#EXTERNAL GRAPHICS CARD FOR LAPTOP WITHOUT SECOND DISPLAY INSTALL#

Ultimately, if you don’t want to purchase your own graphics card to install inside of an external GPU enclosure, then the Gigabyte Gaming Box is probably your best option.Īfter the Gigabyte Gaming Box, none of the other options on this list come with a graphics card included. So, it is a fairly compact external GPU option and it should be pretty easy to move around. The Gaming Box measures in at ~6″ x 4″ x 8″ and only weighs about 4.5-pounds. And the GTX 1070 version comes in at a little under $550 and comes with a 450W power supply.

The RX 580 comes in at a little under $400 and comes with a 400W power supply. At the moment, the Gaming Box comes in two different GPU options: an RX 580 or a GTX 1070. Gigabyte’s Gaming Box is the one of the only options out there that comes with a video card pre-installed in it. If you’re looking for the external GPU that will provide you with the best out-of-the-box performance, then the Gigabyte AORUS Gaming Box is probably your best bet. A Quick Look at the Best External Graphics Cardsįor a quick look at our three favorite external GPUs, the table below showcases our pick for the best overall external graphics card, the best value option, and the best budget-friendly option.

In any case, though, if an external graphics card is the right option for you, in this guide, we’ve covered seven of the best eGPUs currently available to help you find the right option for your needs. You’ll likely just have to swap out the graphics card inside of the external enclosure (and maybe the power supply, to.)

#EXTERNAL GRAPHICS CARD FOR LAPTOP WITHOUT SECOND DISPLAY UPGRADE#

So, if you were to ever need an upgrade in the future, you won’t have to buy a completely new enclosure to do so. And, the nice thing about some of the external GPU enclosures out there is that they are upgradeable. If you have a newer laptop that came with integrated graphics, you could upgrade your GPU-computing power by adding an external graphics card. Still, though, there are use cases where an external graphics card makes sense. So, while an external GPU can be an legitimate option for some users, the types of users who could probably benefit from it the most are the types of users that won’t actually be able to use an external graphics card. And, most older laptops (or even slightly older budget-friendly laptops) won’t come with a USB-C port. That’s because external graphics cards currently rely on a USB-C Thunderbolt 3 connection in order to work. But, unfortunately, for the majority of people who could benefit from the use of an external GPU (users with older laptops), using one isn’t actually possible. So, really, an external GPU is only a viable option for laptop users that don’t have a strong GPU inside of their system. A GTX 1070 inside of an external closure that is connected to a desktop computer won’t deliver as much performance as if that GTX 1070 were installed directly into the PCIe lane inside of the desktop.

Since eGPUs must be connected to your computer or laptop via a cable (USB-C Thunderbolt), there will be a loss in performance. While external graphics cards can give users access to more GPU-computing power, they aren’t without their own drawbacks. Budget Pick: Sonnet eGFX Breakaway BoxĪn eGPU (or, external GPU, or external graphics card) is, essentially, a graphics card that sits in an external chassis apart from the main computer (be it a laptop or a desktop.) It’s basically the same idea as an external storage device (like an external hard drive.) In the same way that, if you plug an external hard drive into your computer you’ll have access to the storage on that device, if you plug in an external GPU to your laptop or computer, you’ll gain the ability to use the external GPU rather than the GPU that your existing laptop or computer is using.

External graphics card for laptop without second display