Well that's an interesting development. I didn't really expect it to be cheap and even after the $100 discount that's $100 than Alienware's amplifier, and the total cost of the Blade Stealth and the Core comes to between 1400 and 2000, before a 200+ (probably much more) graphics card. The idea is neat, and there are probably many people who will look forward to it, but to me appears very cost-prohibitive for the average consumer. (Plus, I live in Australia so after exchange the Core with a graphics card will easily exceed 1000 AUD, multiplying by ~1.5.)
Exactly. Was clear from the start. Will be cheaper to get a normal "cheapo" laptop (you can get a good one with ssd for $700 nowadays) and a gaming PC with much more power than this external dock for less price.
That's... actually quite reasonable (which says something about the absurd price of docks)
Both Dell is trying to sell their first-party tb3 dock for $299, while HP and other 3rd party tb3 docks are ~230 (with nothing as yet shipping, mind you). Meanwhile, thinkpad docks still start at minimum 200. If you've got the one laptop that supports it, an extra 100-200 for a graphics slot doesn't sound bad at all.
Agreed. I have no idea why docks are so ridiculously expensive, but paying just $200 more than a typical dock for graphics capability is actually pretty tempting.
The Graphics Docking market is still very young and ripe for disruption though. I'm hoping to see traditional PC chassis makers get in on this market ASAP and drive down the price through competition.
It takes a profound failure of imagination to see something that can hook a laptop up to power, a PCIe slot (and the contents thereof, such as a dGPU's allocation of ports), four USB, an Ethernet, an HDMI and a DP and not think it's a dock.
Seriously though. It's not just usable as a dock, it is a dock.
The math here isn't working. A $2000 laptop + $400 eGFX chassis + $500 (GTX 980) = $2900. You could also build a $2000 Gaming PC and still have $900 left to buy a laptop. Plus you would have a decent monitor to play games at more enjoyable screen sizes. Two computers are always better than one, if you're gaming on the desktop the wife can take the laptop to surf the web - or the other way around if you have a freakishly cool wife.
Neither is yours. For 2900 getting the Stealth + Core you have an awesome laptop and a good gaming setup when docked; or going with dedicated systems an awesome desktop and an ok laptop. You're not going to get a very nice laptop for 900$. Two computers are also not always better, although your scenario makes sense when applicable.
This. I've been using a laptop + desktop combo for many, many years now and I'm rather sick always worrying about keeping things in sync at this point. I'd gladly throw money at the problem to not have to worry about it anymore.
Google "idiot". How is Dropbox (and Dropbox - of all the file sync/storage solutions... that one company that till recently could only sync single folder with no versioning and strong encryption...) going to sync all my applications, all my application settings all my live data and hundreds of G of cold data?
Also, and I'm really curious to hear your answer, how is that of any use, since most prevalent use case for syncing between desktop and laptop is travelling?
How am I supposed to sync anything, when I'm on roaming, or local sim card that offers 500-4GB of data? Or on crappy wifi in the hotel? Even for the cold data, even if it works, usability of instand access vs stremaing is so much better...
Cool, so we are now comparing refurbished crap (it was returned and refurbished for a reason, you know...) vs. brand new high end laptop?
Also, where can I secure 2TB of online storage, for the period of 3 years (typical timeframe for hdd replacement)? Can you factor the cost of this in the calculation?
Hmm I'm suprised (unless I'm the only one thinking it) that no one has considered this use case:
- You want to maximise your investment in your existing desktop gaming rig - You like the idea of a gaming laptop too but would use it too infrequently (only occasional travel) to justify the high cost - A high end gaming laptop is generally not upgradable (or has a limited scope for upgrading - especially GFX) - Every few years, you would have to stick down £1500 ish for a good gaming laptop and find a good home for your 'old' one (or suffer being behind the curve in your hardware and have to play latest games at reduced settings) - You could instead buy a cheap(ish) laptop of your choice in the future with a TB3 connection on it - Buy the Razer Core - Use the laptop 'normally' for day to day tasks (e-mail, browsing etc) - When you are going away for a time and wish you had access to you PC, simply disconnect your desktop's GFX card and pop it in the core then take this along with you with your laptop - Everytime up upgrade your desktop's GFX from now on, you are effectively upgrading your laptop too at no additional cost - Lookjng to the future, DX12 games will be no longer as CPU limited so having an average laptop CPU will not be a major handicap
Over time, the enclosure 'pays for itself' as you don't need a whole new gaming laptop when you want to upgrade and upgrades you have brought for your desktop also benefit the laptop too.
