able to deliver vastly increased graphical performance to laptops that support eGPUs. The Polaris is built to fit full-size, 16-inch graphics cards. That’s a big change from previous Alienware eGPUs which relied on proprietary port to connect to older Alienware laptops. That means it could also, theoretically, work with laptops from other makers. Thunderbolt 4 would make perfect sense given that its new laptops, including the Alienware X14, have at least one of those ports.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of an eGPU, it’ll help you boost the graphical power of your laptop, provided it has the right ports and assuming you can actually get your hands on a powerful desktop GPU to put in a separate enclosure.ĭuring our in-person walkthrough of the product, Alienware’s team stated repeatedly that the Polaris will connect to laptops via Thunderbolt 4, though the company’s press release that we were given ahead of CES dances around its connectivity altogether.


Alienware doesn’t yet have a price, though its specs and design might make paying a premium worth it for some people. It’s a concept for a liquid-cooled external graphics card enclosure with an estimated launch window of early 2022. We eulogized the end of Alienware’s graphics amplifier in mid-2021 when Dell discontinued it, but the company is returning to the space with Concept Polaris.
