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3 ways to turn an old GPU into an external one
One thing that both the best laptops and PC gaming handhelds have in common is their limited scope for upgrades. While some still have user-accessible RAM and storage, the move towards soldered components means that fewer components can be swapped out. That's if they were ever interchangeable to begin with, as the graphics card on most laptops or PC gaming handhelds is actually next to the CPU on the same piece of silicon.
However, many laptops and PC gaming handhelds also share one other feature: the ability to connect to an external GPU. The performance will not be as good as if the GPU were inside the computer, but it's likely more powerful than the device on its own. Some companies make all-in-one units, usually with laptop GPU chips inside, but these often have proprietary connectors like the Asus ROG Xg Mobile connector.
But you can make your own eGPU if you have a spare GPU lying around, and make your laptop or PC gaming handheld more powerful. You can do this in a few ways, but they all have a similar setup. You'll need a PCIe adapter to plug the GPU into, a way to supply power to the GPU, and a way to connect the whole unit to your laptop or PC gaming handheld via Thunderbolt or Oculink (depending on which your device supports).
eGPUs: Are external graphics cards worth the investment for laptop users?
External GPUs may not be the cheapest upgrade for your laptop but they sure can add a lot of performance to older devices
Use a prebuilt enclosure
Many companies have external eGPU enclosures that do the hard work for you
The easiest way to build an external graphics card for your laptop or PC gaming handheld is by buying a pre-built enclosure. These hold a desktop graphics card and provide power for it. The market has been fairly stagnant for a few years, so the majority of pre-built eGPU enclosures use Thunderbolt 3 as their connectivity to your laptop or PC gaming handheld. That still gives enough bandwidth for many desktop graphics cards, but it's not the best of situations.
As most of these enclosures have been out for some time now, they also don't officially support the latest graphics cards. The Nvidia RTX 30 series and AMD RX 6000 series will work fine, but it's a gamble if the RTX 40 or RTX 50, RX 7000, or newer graphics cards will work. The other thing to note is that many of these enclosures only support 2-slot width graphics cards and only up to a certain length. That limits the number of GPUs you can choose from, but if you're using an old GPU, there's a good chance the one you're planning to use is going to be okay.
We've tested all-in-one eGPUs with relatively recent GPUs like the AMD Radeon RX 7600MT to good effect. However, the last time we tested an enclosure with a desktop GPU was back in 2017, with the Akitio Node and the Nvidia RTX 1080. At that time, the enclosure was around 12%-20% less performance depending on the workload than being plugged into a motherboard PCIe slot, which isn't terrible.
If you're in the market to buy a new external GPU enclosure for your laptop, then we have some great recommendations for you in this collection.
Make your own Thunderbolt enclosure
Ready for some DIY cause this is going to be messy
The current state of pre-built eGPU enclosures is pretty grim, but the number of build-your-own kits is rapidly increasing. These have many advantages over pre-builts, including some that support TB4 or USB4, the ability to choose your own PSU, and fewer restrictions on the graphics cards you can use, mainly because their bare nature means you aren't restricted in width or length.
TH3P4G3 Graphics Docking Station for Thunderbolt
The TH3P4G3 Graphics Docking Station for Thunderbolt is one of the easiest ways to turn an old GPU into an external GPU for adding graphics power to a laptop or gaming handheld.
That doesn't mean there aren't any considerations, though. It's wise to check enthusiast forums for builds that already feature the GPU you're planning on using and check if your laptop will work with it. Some good places to go are eGPU.io, which has user builds, reviews, and analyses of external GPU solutions, and the r/eGPU subreddit, which also has plenty of user builds and conversations around feasibility.
You'll need an adapter or docking station and a suitable power supply for the graphics card you'll use. Once everything is put together, you can plug the Thunderbolt or USB4 cable into your laptop and install the correct graphics drivers for your eGPU. If you've checked the compatibility with the enthusiast forums, you should be good to go.
3 reasons Thunderbolt 5 is making external GPUs more viable than ever
Thunderbolt is back and it's better than ever, but could we see a resurgence in eGPUs?
Make your own OCuLink enclosure
If you have this port on your device, you might as well use it
External GPUs are not a new concept. Thanks to PCIe tunneling, they usually use Thunderbolt for connectivity. However, there is a newer, more performant connector called OCuLink (short for Optical-Copper Link) that can theoretically support much higher bandwidth than Thunderbolt. It's not used on many devices yet but can be found on gaming handhelds or mini PCs.
Thunderbolt 4 runs out of steam at 40Gbps, or 5GB/s bandwidth, while OCuLink can theoretically support up to 16GB/s. That's over three times the bandwidth for graphically demanding tasks, and when we tested it, we found it edged out USB4 in performance numbers.
Chenyang Oculink SFF-8612
This barebones OCuLink connector turns any desktop GPU into an eGPU compatible with many mini PCs and gaming handhelds that have an OCuLink port.
As OCuLink is still evolving, and we haven't seen any adapters that can supply the full 16GB/s bandwidth yet, it's even more important to check forums for advice on which adapters to use. Again, eGPU.io is probably the best bet, as it has a dedicated thread for OCuLink and all its developments. We've also noticed OCuLink used to add an eGPU to the Raspberry Pi, courtesy of the NVMe HAT for the SBC.
Other than that, the building process is very similar, although some implementations go to the OCuLink port on mini PCs, while others go to an M.2 adapter that looks like a Wi-Fi card and needs to be inserted into the relevant internal port. This could mean not being able to shut the chassis on your handheld or mini PC, but many are happy to make that sacrifice for the increase in graphical power.
I tried an OCuLink external GPU — is it actually better than USB4?
Could OCuLink rahert USB4 and Thunderbolt obsolete?
External GPU enclosures are neat, but do you really need one?
We've tested many of the eGPU solutions on the market, and they all show promise in supplying more graphical power to space-constrained laptops, PC gaming handhelds, and mini PCs. Depending on the device you're boosting and the GPU you choose, you can increase the overall graphical power many times. The downsides include limited GPU compatibility with ready-to-use enclosures, and janky setups with making your own eGPU.
Still, it's a useful way to use the same GPU with multiple devices and to "upgrade" devices like laptops to use them for longer. Then, you also get the benefits of a mobile device while having more power when it's set up at your desk for rendering, photo editing, and other productivity tasks.
4 devices that’ll benefit the most if external GPUs make a comeback
External GPUs may be a dying technology, but they serve as amazing companions for these four devices