But when on sale the Stealth included in the Stealth+Core cost will go down too. Too keep it comparable both or neither should be sale price.
Basically, if you want an ultrabook and a gaming computer the tossup here is: 400$ Core + GPU or whole desktop computer. After considering OEM Win10, you're not building much of a gaming computer for 300$ + GPU. So for an existing Ultrabook w/TB3 owner this box just makes financial sense.
Sorry, but a fucking gaming grade monitor will cost 500$. Assuming you don't want the recent 27' gaming grade displays form Acer or Asus, which will cost you 800-1000$.
I mean, even decent gaming chassis costs 200-300$).
I have seen people on other websites comment on how expensive it is. But it really is NOT. This thing is a full blow USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port replicator, with ethernet, and PCI-E. Add R&D and really good industrial design, and $400 is pretty much giving it away at-cost. $500 is reasonable. It's a niche product. What I love about it is that Razer is making it universal, any USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 compatible laptop can run it as long as their drivers support the video switching.
You definitely need to check the retail prices of 500W PSUs, USB hubs and ethernet controllers, if you think $400 is the total cost for manufacturing this dock.
I wonder what you'll say when Asus, Acer, MSI, etc. launch similar docks for $250 or less. Probably that they're selling at a loss or something.
Yawn... I'm enjoying my USB 3 / Gigabit ethernet hub I purchased at $25. Express card-PCIe adapter are around $30. 400W PSU are around $30-40. All they did is putting them in a nice case with "chroma lighting"
These will be $300 by the end of the year, and I'll definitely bite. $500 is quite reasonable considering it's A) the only dock like it B) has a power supply and a bit of complex hardware and C) it's all aluminum.
A more basic version of this for $200-$300 is incoming for sure, meaning a GTX970 + dock could be ~$500 by XMAS. That's a hell of a good deal to addon that amount of graphics power to compatible laptop.
I'm on the same boat. My dream scenario is this thing working on a Macbook Pro booted to Windows 10. But I have enough interest in this that I will consider switching to a Razer laptop if it works well enough. Those bezels on the Razer Blades are not very appealing, though...
Yeah not many machines are even in the pipeline with TB3 yet, let alone shipping. A few HP Zbooks and other high end workstation laptops (which already have semi powerful discrete GPU's) are all I can find with TB3.
There is always USB 3.1 for mass market consumption, assuming someone makes a bridge/this is compatible, but the bandwidth limits the appeal to GTX960/R380 GPU's the same way current TB2 docks are limited to pcie 4x.
We'll just have to hope now that type C connections are becoming common place that internally, at least on a few laptops, it will be TB3 equipped.
Sure, but unless you're actively transferring a lot of data from multiple SSDs simultaneously it shouldn't be noticeable. Its 40Gb/s for the TB3 interface; plug a HDD for game data, ethernet cable and a KB/mouse in and you'll consume maybe 1Gb/s. Just don't stick the eGPU as part of a daisy chain and it should be great.
Do Thunderbolt controllers include built-in PCIe switches? So the Gigabit ethernet and USB controllers would not be taking 1 PCIe lane each permanently leaving only 2 lanes for the GPUs, but instead a PCIe switch would share bandwidth amongst devices dynamically?
The PCIe switch in the Thunderbolt controller only supports 1 x4 or 4 x1 connections AFAIK (i.e. it's an 8-lane, 5-port switch counting both up and downstream connections). The controller that Razer is using here is probably a 4-channel version which does have a built-in USB 3.1 xHCI though. I'm guessing due to the single Thunderbolt / USB Type-C connector that they've connected the second Thunderbolt port internally to a USB 3.0 hub and USB 3.0 GbE NIC. A lot of these external Thunderbolt chassis do have PCIe switches in them though, so there may well be one here.
