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Asus-XG-Station-Feature

Ever since AMD teamed up with Razer and Intel to create the XConnect concept, we've seen more companies tiptoeing into the external graphics market. The basic idea is uncomplicated: Slap an external GPU into a chassis, hook it to a laptop (or even a small desktop, with proper Thunderbolt 3 support), and yous've got a high-stop game station that weighs ii-iii pounds when discrete, but plays like a half dozen-10-pound desktop replacement when hooked up. Asus is the latest company to launch a new external GPU enclosure, this 1 built in partnership with the Taiwanese case manufacturer, In Win.

The new XG Station Pro packs into a svelte 4.iii-by-14.eight-inch form gene. There'due south an included (external) 330W PSU for the GPU, plenty space for a ii.5-slot PCI Express GPU (this should support whatever aftermarket cards, either today or in the foreseeable future), and a pair of 120mm fans (shown below) to keep the GPU cool. There's also a single USB-C charge port on the chassis, with enough provided power (15W) to charge mobile devices, though probably not plenty to charge or power anything larger. The fan speeds are automatically handled by in-chassis temperature sensors, in that location'southward an option to tune the colors and LEDs of the in-chassis hardware (assuming you have an Asus GPU with uniform LED lighting), and Asus is claiming the enclosure is optimized for silent operation. GPUs up to and including the GTX 1080 Ti or RX Vega 64 are supported.

xgstationpro-inside

That said, it's not the best-featured chassis of its type. The Mantiz Venus MZ-02 that we've written almost before was more expensive, at $399 compared with the XG Station's $329, but too featured an SSD adhere indicate, gigabit Ethernet, 550W power supply, and multiple USB 3.0 ports. Asus is, still, claiming that it intends to build its future GPUs to be uniform with the XG Station, implying we may come across better support than might otherwise be the example for a third-party manufacturer. Then once more, robust power supplies and acceptable internal clearance have typically been the only requirements needed to provide future-proof compatibility.

It's also not clear if Asus' support for PC and Mac is a meaningful point, mostly because it isn't clear if UEFI-specific enhancements are required for cross-platform back up. As far as nosotros're currently aware, whatsoever eGPU chassis with Thunderbolt 3 will piece of work with whatsoever Thunderbolt 3-equipped system, regardless of manufacturer. We'll update you if that changes.

xgstationpro-standing

Every bit more than companies push button into this marketplace we'll undoubtedly see a range of hardware and hardware prices. Hopefully consumer uptake will justify the experimentation — while these chassis may non work for anybody, they're a potential compromise between the ultrabook thin-and-low-cal systems that are increasingly popular and consumers who don't desire to trade weight for horsepower.

The $329 XG Station Pro will launch later this month.