is it possible to build a PC or mac with an external graphics card?

[dvdbunny]

Hi guys,

Is it possible to create a PC or buy mac mini and simply not have a graphics card inside, instead have an external case that links to the pc case thats running a graphics card from there?

 

[surfsquid]

not that I've heard of, although a similar system is being released by asus later this year for laptops.

 

[dvdbunny]

i think thats exactly what i want, whats this asus system going to be called, where can i read about it?

So your saying people with laptops will be able to run an external graphics card, thats sweet.

 

[dvdbunny]

i looked around and found some links by searching on google for 'asus releasing external graphics cards for laptops'

They want to sell it with a 7900gs i think it's stupid, they say you can swap it with a different card, it should just come without a card then you can buy your own better card. I wonder if you can buy two to link them up in crossfire. I read that the 8800GTX cannot fit inside this external device, which is a real shame.

Do you think it will work with a mac mini with windows xp installed for PC gaming?

 

[BillytheImpaler]

There are external graphics boxes for desktops but they cost as much as a car (~$10k-20k USD) and are intended for use by professionals who need ultra-powerful rendering capabilities.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

Do you think it will work with a mac mini with windows xp installed for PC gaming?

No way. It'll need to access a high bandwidth bus in order to work properly. Get a MBP if you want a small Mac for gaming.

 

[Energize]

A mobility x1600 isn't exactly a great solution for gaming either, espically not on a 1680x1050 screen.

Why would you want an external card for a desktop?

 

[dvdbunny]

I really want to get a mac mini, i just thought having an external graphics card would be cool, as the mac mini isn't big enough to have the latest graphics cards inside so i thought it would be cool to have an external one, or what about mac laptops, if i was running one with windows xp installed would it work with a external graphics card like this new one by asus that were chatting about?

Also what does MBP mean?


TIA

 

[Energize]

I really want to get a mac mini, i just thought having an external graphics card would be cool, as the mac mini isn't big enough to have the latest graphics cards inside so i thought it would be cool to have an external one, or what about mac laptops, if i was running one with windows xp installed would it work with a external graphics card like this new one by asus that were chatting about?

Also what does MBP mean?


TIA

MBP = mac book pro. As already said I don't see how in the world an external graphics card will work with games because of bandwidth. If you want very powerful graphics and a small computer, you can get those small cube cases or one of the 7900gtx dell laptops.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

If you want very powerful graphics and a small computer, you can get those small cube cases or one of the 7900gtx dell laptops.

I concur. Squeezing powerful discrete graphics into such a small package is quite a task and no one's yet introduced such a product.