I thought this was crazy expensive but then again, it's a good solution for laptop owners who don't have or want a desktop. It could also stretch the usable life of a laptop by a few years: GPU capability is more important than CPU power for gaming and graphics work, so it's easier and cheaper to swap a graphics card than it is to buy a new laptop. Too bad it won't work on laptops with TB2 and earlier ports though.
you may believe that egfx will save you money in the long run based on only having to replace the graphics card to update your obsolete pc. but remember architecture changes as quickly as everything else. 16x PCIE card architecture is about to be replaced, so... your egfx box is only as new as the cards it can accept.
Pricey. One can build a mini-itx for the price and just install the video card there. I reckon, a solution exists where one can connect a PC device to that mini-itx then display the output.
Too pricey for now but I'm sure another brands/producers will jump very very soon with similar products so the price will go down fast. Imo it is also kinda useless now, with the new 16nm gpu tech just on the corner, meaning more performance, less consumed power, less heat, less noise, less space etc. Anyway, from now on the externalGPU is a reality and thats great!
Are you guys insane? FAIR PRICE? Ask your maths teacher to do the maths. 500$ for a box + ~3(4)00$ for a GPU + 1(4)000 $ for a laptop = AT LEAST 1800 bucks. You can buy ANY gaming aptop with that, and that is at MINIMUM. I wont keep quiet about this BOX being ~2x more expensive then the GPU. What the hell is this thing? It is a low-end PSU + controller + aluminum frame. If you are not stupid, you know it costs below 100$ to make. 500$? Somebody may kiss my ass. I was very eager to gey razer core+blade, but now I will be looking elsewhere for ultraportable+gpu. Somebody may find it reasonable to pay 500$ for a box and psu, with a 300$ gpu, but that is not me. I am 146% disappointed.
The connector for the Alienware Graphics Amplifier is proprietary. If you want to stick with Dell/Alienware, go for it.
Otherwise, the people whining about the price should remember that Razer, Microsoft and Intel developed this thing together, and the price probably reflects an initial premium to recover R&D expenses. If you don't want to pay the price now, wait. After the exclusivity period ends, there will be competitors, and everyone will be lowering the price.
If you're OK with the performance of a $150 GPU, you can just get a "gaming" laptop with a crappy mobile GPU in it for less than a $600 premium over the basic Razer config.
It's a nice idea with a stupid price premium. If the concept of an external graphics card proves itself a viable solution to the problem of laptop graphics being constrained by battery power, cooling, and space issues from the laptop itself, then other retailers will enter the market and drive down the overall price, but it might take a year or three for us to see how that sort of thing ultimately plays out. In the meantime, for someone purchasing computer equipment, they're probably better served getting a desktop well suited for gaming at about $1000 and a very inexpensive budget laptop. If you really want to play games on the laptop, fire up Steam in home streaming. The gaming desktop doesn't even need a full-time monitor and can be relegated to some out of the way corner of a home so it doesn't expose an otherwise nicely decorated interior to the ugliness awkwardness of a PC that guests might see when they're visiting.
I actually agree that as oppose to getting the dock, one is probably better off getting a separate gaming desktop + an inexpensive laptop/ tablet. The dock may cost about 300 bucks, but you need to consider extra cost when getting the graphic card. And to get the dock at 300 bucks, you need to buy an overpriced laptop. I feel the eventual cost will be close or possible to get both a gaming desktop + laptop.
$400-$500 for the luxury of owning a box to put your graphics card in.......So basically this external box is the same price as a low-end PC. Seems to me that you would be better off with a laptop and a desktop, basically the same price but without the tradeoffs.
Dell Graphics Amp was $300, and now given away for almost free with purchase of alienware laptops. It makes more sense to build a complete desktop with $500....
The price seems to be too high, after reading though the comments $400US is going to become $1000 NZ which puts it into the 'for those with money to burn' category of purchaser :) Maybe one day we have the same kind of box and we can plug our phone in via USB-C (D, E ultrafi?) and use the Galaxy SX's on board mobile Thunderbolt controller (T4M) to let the phone augment itself into a full power desktop machine :)
Would the Thunderbolt 3 controller support dual discreet GPUs? Or would that tax the bandwidth the thunderbolt controller has available from the motherboard? (in for a penny in for a pound right, someone is going to get a couple and try it, hell DX12 supports any combination of GPU...)
