Aoostar EG02 costs $219
This is one of the best eGPU configurations you can build right now, but also one of the most expensive.
If you are not looking for the most up to date eGPU dock, or you have a mini PC or gaming handheld that lacks the newest standards, older docks that cost much less will still make sense. The AOOSTAR EG02 sits at the other end of the spectrum. It is one of the best equipped eGPU docks, with Thunderbolt 5 for the latest USB C connectivity and OCuLink for direct PCIe over cable.
OCuLink eGPU docks started to gain traction about three years ago. Intel then announced Thunderbolt 5 in late 2023 as the successor to Thunderbolt 3 and 4, which had been limited to 40 Gbps for GPU traffic. Adoption of Thunderbolt 5 on mini PCs and laptops has been slow, so dock makers had little reason to rush new designs and instead focused on OCuLink only.
AOOSTAR has now released a dock that covers both standards and keeps backward compatibility. If you are unsure what interface your next PC will offer, this dock is a safer long term pick because it will work with both current OCuLink focused systems and future Thunderbolt 5 devices. Nothing right now suggests a new external GPU interface is around the corner.
Source: AOOSTAR
On paper, OCuLink and Thunderbolt 5 offer similar bandwidth for GPUs, since both map down to a PCIe 4.0 x4 link. Thunderbolt 5 tends to be a bit slower in real workloads though. The Intel designed standard has to carry DisplayPort Alt Mode, power delivery and other protocols, which adds overhead. OCuLink is a raw PCIe transport, effectively a PCIe 4.0 x4 extension on a cable.
The EG02 has an OCuLink port for direct PCIe 4.0 x4 connectivity and a Thunderbolt 5 port that handles data and up to 140W of power delivery to a host device. There is also a second Thunderbolt 5 port, but this one is only a downstream connection with 27W power delivery and DisplayPort Alt Mode support for displays. A full size PCIe 4.0 x4 slot inside the dock accepts standard desktop graphics cards.
Source: AOOSTAR
AOOSTAR also thought about power and layout. The EG02 can work with ATX or SFX power supplies, and it includes a DC output for powering a mini PC directly from the same PSU. The dock has a removable mount that lets you place a mini PC above the power supply to keep the whole stack compact and reduce cable clutter.
The eGPU dock is now listed at $219 .
Source: AOOSTAR via NotebookCheck
