OCuLink wins with Thunderbolt 5 in RTX 5070 Ti desktop & external GPU test

We are starting to see the first comparisons of external GPU solutions based on the new Thunderbolt 5 standard.

The Try Some Tech channel recently reviewed one such device, the Peladn Link S-3. For those unfamiliar, Peladn is not a newcomer to the GPU business. The company was once known as “Pradeon” and was often the subject of jokes, but after a rebrand it has released new graphics cards and is now entering the eGPU market with dedicated docks.

The Link S-3 connects via Thunderbolt 5 , which doubles the bandwidth of previous Thunderbolt generations. While Thunderbolt 3 and 4 were limited to PCIe 3.0 x4 (32 Gbps), Thunderbolt 5 supports PCIe 4.0 x4, delivering 64 Gbps. In theory, this should put it on par with OCuLink, which offers a direct PCIe connection borrowed from server hardware.

Source: Try Some Tech

Unlike OCuLink, Thunderbolt 5 has some practical advantages. The USB-C based cable can also deliver power, connect displays, and handle other peripherals. For laptops, this simplifies setup since one cable can handle everything.

To carry out the review, Try Some Tech had to purchase an entirely new test platform. While Thunderbolt 5 was introduced over two years ago, systems supporting it are still rare. Only a few last-generation laptops shipped with it, and today’s Thunderbolt 5 gaming laptops remain on the ultra expensive side. Instead, the reviewer opted for a desktop build based on Intel’s new Core Ultra 7 265K and an ASUS ProArt Z890 board with Thunderbolt 5 support.

Source: Try Some Tech

In performance testing, Thunderbolt 5 fell behind OCuLink. Despite offering the same theoretical bandwidth of 64 Gbps, Thunderbolt 5 relies on controllers at both ends, which introduces overhead and reduces performance. OCuLink, by contrast, is a direct PCIe extension with no such bottleneck. As we can see, Thunderbolt 5 was slower in all gaming tests than OCuLink:

Source: Try Some Tech

Worth noting that the dock itself presented some trouble. The included cable had to be replaced (and the seller didn’t even offer free replacement) before the system stopped randomly displaying black screens. The test GPU, a Palit RTX 5070 Ti GameRock, also didn’t fit easily. Like many compact PCIe enclosures, the dock leaves little room for full-size cards, forcing the reviewer to remove the IO bracket and secure the card with tape just to complete testing.

Thunderbolt 5 eGPU docks like the Peladn Link S-3 bring convenience, power delivery, and broader compatibility compared to OCuLink, but they come at a cost. Limited availability, high system requirements, and lower real-world performance mean that for now, OCuLink still delivers the best results for external GPU setups.

I guess the best solution is to have a device that features both standards and eGPU enclosures/docks that also feature both solutions.

Source via Notebookcheck :