One thing I would like to see is the ability to direct discrete GPU output though thunderbolt so for example the machine and the displays/peripherals can be physically separate but with no loss of functionality (especially under a heavy use gaming scenario.) Linus (of Linus Tech Tips) recently set something like this up at home, put the hot and noisy machine in another room and run a (what turns out to be insanely expensive) optical thunderbolt cable to where you workstation is setup screens/peripherals etc... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NshXgisNly4 (His solution for transferring video from the discreet GPU was to use an Asus ThunderboltEX 2 Dual...)
Plus one has to remember, that TB3 DOES in fact limit high-level performance GPUs, in case you will drive several displays. And it is funny, how razer easy "shaves" 100$ off it. Means its right and its price is close to 200 really.
This is ridiculous. Buy a $300 off-lease Core i5 laptop from Dell Refurbished, throw in a $60 240GB SSD and $20 for an extra 4GB RAM, and you will have a laptop MORE than fast enough for anything non-gaming related for $400.
The other $1k will get you one hell of a gaming desktop and you can share files between the two with any of the many, many file sharing solutions (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, you name it).
And who would buy a Razer laptop, really? Enterprise customers are going to go with Dell, HP or Lenovo for their excellent reliability and business warranties. Home users are going to buy something down the street or online from a brand they recognize.
Wait for more laptops to support this and for more enclosures to be made for a price that belongs on this planet.
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rev3rsor - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
Well that's an interesting development. I didn't really expect it to be cheap and even after the $100 discount that's $100 than Alienware's amplifier, and the total cost of the Blade Stealth and the Core comes to between 1400 and 2000, before a 200+ (probably much more) graphics card. The idea is neat, and there are probably many people who will look forward to it, but to me appears very cost-prohibitive for the average consumer. (Plus, I live in Australia so after exchange the Core with a graphics card will easily exceed 1000 AUD, multiplying by ~1.5.)beginner99 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Exactly. Was clear from the start. Will be cheaper to get a normal "cheapo" laptop (you can get a good one with ssd for $700 nowadays) and a gaming PC with much more power than this external dock for less price.alfalfacat - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
That's... actually quite reasonable (which says something about the absurd price of docks)Both Dell is trying to sell their first-party tb3 dock for $299, while HP and other 3rd party tb3 docks are ~230 (with nothing as yet shipping, mind you). Meanwhile, thinkpad docks still start at minimum 200. If you've got the one laptop that supports it, an extra 100-200 for a graphics slot doesn't sound bad at all.
visualplastik - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
I think extra 200-300 from your examples.lewisl9029 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Agreed. I have no idea why docks are so ridiculously expensive, but paying just $200 more than a typical dock for graphics capability is actually pretty tempting.The Graphics Docking market is still very young and ripe for disruption though. I'm hoping to see traditional PC chassis makers get in on this market ASAP and drive down the price through competition.
medi03 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
What does this have to do with docks???Can you use it as such? NOPE!
So then, if doing a random comparion, why not compare it to something else, say, HDD enclosure...
Jeez...
xthetenth - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
It takes a profound failure of imagination to see something that can hook a laptop up to power, a PCIe slot (and the contents thereof, such as a dGPU's allocation of ports), four USB, an Ethernet, an HDMI and a DP and not think it's a dock.Seriously though. It's not just usable as a dock, it is a dock.
TEAMSWITCHER - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
The math here isn't working. A $2000 laptop + $400 eGFX chassis + $500 (GTX 980) = $2900.You could also build a $2000 Gaming PC and still have $900 left to buy a laptop. Plus you would have a decent monitor to play games at more enjoyable screen sizes. Two computers are always better than one, if you're gaming on the desktop the wife can take the laptop to surf the web - or the other way around if you have a freakishly cool wife.
frostyfiredude - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
Neither is yours. For 2900 getting the Stealth + Core you have an awesome laptop and a good gaming setup when docked; or going with dedicated systems an awesome desktop and an ok laptop. You're not going to get a very nice laptop for 900$. Two computers are also not always better, although your scenario makes sense when applicable.lewisl9029 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
"Two computers are also not always better"This. I've been using a laptop + desktop combo for many, many years now and I'm rather sick always worrying about keeping things in sync at this point. I'd gladly throw money at the problem to not have to worry about it anymore.
