Which laptop models are compatible with eGPUs?

All those with Thunderbolt

Every XMG and SCHENKER laptop equipped with Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 can be used with an external GPU (eGPU), provided the eGPU also supports Thunderbolt.

• Whether a laptop model is equipped with Thunderbolt can be found in its datasheet.
• The datasheet of the external graphics card or eGPU enclosure would likewise indicate Thunderbolt or USB4 support.

There are no differences in bandwidth and capabilities of the Thunderbolt interface among our models equipped with Thunderbolt. All supported models offer a Thunderbolt data bandwidth of 40 Gbps.

Notes on operation

• Content rendered on the eGPU can be displayed on both the laptop screen and an external monitor connected to the eGPU.
• The presence of a dedicated graphics card in the laptop does not affect eGPU support. There is no need to disable an internal GPU for eGPU operation.
• Windows can address two different graphics cards simultaneously for computations like CUDA or OpenCL. However, real-time 3D content (e.g., gaming) can only be rendered on one graphics card at a time (no SLI for eGPUs).

• Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 offer the same data bandwidth and are interchangeable. USB4 with 40 Gbps is equivalent to Thunderbolt 3.
• Thunderbolt 5 may offer higher bandwidth – but only if both the laptop and graphics card support this bandwidth. Currently, there are no XMG and SCHENKER models with Thunderbolt 5.
• Thunderbolt 5 is backward compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and 4. An external graphics card advertised with Thunderbolt 5 support will also work with a laptop that only offers Thunderbolt 3 or 4.
• The bandwidth of Thunderbolt mainly impacts 3D gaming at relatively low resolutions and high frame rates (e.g., eSports titles). At high resolutions and graphic details, Thunderbolt’s limited bandwidth is less significant as fewer communications per second occur between the CPU and GPU (fewer “draw calls”).
• Operation on two Thunderbolt ports in parallel to double the bandwidth is not supported.

Other interfaces

Besides Thunderbolt, other high-bandwidth interfaces do exist. One example is OCuLink, discussed in the community as a potential alternative to Thunderbolt. However, due to OCuLink’s niche status and very limited peripheral availability, it’s unlikely that OCuLink will ever be implemented in an XMG or SCHENKER laptop. Additionally, any potential bandwidth advantage of OCuLink is expected to be matched or surpassed by Thunderbolt 5 in the future, including backward compatibility with existing Thunderbolt peripherals.

In summary: we have no plans to offer high-bandwidth interfaces other than Thunderbolt in the foreseeable future.