ThinkBook TGX features OCulink with full 64 Gbps bandwidth

An alternative to slow Thunderbolt eGPUs.

This product was announced at CES, but it wasn’t seen in action until now. The ThinkBook TGX is a GPU enclosure that uses a custom connection based on PCIe Gen4 specs. The connector is very much like OCulink, and unofficially, it is, in fact, OCulink. Officially, it is advertised as TGX and should work with Lenovo ThinkBook 14/16 laptops featuring Core Ultra CPUs.

Modern GPU enclosures are commonly equipped with Thunderbolt 3 or 4 connections. Both technically offer the same bandwidth, which in this case is 40 Gb/s. Intel already announced a successor to this standard, but thus far, the adoption of Thunderbolt 5 in laptops and more importantly in GPU enclosures is nonexistent.

However, an alternative is actively promoted by Chinese companies called OCulink, which is basically a server-grade connector exposing PCIe Gen4x4 interface. It turns out it is relatively easy to use and implement for gaming handhelds, Mini-PCs, pocket eGPUs, and now GPU enclosures.

ThinkBook TGX, Source: Lenovo

As mentioned, the OCuLink standard enables 64 Gb/s speed, which is much faster for powerful GPUs. The ThinkBook TGX supports GeForce RTX graphics cards up to 72 mm thick and 358 mm long. There is no limit in terms of what SKUs can be used; however, one must account that the enclosure does require a power supply, which is not added by default.

ThinkBook TGX connector, Source: PCMag

As mentioned, Lenovo does not confirm that the TGX is OCulink, but reviewers in China who got their hands on the enclosure early have already tested it with other systems (including other OCulink enclosures) and had no problem using it. You can watch these reviews here and here .

According to the Lenovo China Product Manager, the product will be sold at 1499 RMB (around $206) without the power supply. This seems like a good price for this type of product.

Source: ITHome