TEAMSWITCHER - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Google "Dropbox".JoeTF2 - Monday, March 21, 2016 - link
Google "idiot".How is Dropbox (and Dropbox - of all the file sync/storage solutions... that one company that till recently could only sync single folder with no versioning and strong encryption...) going to sync all my applications, all my application settings all my live data and hundreds of G of cold data?
Also, and I'm really curious to hear your answer, how is that of any use, since most prevalent use case for syncing between desktop and laptop is travelling?
How am I supposed to sync anything, when I'm on roaming, or local sim card that offers 500-4GB of data? Or on crappy wifi in the hotel?
Even for the cold data, even if it works, usability of instand access vs stremaing is so much better...
nerd1 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
I paid $830 for a refurbished XPS 15.And nowadays you can easily secure terrabytes of cloud storage.
JoeTF2 - Monday, March 21, 2016 - link
Cool, so we are now comparing refurbished crap (it was returned and refurbished for a reason, you know...) vs. brand new high end laptop?Also, where can I secure 2TB of online storage, for the period of 3 years (typical timeframe for hdd replacement)? Can you factor the cost of this in the calculation?
Gastec - Sunday, September 4, 2016 - link
Trey the NSA :)TerminatorUK - Friday, April 8, 2016 - link
Hmm I'm suprised (unless I'm the only one thinking it) that no one has considered this use case:- You want to maximise your investment in your existing desktop gaming rig
- You like the idea of a gaming laptop too but would use it too infrequently (only occasional travel) to justify the high cost
- A high end gaming laptop is generally not upgradable (or has a limited scope for upgrading - especially GFX)
- Every few years, you would have to stick down £1500 ish for a good gaming laptop and find a good home for your 'old' one (or suffer being behind the curve in your hardware and have to play latest games at reduced settings)
- You could instead buy a cheap(ish) laptop of your choice in the future with a TB3 connection on it
- Buy the Razer Core
- Use the laptop 'normally' for day to day tasks (e-mail, browsing etc)
- When you are going away for a time and wish you had access to you PC, simply disconnect your desktop's GFX card and pop it in the core then take this along with you with your laptop
- Everytime up upgrade your desktop's GFX from now on, you are effectively upgrading your laptop too at no additional cost
- Lookjng to the future, DX12 games will be no longer as CPU limited so having an average laptop CPU will not be a major handicap
Over time, the enclosure 'pays for itself' as you don't need a whole new gaming laptop when you want to upgrade and upgrades you have brought for your desktop also benefit the laptop too.
RustyBusty - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
The blade stealth costs $999, on sale maybe hits $900 easy. For 1000 yards u can build a great gaming pcfrostyfiredude - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
But when on sale the Stealth included in the Stealth+Core cost will go down too. Too keep it comparable both or neither should be sale price.Basically, if you want an ultrabook and a gaming computer the tossup here is: 400$ Core + GPU or whole desktop computer. After considering OEM Win10, you're not building much of a gaming computer for 300$ + GPU. So for an existing Ultrabook w/TB3 owner this box just makes financial sense.
JoeTF2 - Monday, March 21, 2016 - link
Sorry, but a fucking gaming grade monitor will cost 500$. Assuming you don't want the recent 27' gaming grade displays form Acer or Asus, which will cost you 800-1000$.I mean, even decent gaming chassis costs 200-300$).
nerd1 - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
Blade stealth is just a ultrabook with rather small screen (12.5") and bad battery life (due to 45Wh battery). Great gaming PC? Seriously?gw74 - Sunday, March 20, 2016 - link
CPU throttled thoughmadzone - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
This is exactly What i am thinking, I am spending more money for What ? Just to enjoy connecting it on thunderbolt port ?medi03 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Hardly any reason to buy 980 with Fury Nano at 499$.danstar7 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
The stealth laptop costs $1000 - so make that $1900.sinnistar99 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
$2000 for a gaming PC? Can easily build one for like half that.JoeTF2 - Monday, March 21, 2016 - link
Post your build pretty please.Please don't forget that PC needs things like chassis or a monitor to run.
Ether.86 - Monday, April 25, 2016 - link
Thumbs up for the last sentence: "or the other way around if you have a freakishly cool wife".Cygni - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
Problem is that $499 minus graphics card can buy you a a full Skylake i5 PC worth of parts.I love the external GPU idea, though. Just think a lower price point is the sweet spot.
