A brand new leak means that the launch date for the brand new Asus ROG XG Cell exterior GPU (eGPU) is imminent. This moveable gaming GPU will present avid gamers with a plug-in improve to both an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 or RTX 5070 Ti for his or her gaming laptop computer or handheld gaming PC. Nevertheless, whereas it will likely be a tempting efficiency improve for a lot of avid gamers, its rumored value might put many off.
Whereas most eGPUs are glorified exterior docks on your present graphics card to plug into, this specific Asus mannequin is a a lot smaller, all-in-one answer. The brand new ROG XG makes use of the laptop computer equal GPUs of a number of the finest graphics playing cards from Nvidia, with an RTX 5090 mannequin provided for optimum efficiency, whereas the RTX 5070 Ti mannequin is a extra inexpensive choice.
In response to a report by Chinese language web site ITHome, Asus is planning on releasing this new eGPU lineup on February 25. The GPU will see a model new design over the past ROG XG, launched again in 2023, with an 18.5% smaller casing and a weight below 1Kg. In response to the report and Asus’ personal launched specs web page, the gadget will even be 3dB quieter than the final ROG XG Cell, which was geared up with a cellular RTX 4090, together with a 54% larger cooling floor for improved thermal efficiency.
Extra importantly, this new eGPU will reportedly characteristic an improve to a Thunderbolt 5 connector, delivering as much as 80Gb/s bandwidth. That’s nice for gaming, however Thunderbolt 5 connections nonetheless aren’t widespread, besides in top-spec gaming laptops and PCs. You’ll nonetheless have the ability to use it with a Thunderbolt 4 port, nonetheless, that means you could possibly use this gadget on the most effective handheld gaming PCs such because the Asus ROG Ally X, however the accessible bandwidth is halved to a most of 40Gb/s, making it a a lot slower (and fewer interesting) choice.
Together with its two Thunderbolt 5 USB-C ports, the brand new ROG XG Cell will ship with ports for DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, and 5G Ethernet. Two USB-A ports will even assist increase the connections on any laptop computer or mini gaming PC which might be plugged in to the eGPU. The ROG XG Cell additionally incorporates a 330W energy provide, though the connection through Thunderbolt 5 – for powering your laptop computer – solely helps as much as 140W.
Whereas on paper this may very well be a very good improve over the built-in GPUs utilized in some laptops or gaming handhelds, the worth goes to make it an choice reserved for under essentially the most enthusiastic few. IT Residence reviews that the XG Cell with an RTX 5090 is ready to price $2,199.99, which is $200 greater than the MSRP for the desktop RTX 5090’s base mannequin.
That may not sound so unhealthy, however the XG Cell is predicated on the cellular RTX 5090, which is provided with solely 10,496 CUDA cores in comparison with the desktop model’s 21,760, making it a a lot much less {powerful} GPU. It additionally ships with solely 24GB VRAM, in distinction to the desktop 5090’s 32GB. These specs place it remarkably near the desktop RTX 5080’s specs on paper, with fewer CUDA cores however additional VRAM than that card, however for greater than two instances the desktop RTX 5080’s $999 MSRP.
The RTX 5070 Ti mannequin is a greater choice by way of affordability and worth, with it priced at $1,199.99. That’s nonetheless $450 greater than the desktop RTX 5070 Ti’s MSRP, however the efficiency drop between cellular and desktop GPUs right here is way much less steep. The laptop computer 5070 Ti ships with 5,888 CUDA cores and 12GB VRAM, in comparison with 8,960 and 16GB VRAM on the desktop card.
For those who’re determined to enhance the gaming efficiency of your gaming laptop computer, handheld, or mini gaming PC, and also you’ve acquired the {dollars} to spare, this Asus ROG XG Cell will definitely do it. Nevertheless, restricted Thunderbolt 5 availability, the usage of less-powerful cellular GPUs than the desktop equivalents, and such excessive pricing imply this eGPU lineup might not show to be a well-liked add-on for many moveable gaming rigs.
We’ll see simply how in style these new Asus eGPUs are after they go on sale. If it doesn’t attraction, nonetheless, you might wish to seize your self a desktop card and place it in a typical eGPU enclosure as a substitute. Our the place to purchase 5090 information is up to date day by day with the most recent RTX 5090 inventory availability, and we’ll be doing the identical with our the place to purchase 5070 Ti information when that card launches on February 20, too. You may as well try our RTX 5090 assessment to see how nicely the brand new Nvidia flagship performs in the actual world, at the least on a PC.
You may as well observe us on Google Information for day by day PC {hardware} information, opinions, and guides, or be a part of our neighborhood Discord to remain within the know.
