Gaming on laptop with external GPU

[yasho2249]

I don't know if this is a good idea(ik a pc would be much better but I really like having laptops). Soo I was thinking of buying a laptop with a good CPU(mostly with integrated graphics) n all bt nothing related to gaming and then buy a external Pci slot (for external Gpu connection) and a GPU (like R9 380 or GTX 970). Will I be able to play some heavy games with this on the laptop display?
I hav found this external Gpu thing recently and don't know much abt it like the total cost of the setup and the effectiveness or what problems I might run into etc.
The advantages seem to be a cheaper setup as the laptop will nt be gaming thus will cost much less n also I will be able to upgrade the Gpu if needed and the biggest advantage that matters,for me atleast, portability.
Soo
1.A decent laptop with low end graphics(will make it cheaper)
2.A external Pci connecter (or whatever it is called)
3.A GPU

Soo what do u all think abt this idea,will it cost less or more compared to a gaming laptop, will it provide the performance, and what problems I might run into(one I can think of it power for Gpu) ??
Also I dunno what laptop(I just know it will need a thunderbolt port) to prefer in this kind of situation and the connector soo some suggestions on that might also help

Sent from my D5322 using Tapatalk

 

[JeffMD]

You can target a laptop with no gpu, but if you are going to game on it with a high end gpu you still want one of the strong i3/i5s that are not ULV based. Also of course there is finding one that has lightning bolt on a budget.

external gpu tech is just coming out, it probably won't save you any money NOW as I am sure the enclosure (and its power supplies) cost a pretty penny, as well as a lightning bolt capable laptop with game worthy cpu.

Also I have seen razer and asus pimp theirs, of course it was only on their own laptops. I haven't seen any released stuff yet.

 

[TheStu]

You can target a laptop with no gpu, but if you are going to game on it with a high end gpu you still want one of the strong i3/i5s that are not ULV based. Also of course there is finding one that has lightning bolt on a budget.

external gpu tech is just coming out, it probably won't save you any money NOW as I am sure the enclosure (and its power supplies) cost a pretty penny, as well as a lightning bolt capable laptop with game worthy cpu.

Also I have seen razer and asus pimp theirs, of course it was only on their own laptops. I haven't seen any released stuff yet.

Thunderbolt.

Razer has said that their enclosure ($500, empty) should work with anybody's system, but it won't be 100% plug and play. There are driver and/or UEFI shenanigans to my understanding.

 

[giantpandaman2]

Unless you're an early adopter/enthusiast who doesn't mind messing with his hardware/UEFI and paying a lot of money to be a beta tester...I wouldn't recommend it.

Thunderbolt 3 isn't common on cheaper PC's. The external enclosure is quite expensive.

Really, external GPU's right now are for people who don't mind spending a lot of money, want to have one computer they take wherever they want, and want to have a top notch gaming experience using that same laptop. That will change as the technology matures...but it's not there yet.

 

[FleshLight]

You can get Alienware Graphics Amplifiers for $150

 

[yasho2249]

Unless you're an early adopter/enthusiast who doesn't mind messing with his hardware/UEFI and paying a lot of money to be a beta tester...I wouldn't recommend it.

Thunderbolt 3 isn't common on cheaper PC's. The external enclosure is quite expensive.

Really, external GPU's right now are for people who don't mind spending a lot of money, want to have one computer they take wherever they want, and want to have a top notch gaming experience using that same laptop. That will change as the technology matures...but it's not there yet.

Well then wat would u recommend for a portable gaming solution??

Sent from my D5322 using Tapatalk

 

[yasho2249]

Thunderbolt.

Razer has said that their enclosure ($500, empty) should work with anybody's system, but it won't be 100% plug and play. There are driver and/or UEFI shenanigans to my understanding.

Razer products are not available in my country

Sent from my D5322 using Tapatalk

 

[yasho2249]

You can target a laptop with no gpu, but if you are going to game on it with a high end gpu you still want one of the strong i3/i5s that are not ULV based. Also of course there is finding one that has lightning bolt on a budget.

external gpu tech is just coming out, it probably won't save you any money NOW as I am sure the enclosure (and its power supplies) cost a pretty penny, as well as a lightning bolt capable laptop with game worthy cpu.

Also I have seen razer and asus pimp theirs, of course it was only on their own laptops. I haven't seen any released stuff yet.

Soo I will buy a laptop with all the necessary features for eGPU now n later the other setup....is that a good idea....will spread my expenses and the concept might go a bit further....or if u hav any other portable gaming solution?? Plz tell

Sent from my D5322 using Tapatalk

 

[TheStu]

You can get Alienware Graphics Amplifiers for $150

It uses a proprietary interconnect.

 

[TheStu]

Soo I will buy a laptop with all the necessary features for eGPU now n later the other setup....is that a good idea....will spread my expenses and the concept might go a bit further....or if u hav any other portable gaming solution?? Plz tell

Sent from my D5322 using Tapatalk

The Dell XPS13 is highly regarded, and the latest version has TB3 so can be used with eGPUs (among other things).

 

[giantpandaman2]

Well then wat would u recommend for a portable gaming solution??

Just get a straight up gaming laptop. What's good now? Clevo? I don't really stay up on them.

 

[Anonemous]

The Dell XPS13 is highly regarded, and the latest version has TB3 so can be used with eGPUs (among other things).

Yea, they look interesting wondering if they will allow the bios to support eGPUs.