Mannymal - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
I have seen people on other websites comment on how expensive it is. But it really is NOT. This thing is a full blow USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port replicator, with ethernet, and PCI-E. Add R&D and really good industrial design, and $400 is pretty much giving it away at-cost. $500 is reasonable. It's a niche product. What I love about it is that Razer is making it universal, any USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 compatible laptop can run it as long as their drivers support the video switching.Mannymal - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
Forgot to mention, it also has a 500w power supply. This thing owns.ToTTenTranz - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
You definitely need to check the retail prices of 500W PSUs, USB hubs and ethernet controllers, if you think $400 is the total cost for manufacturing this dock.I wonder what you'll say when Asus, Acer, MSI, etc. launch similar docks for $250 or less. Probably that they're selling at a loss or something.
gw74 - Sunday, March 20, 2016 - link
Alienware Graphics Amplifier $200nerd1 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Yawn... I'm enjoying my USB 3 / Gigabit ethernet hub I purchased at $25. Express card-PCIe adapter are around $30. 400W PSU are around $30-40. All they did is putting them in a nice case with "chroma lighting"gw74 - Sunday, March 20, 2016 - link
if it's "at cost" explain the Alienware Graphics Amplifier being half the priceSamus - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
These will be $300 by the end of the year, and I'll definitely bite. $500 is quite reasonable considering it's A) the only dock like it B) has a power supply and a bit of complex hardware and C) it's all aluminum.A more basic version of this for $200-$300 is incoming for sure, meaning a GTX970 + dock could be ~$500 by XMAS. That's a hell of a good deal to addon that amount of graphics power to compatible laptop.
Mannymal - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
I'm on the same boat.My dream scenario is this thing working on a Macbook Pro booted to Windows 10. But I have enough interest in this that I will consider switching to a Razer laptop if it works well enough. Those bezels on the Razer Blades are not very appealing, though...
Andrew911tt - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
Just an FYI this will not work with thunderbolt 2 so at this point in time all Macs will not workSamus - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Yeah not many machines are even in the pipeline with TB3 yet, let alone shipping. A few HP Zbooks and other high end workstation laptops (which already have semi powerful discrete GPU's) are all I can find with TB3.There is always USB 3.1 for mass market consumption, assuming someone makes a bridge/this is compatible, but the bandwidth limits the appeal to GTX960/R380 GPU's the same way current TB2 docks are limited to pcie 4x.
We'll just have to hope now that type C connections are becoming common place that internally, at least on a few laptops, it will be TB3 equipped.
visualplastik - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
I would have expected $200 and max of 300.500 if it included a GTX 970.
xthetenth - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
$200 will get you a decent dock, which this also is (and considerably more). It's priced in line with what it is for better and for worse.gw74 - Sunday, March 20, 2016 - link
what dock? This weighs 11lb. It is not a dock. Alienware Graphics Amplifier $200.osxandwindows - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
Question, If i plug any Usb devices into this thing, will the video card take a performance hit?frostyfiredude - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
Sure, but unless you're actively transferring a lot of data from multiple SSDs simultaneously it shouldn't be noticeable. Its 40Gb/s for the TB3 interface; plug a HDD for game data, ethernet cable and a KB/mouse in and you'll consume maybe 1Gb/s. Just don't stick the eGPU as part of a daisy chain and it should be great.ltcommanderdata - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Do Thunderbolt controllers include built-in PCIe switches? So the Gigabit ethernet and USB controllers would not be taking 1 PCIe lane each permanently leaving only 2 lanes for the GPUs, but instead a PCIe switch would share bandwidth amongst devices dynamically?repoman27 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
The PCIe switch in the Thunderbolt controller only supports 1 x4 or 4 x1 connections AFAIK (i.e. it's an 8-lane, 5-port switch counting both up and downstream connections). The controller that Razer is using here is probably a 4-channel version which does have a built-in USB 3.1 xHCI though. I'm guessing due to the single Thunderbolt / USB Type-C connector that they've connected the second Thunderbolt port internally to a USB 3.0 hub and USB 3.0 GbE NIC. A lot of these external Thunderbolt chassis do have PCIe switches in them though, so there may well be one here.osxandwindows - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
The price on this thing is pretty sweet for what you get. A 500w power supply, additional usb ports, and ethernet.serendip - Wednesday, March 16, 2016 - link
I thought this was crazy expensive but then again, it's a good solution for laptop owners who don't have or want a desktop. It could also stretch the usable life of a laptop by a few years: GPU capability is more important than CPU power for gaming and graphics work, so it's easier and cheaper to swap a graphics card than it is to buy a new laptop. Too bad it won't work on laptops with TB2 and earlier ports though.homedesign - Thursday, April 20, 2017 - link
you may believe that egfx will save you money in the long run based on only having to replace the graphics card to update your obsolete pc. but remember architecture changes as quickly as everything else. 16x PCIE card architecture is about to be replaced, so... your egfx box is only as new as the cards it can accept.zodiacfml - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Pricey. One can build a mini-itx for the price and just install the video card there. I reckon, a solution exists where one can connect a PC device to that mini-itx then display the output.lordmocha - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
"At 10.89lbs it is technically portable, though clearly not ideal for the task given its handle-less design."What? You can clearly see a handle at the back in the pictures.
