Thursday, November 9th 2017

The eGFX Breakaway Puck Turns Your Ordinary Laptop Into a High-End Gaming PC

Sonnet Technologies today introduced an all-new paradigm in Thunderbolt connected external GPU (eGPU) devices with the eGFX Breakaway Puck, an extremely portable, high-performance, all-in-one eGPU for Thunderbolt 3 computers that delivers accelerated graphics, and provides multidisplay connectivity leveraging AMD's Eyefinity technology. With a Puck connected, a user's computer can deliver dramatically accelerated frame rates in popular graphics-intensive games, and boosted GPU acceleration for pro video applications anytime and anywhere it is needed.

Sonnet will offer two Puck models, the eGFX Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 560 and eGFX Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 570, enabling users to select the device best suited to their needs. Each Puck model measures a mere 6 inches wide by 5.1 inches deep by 2 inches tall; features one Thunderbolt 3 port, three DisplayPort ports and one HDMI port; and supports up to four 4K displays in multimonitor mode.
When GPU acceleration is needed on the road, users can conveniently pack an eGFX Breakaway Puck along with a notebook in a backpack or computer bag. The Puck connects to a computer with a single Thunderbolt 3 cable and, for added convenience, also provides 45W of Power Delivery to power and charge the computer, enabling many users to leave their computer's power brick behind. On the desktop, the Puck has a minimal footprint. With an optional VESA mounting bracket kit, the Puck can be attached to the back of a display or the arm of a multimonitor stand, leaving a zero footprint on the desktop. The kit also includes a 0.5-meter DisplayPort cable to help reduce cable clutter.

The eGFX Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 560 (part number GPU-RX560-TB3) has an MSRP of $449 USD; the eGFX Breakaway Puck Radeon RX 570 (part number GPU-RX570-TB3) has an MSRP of $599; and the optional PuckCuff VESA Mounting Bracket Kit (part number CUFF-PUCK) has an MSRP of $59. All models are immediately available. More information on the products is available at www.sonnettech.com/product/egfx-breakaway-puck.html.

More information on Sonnet and its other products is available at www.sonnettech.com.
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30 Comments on The eGFX Breakaway Puck Turns Your Ordinary Laptop Into a High-End Gaming PC

#26
Valantar
NichotinI'm excited about this product. I don't think the price is that high when you take into consideration what other eGPU solutions cost, and also what premium one would usually pay to have a decent dGPU on a laptop.
You're not wrong, but paying $500 for the equivalent of a $110 desktop GPU isn't exactly an enticing prospect.
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#27
lexluthermiester
bhappyThis title is a joke! Who in their right mind would consider a PC running a RX 560 or RX 570 videocard a "High-End Gaming PC"? LOL
EarthDogSince when is a 570 a high-end gaming machine??
It really depends on who you talk to. Compared to most laptop and mainstream desktop offerings, these GPU's would be higher end components.

What some will find irritating is that there are 3 DP jacks and only 1[?!?] HDMI? 2 and 2 would make much more sense.
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#28
Valantar
lexluthermiesterIt really depends on who you talk to. Compared to most laptop and mainstream desktop offerings, these GPU's would be higher end components.

What some will find irritating is that there are 3 DP jacks and only 1[?!?] HDMI? 2 and 2 would make much more sense.
The main market is probably people connecting multiple monitors in a business/workstation environment who also want some extra oomph for CAD or something similar - and DP is king in business monitors (for good reason). Not to mention that it's infinitely adaptable without expensive active dongles, unlike HDMI, and has more bandwidth.
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#29
lexluthermiester
ValantarThe main market is probably people connecting multiple monitors in a business/workstation environment who also want some extra oomph for CAD or something similar - and DP is king in business monitors (for good reason). Not to mention that it's infinitely adaptable without expensive active dongles, unlike HDMI, and has more bandwidth.
I'm not arguing that DP is king in business and workstation sectors, because duh. This addon device is aimed at gamers with laptops. HDMI is, by far, the more widely adopted and used standard by the general public, which is who this device is aimed at. Thus the logic of my previous comment. Additionally, it is uncommon to find someone using more that two extra displays. It is more common to find people using one or two extra displays. so having two DP's and two HDMI's makes MUCH more sense.
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#30
Valantar
lexluthermiesterI'm not arguing that DP is king in business and workstation sectors, because duh. This addon device is aimed at gamers with laptops. HDMI is, by far, the more widely adopted and used standard by the general public, which is who this device is aimed at. Thus the logic of my previous comment. Additionally, it is uncommon to find someone using more that two extra displays. It is more common to find people using one or two extra displays. so having two DP's and two HDMI's makes MUCH more sense.
I don't quite agree. If you look at the product page, it's as much angled at multi-monitor workstations and GPU-accelerated work as at gaming. I'd bet the market there is significantly larger too - there are probably plenty of Mac-toting (or just ultrabook-toting) business people, designers or engineers out there who could use some extra GPU power and display outputs, and $500 for some extra productivity is less of a bitter pill to swallow than $500 for "decent" 1080p gaming.
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