External Graphics Card (e-GPU) For Laptops: Are they worth it?

Posted on Sunday, February 03 2019 @ 18:39 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
eGPU
Image: iMore

Graphical processing power is a massive requirement in the 21st Century to make ends meet and deliver seamless performance with breathtaking visuals. But the struggle becomes real when looking for solutions to feed your GPU needs without letting your guard down on performance. Now in order to save you the hassle of going through this tedious task yourself, this is to guide you with eGPUs and the things you should know about. Tasks ranging from gaming to basic productivity applications such as sound generation/modification and video production from your computers require a large chunk of this GPU fueled frenzy. Another important yet practical approach would be the addition of graphical processing to the one that is already on board to get things done just in the nick of time.

Significance of E-GPUs
External GPUs (eGPUs) are the most viable resolution in a dilemma such as this one when you require some extra hands to get the job done without any loose ends on the quality of the output. The resourcefulness of these eGPUs can be gauged by the potential that they possess which include portability and functionality as they are compatible with a wide variety of devices altogether but major focus area would be laptops as the USP of eGPUs is their ability to fairly optimize and boost graphical performance for laptops. Another technical yet crucial aspect would be the price point to expect, now for someone who is just getting started with basic graphically inclined tasks and have a medium appetite for graphics can expect an expense of $200 but for a heavy, monstrous gaming initiative for your laptop, the expected budget would go above $400.

Whenever there is a mention of laptops then there is a brand which can’t be ruled out that is Apple with their Macs. Yes, the Macbooks also support eGPUs of course with some hardware and software restrictions but that is primarily directed towards the security of the user as per Apple’s policies. It’s only supported for devices with Thunderbolt 3 which was initially launched in October 2016 for Macbooks and for iMac Pros and iMacs after June 2017. And eGPUs provide significantly improved graphical performance as tested and proven by numerous benchmarks. Despite the drawbacks, these prove to be one of the most significant Mac peripherals in the market as not only do they enhance the experience of Mac gamers but also provide valuable support while working with open sourced applications such as Blender, a 3D animation platform widely support on Macs, and not to mention the additional VR capability that is in stored for the users finally as several studios had been struggling to introduce this innovative feature on Macs for a long time.

Are They Worth It?
eGPU
Image: eGPU.io

eGPUs might prove their worth in most cases however to consider one drawback is that there is some performance dissipation of 10-15% as the output of these vary from an actual internally mounted GPU because of the difference in ports and connection compatibility. However, that might not be a problem considering the supremely powered graphics cards that you can get for a steal price these days. Most of these would require an external compatible dock connector to be purchased separately which is a minimalistic piece of hardware with a motherboard, a PCIe port, and a connector. This compatibility of these docks varies largely as there are a lot of kits that require a proprietary connector or cannot be transferred from one laptop to another.

As of now, You probably have made up your mind whether you’re buying an External GPU for your laptop or not, If that’s the case then you might be looking for the perfect first-hand review of all of the Best eGPUs out there, to invest in right now then we have you covered with a one-stop destination of the best eGPUs wisdom at https://appuals.com/best-external-graphics-card/

The Perfect bridge for e-GPUs?
eGPU
Image: GTrusted

In terms of connections, Thunderbolt 3 might prove to be a sustainable connecting model for eGPUs but still does not fare equally against the conventional PCIe ports that the internal GPUs use. And the cost of eGPUs might be equivalent to the cost of a PC build which would be more economically feasible and could also be future proof. But if you wish you carry your laptop without compromising on the graphical performance then this would be the way to go.