lordmocha - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Or is that too flimsy to use to support the weight of the whole enclosure?KateH - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Looks like that handle is for pulling out the tray to access the internals. Not sure that I'd be comfortable carrying the enclosure with that...Ryan Smith - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Correct. That's for the tray, not the entire unit. As big as it is, you'd need a handle on the top to balance the weight.mobutu - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Too pricey for now but I'm sure another brands/producers will jump very very soon with similar products so the price will go down fast.Imo it is also kinda useless now, with the new 16nm gpu tech just on the corner, meaning more performance, less consumed power, less heat, less noise, less space etc.
Anyway, from now on the externalGPU is a reality and thats great!
Sliderpro93 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Are you guys insane? FAIR PRICE? Ask your maths teacher to do the maths. 500$ for a box + ~3(4)00$ for a GPU + 1(4)000 $ for a laptop = AT LEAST 1800 bucks. You can buy ANY gaming aptop with that, and that is at MINIMUM.I wont keep quiet about this BOX being ~2x more expensive then the GPU. What the hell is this thing? It is a low-end PSU + controller + aluminum frame. If you are not stupid, you know it costs below 100$ to make. 500$? Somebody may kiss my ass. I was very eager to gey razer core+blade, but now I will be looking elsewhere for ultraportable+gpu. Somebody may find it reasonable to pay 500$ for a box and psu, with a 300$ gpu, but that is not me. I am 146% disappointed.
repoman27 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Getting Intel, AMD, NVIDIA and Microsoft to cooperate so that your $100 box actually works: priceless...gw74 - Sunday, March 20, 2016 - link
Alienware Graphics Amplifier $200Cuhulin - Monday, April 25, 2016 - link
The connector for the Alienware Graphics Amplifier is proprietary. If you want to stick with Dell/Alienware, go for it.Otherwise, the people whining about the price should remember that Razer, Microsoft and Intel developed this thing together, and the price probably reflects an initial premium to recover R&D expenses. If you don't want to pay the price now, wait. After the exclusivity period ends, there will be competitors, and everyone will be lowering the price.
A5 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Current TB docks that just give you the USB ports and Ethernet run like $200+.And you're an idiot if you're putting a $250 GPU into a $500 enclosure that goes with your $2000 laptop.
Sliderpro93 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
I wonder if buying 500$ GPU for a 1080p makes a lot of sense. For you - it does, so be it.Thats why anybody hardly buys these.
Sliderpro93 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
And yes, that makes no sense. Hence the post.Sliderpro93 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
razer dock for 500$gpu for 150$
thanks razer, but NO.
I ll be waiting for some Chinese solution for 100$.
