An external video card (e-gpu) can take over valuable processing power from your internal graphics card and ensure that the fans in your laptop do not spin when you start a heavy game or connect multiple monitors. In this article, we’ll cover how connecting an external video card works and what you need it for.
Your laptop probably has a light GPU that does not produce too much heat and ensures that videos are displayed properly, games run well and you can do all daily tasks well. But if you have special requirements for your laptop, often work with video editing software or occasionally connect multiple large displays to your system, you will notice that your fans are running overtime and your system is feeling slower. All signs that your internal GPU, also known as graphics card or video card, is under heavy load.
Of course you can upgrade the internal GPU (graphics processing unit) of your system in your desktop PC, but it has also been possible to use an external GPU in your system for a number of years. This can switch off the internal GPU or share the burden. In most cases, an e-gpu makes sense if you use a laptop as a basic system. After all, in a desktop computer you can just put a second internal GPU by inserting it into a PCI-e slot, with a laptop this is not possible.
The principle of an e-gpu is very simple: you take an internal gpu, build it in a housing and connect it to your laptop. A few years ago it was only reserved for daredevils who screwed internal GPUs into housings and soldered controllers themselves so that the GPU could communicate with the computer. Nowadays there are individual cases for sale, you can find specialized websites and forums where you can read all about the best GPUs for external use and you can even buy ready-made solutions.
In almost all e-gpu housings you can place a maximum of one gpu. There are also cases for multiple GPUs, but they cost a lot of money. If you need more e-gpus, it is probably smarter to buy two housings, because they both have their own power supply. E-GPUs slurp a lot of power and need powerful fans to keep the temperature up.
Connect to Thunderbolt 3
You connect an e-gpu via thunderbolt 3 to your laptop or desktop computer. Thunderbolt 3 is an ultra-fast data transfer connection that can theoretically reach speeds of 40 Gbps. Thunderbolt 3 is also the name of the technology, but the connection used for Thunderbolt 3 is USB-C. So your computer must have a USB-C port. It is important that this port supports thunderbolt technology. Some older USB-C ports do not do this.
It is also important to know exactly which e-gpu works with your system. On the website egpu.io you will find a lot of information about all kinds of housings, which GPUs work with which motherboards and computers and how you can assemble an e-GPU yourself. Mac computers only work with AMD GPUs; keep this in mind if you have an Apple product. On the software side, you need to run at least macOS 10.13.4.
There are also some thunderbolt2 enclosures on the market, but we recommend going for the newer thunderbolt3 option. You can also connect an e-gpu to a laptop via other technologies (such as m-pci-e, ExpressCard or older versions of thunderbolt), but this is almost only suitable for DIY projects.
System requirements
There are two ways to obtain an e-gpu (three if we also include a self-build option). The easiest way is to choose a ready-made solution, but the cheapest is to buy a housing yourself and install a graphics card in it. Important when purchasing a housing is that the power supply is powerful enough to drive a GPU without problems. In the specifications of a GPU you usually find the power (in watts) that a graphics card needs, but that value is based on a use in a desktop PC. If you use an external housing, these minimum requirements are no longer correct.
It is recommended to check the housing manufacturer’s website to see which GPUs it supports. Many manufacturers have multiple models of the same housing and often the difference is in the power of the internal power supply. Some enclosures also have extra ports on board, useful if you want to connect peripherals, for example. Also look at the width of a housing: some housings are not large enough for the thickest GPUs.
Install video card
A GPU is clicked into a housing by inserting it into a PCI-e slot. The width of a GPU is measured in slot width, or slot width. A normal GPU only occupies one PCI-E slot, but there are plenty of GPUs that take up double the space. Although the card is stuck in the PCI-e slot with one connector, it still occupies two places. Due to the size of the device, you cannot use the second PCI-e slot for other cards. Some cards are even so large that they use three slots. They do not fit in all housings; most enclosures are only two slot widths wide.
If you’ve chosen a case, it’s time to look for a graphics card. Some laptops only work with certain brands of GPUs; we mentioned earlier the example of Apple that only works with AMD GPUs. The GPU itself must of course be powerful enough to run render processes quickly or to display games smoothly. If you want to be able to easily view 4K or even 8K videos, make sure your GPU supports it. If you want to connect multiple displays to the e-gpu, check which connections the gpu has.
You can of course use adapter cables, but these can be quite expensive from time to time. Some GPUs have fewer connections and are mainly intended to accelerate rendering processes, for example. You only use the e-gpu as a workhorse and not as a hub for your displays. Memory is important, and generally speaking, the more gigabytes of memory, the easier a GPU can display videos at high resolution.
Ready
If you don’t want to get started with enclosures and GPUs yourself, you can also opt for a ready-made solution. For the Mac, for example, there is the e-gpu from Blackmagic, a device co-developed by Apple itself. It consists of a housing and a GPU and both parts are perfectly matched. The internal GPU is an AMD Radeon Pro 580 with 8 gigabytes of memory. The e-gpu has two Thunderbolt connections; one connects to your laptop or desktop Mac, the other you can use to connect a monitor.
Most ready-made solutions also have other connections, such as HDMI and USB 3. A big disadvantage of an all-in-one solution is that you cannot upgrade the GPU over time: you are stuck to the GPU that is placed in the housing.
The software side
Finally, how you can get the best out of your newly connected e-gpu depends on which software you use and on which system you do this. Some programs can make full use of your external GPU, other programs cannot or only partially do this. It is impossible to tell here exactly which steps to take, but in most cases in the software you use to render videos or in the game for which you want to use the e-gpu, you will have to set the e -gpu has to perform certain tasks.
The internet is your friend: Google your combination of laptop, software and e-gpu to find the best settings for your system. In addition to the aforementioned egpu.io, you can also visit Reddit (r / egpu) or on the forum of NotebookReview.
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