The performance gap between an eGPU and a GPU installed via the PCIe interface natively disappears with the latest MCIO 8i connector.
The external GPUs have always been trailing behind the traditional desktops due to the limitation of bandwidth as a result of the absence of a native PCIe interface. We do have some good options to bring the performance closer to the conventional PCIe 4.0 x4 setup, but it's not enough since modern GPUs work much better at PCIe 4.0 x8 or x16.
After Thunderbolt 5 and OCuLink ports that unlock up to 63 Gbps of effective bandwidth, we now have the MCIO 8i interface, which unlocks nearly four times higher bandwidth. Popular eGPU and mini PC maker, GPD, has introduced two new devices with the latest MCIO 8i connector to unlock the full performance of the externally connected desktop graphics card. The MCIO 8i interface reportedly brings PCIe 5.0 x8-equivalent bandwidth, which is nearly 256 Gbps or 512 Gbps bi-directional. This is four times higher than the Thunderbolt 5 and OCuLink and is sufficient for most modern high-end GPUs.
The first one is the GPD G2 external GPU enclosure, which offers both MCIO 8i and USB4 v2 ports. The eGPU is claimed to offer desktop-equivalent performance, and with the RTX 4090, there is reportedly only 2% performance loss through the MCIO 8i port. The eGPU is also advertised as the world's first "Dual Ports" eGPU dock that brings an additional M.2 storage connector and up to 100W PD fast charging. We can see that the eGPU also boasts a LAN port at the bottom, and a 16-pin power connector is situated at the top.
The second device is the GPD BOX mini PC, which also features the MCIO 8i interface, bringing 4x OCuLink bandwidth. It's based on the Intel Panther Lake, but GPD hasn't disclosed what SKUs we can expect. The mini PC features Dual USB4 V2.0 ports and can be combined with the GPD G2 for an ultimate gaming experience. Both machines are expected to be released soon, and we will find out their specifications and pricing in detail.
Apart from GPD, TOPC also launched its first mini PC called TA255, featuring the MCIO interface. This mini PC uses the AMD Ryzen 7 255H processor and comes with either 16 GB or 24 GB LPDDR5-6400 memory and two M.2 slots for SSDs.
Unlike the GPD machines, reports that the MCIO interface on the TA255 is limited to PCIe Gen 4.0 x8 mode, which is still sufficient for most GPUs, but provides half the bandwidth compared to the PCIe 5.0 x8 mode. The TOPC TA255 is launched at a price tag of 2,699 Yuan or US$394 for the 16 GB edition and 2,999 Yuan or US$438 for the 24 GB version.
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