A5 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
If you're OK with the performance of a $150 GPU, you can just get a "gaming" laptop with a crappy mobile GPU in it for less than a $600 premium over the basic Razer config.Sliderpro93 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
does 200$ change a lot?xype - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
If stuff like this were available to Macs I would be _soooo_ happy.osxandwindows - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Apple has been working on EGPUs since os X 10.9 actually.alexvoda - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
I wonder why they only put one Thunderbolt port.Thunderbolt is meant to be daisy chained and for that devices should have two ports.
masimilianzo - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
What is the maximum charging rate for laptops connected to the Core? 100 W?BrokenCrayons - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
It's a nice idea with a stupid price premium. If the concept of an external graphics card proves itself a viable solution to the problem of laptop graphics being constrained by battery power, cooling, and space issues from the laptop itself, then other retailers will enter the market and drive down the overall price, but it might take a year or three for us to see how that sort of thing ultimately plays out. In the meantime, for someone purchasing computer equipment, they're probably better served getting a desktop well suited for gaming at about $1000 and a very inexpensive budget laptop. If you really want to play games on the laptop, fire up Steam in home streaming. The gaming desktop doesn't even need a full-time monitor and can be relegated to some out of the way corner of a home so it doesn't expose an otherwise nicely decorated interior to the ugliness awkwardness of a PC that guests might see when they're visiting.watzupken - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
I actually agree that as oppose to getting the dock, one is probably better off getting a separate gaming desktop + an inexpensive laptop/ tablet. The dock may cost about 300 bucks, but you need to consider extra cost when getting the graphic card. And to get the dock at 300 bucks, you need to buy an overpriced laptop. I feel the eventual cost will be close or possible to get both a gaming desktop + laptop.fanofanand - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
$400-$500 for the luxury of owning a box to put your graphics card in.......So basically this external box is the same price as a low-end PC. Seems to me that you would be better off with a laptop and a desktop, basically the same price but without the tradeoffs.Sliderpro93 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Agreed. Box that costs 2-3x average gpu for 1080p hardly makes any sense.I d like that box if it had at least gtx 960 included.
nerd1 - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
Dell Graphics Amp was $300, and now given away for almost free with purchase of alienware laptops. It makes more sense to build a complete desktop with $500....WatcherCK - Thursday, March 17, 2016 - link
The price seems to be too high, after reading though the comments $400US is going to become $1000 NZ which puts it into the 'for those with money to burn' category of purchaser :) Maybe one day we have the same kind of box and we can plug our phone in via USB-C (D, E ultrafi?) and use the Galaxy SX's on board mobile Thunderbolt controller (T4M) to let the phone augment itself into a full power desktop machine :)Would the Thunderbolt 3 controller support dual discreet GPUs? Or would that tax the bandwidth the thunderbolt controller has available from the motherboard? (in for a penny in for a pound right, someone is going to get a couple and try it, hell DX12 supports any combination of GPU...)
One thing I would like to see is the ability to direct discrete GPU output though thunderbolt so for example the machine and the displays/peripherals can be physically separate but with no loss of functionality (especially under a heavy use gaming scenario.) Linus (of Linus Tech Tips) recently set something like this up at home, put the hot and noisy machine in another room and run a (what turns out to be insanely expensive) optical thunderbolt cable to where you workstation is setup screens/peripherals etc... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NshXgisNly4 (His solution for transferring video from the discreet GPU was to use an Asus ThunderboltEX 2 Dual...)
Sliderpro93 - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
Plus one has to remember, that TB3 DOES in fact limit high-level performance GPUs, in case you will drive several displays.And it is funny, how razer easy "shaves" 100$ off it. Means its right and its price is close to 200 really.
HWTactics - Friday, March 18, 2016 - link
This is ridiculous. Buy a $300 off-lease Core i5 laptop from Dell Refurbished, throw in a $60 240GB SSD and $20 for an extra 4GB RAM, and you will have a laptop MORE than fast enough for anything non-gaming related for $400.The other $1k will get you one hell of a gaming desktop and you can share files between the two with any of the many, many file sharing solutions (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, you name it).
And who would buy a Razer laptop, really? Enterprise customers are going to go with Dell, HP or Lenovo for their excellent reliability and business warranties. Home users are going to buy something down the street or online from a brand they recognize.
Wait for more laptops to support this and for more enclosures to be made for a price that belongs on this planet.
osxandwindows - Friday, April 15, 2016 - link
I don't want or need a gaming desktop.gw74 - Sunday, March 20, 2016 - link
double the price of Alienware Graphics Amplifier for no reason. NOPE.maskofwraith - Friday, March 25, 2016 - link
the price is well worth the product. Its a premium product, and a great design. if you want cheaper product look somewhere elselightahead - Monday, April 4, 2016 - link
If you don't wanna get robbed go somewhere else*Yes a cheap PSU and a box with a few ports screams premium...