 

[Commodus]

The general rule: unless you wear money hats, get a laptop with a fast built-in GPU. Even if you were in a country where Razer sells, you're realistically looking at close to $2K: $1K for the Blade Stealth, $400 for the Core and at least a few hundred for a good graphics card.

The big concern to me is that you set your expectations accordingly, whatever you do. I've seen a lot of people who have dreams of playing all the latest games flawlessly on a laptop... and then realize that it'll either cost a fortune to do it, or that they'll need to carry around a 10-pound brick of a system to make it happen. I find that it's better to take a sacrifice and get a PC that works well as a laptop first, a gaming rig second.

 

[giantpandaman2]

I find that it's better to take a sacrifice and get a PC that works well as a laptop first, a gaming rig second.

Absolutely agree. Personally, I'm still of the mind that gaming laptop is close to an oxymoron. Then again, I play mostly shooters where framerate is paramount. In college, I simply didn't game because I couldn't afford a computer that could play games and still be a useful laptop. It was better for my GPA anyway.

Nowadays gaming laptops are far better...but still a huge cost and compromise.

 

[JeffMD]

Some people are stressed for space. In the past year or so I have tried to shrink my spacial footprint considerably.

 

[giantpandaman2]

Some people are stressed for space. In the past year or so I have tried to shrink my spacial footprint considerably.

True. As an AT regular, you're probably in the wheelhouse for using an external GPU. Most space constrained people, however, are better off getting a SFF+laptop, gaming laptop, or console+laptop.

 

[Blue_Max]

Unless money is truly no object, a small ITX cube will pack a LOT more gaming power for way, way less. Is this going to be only in one place? Around school? On battery vs. plugged in? Ferrying between only two fixed locations?

There can be better solutions. For example, I have two permanent locations - home & 'away'. At my away location, I have tons of monitors I can plug into no problem. All I need to bring is my own machine which is small, discreet and has a sturdy handle. It packs nicely in a bag when it's time to take home.

The laptop you're proposing is as large or larger, 5x the cost, more easily damaged, and a PITA to set up & dismantle every day.

So, more details! There's probably a better way...

 

[PingSpike]

Thunderbolt is just another dead end format for video cards. Its only available on high end, the cables cost a fortune, the enclosures do as well. And of course, you still need an additional monitor. They say "its just PCI-e underneath" but that is obviously not true based on the compatibility caveats. No one promises this thing will work from what I see, they just say it should. If it was cheap and available on your garden variety craptop everyone would deal with it but its not. At least it made all your legacy expresscard stuff obsolete so it has that going for it?

You have a monitor on your desk and you have an enclosure box on your desk. You're now going to plug in a keyboard and mouse to the laptop because you're not using the trackpad to game and you have to shut the laptop lid or move the laptop off to the side to see the external monitor while you game. The enclosure costs $200+ on its own for the cheap one. And then let's assume this octopus mess actually even works? Its still a pain in the ass and uses lots of extra desk space. And its not cheaper! Its not portable! Its not easy to use/setup!

So what did you get? What's this setup better at? I can't think of anything.

I say there's only two options for this no space situation:
1) Buy a gaming laptop because its not going to be any more expensive than that mess.
2) Put a mATX or mITX box with a video card in it under the desk. Buy a regular laptop. Install steam in home streaming and simply plugin a mouse and ethernet cable to play games right on your laptop screen.

Both come with some drawbacks, but they're both more workable than the enclosure and have real advantages over it.

I want that enclosure thing to make sense, but it never does when I think about it.

 

[heymrdj]

Thunderbolt is just another dead end format for video cards. Its only available on high end, the cables cost a fortune, the enclosures do as well. And of course, you still need an additional monitor. They say "its just PCI-e underneath" but that is obviously not true based on the compatibility caveats. No one promises this thing will work from what I see, they just say it should. If it was cheap and available on your garden variety craptop everyone would deal with it but its not. At least it made all your legacy expresscard stuff obsolete so it has that going for it?

You have a monitor on your desk and you have an enclosure box on your desk. You're now going to plug in a keyboard and mouse to the laptop because you're not using the trackpad to game and you have to shut the laptop lid or move the laptop off to the side to see the external monitor while you game. The enclosure costs $200+ on its own for the cheap one. And then let's assume this octopus mess actually even works? Its still a pain in the ass and uses lots of extra desk space. And its not cheaper! Its not portable! Its not easy to use/setup!

So what did you get? What's this setup better at? I can't think of anything.

I say there's only two options for this no space situation:
1) Buy a gaming laptop because its not going to be any more expensive than that mess.
2) Put a mATX or mITX box with a video card in it under the desk. Buy a regular laptop. Install steam in home streaming and simply plugin a mouse and ethernet cable to play games right on your laptop screen.

Both come with some drawbacks, but they're both more workable than the enclosure and have real advantages over it.

I want that enclosure thing to make sense, but it never does when I think about it.

I know that people have different experiences with Steam Streaming. For me I can say it's been abysmal getting it to work properly. Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator freeze and stutter, and most of the shooters I've plaid are a lag fest. 1 year old Sony Vaio I5 with 8GB RAM and a desktop with an AMD 1090T X6 and an AMD 5870 graphics card.

 

[Zodiark1593]

I've dabbled a bit with eGPUs before Thunderbolt (the port where the wifi card plugs into is a mPCI-E Slot, X1). Hack City does not remotely do this setup justice.