Why don't external GPUs exist?

Tommy B

Tommy B

Tommy B

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This just struck me when I ordered an external sound card for my new laptop as the built-in sound was awful.

How come they don't do this with graphics? Hell, I'd happily pay £400 for an external GPU if it turned my laptop into a gaming machine.

As it happens, the graphics card is the one thing letting me new laptop down. It's an 8400M GT which I thought would be up to the job in most games but it does struggle.

Before people say there'd be no point, I strongly, strongly disagree. It would give notebook users the option for portability, but power at their desk.
 
There probably isn't enough demand, why would anyone spend hundreds on an external gpu, when they could spend a few hundred more on a better laptop with a 7950gtx?

Secondly, it isn't possible for gaming because the bandwidth required is huge and the latency would be increased more than 10 fold. How is 10GB/s of data, going to travel through the 480Mb/s usb bus?
 
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Uhm, because you'd probably get a much better boost in game performance using an external GPU than just upgrading RAM, hard drives, and processors etc.?
 
not unless something changed massively.

as mentioned the bandwidth used for graphics makes an external device have a massive disadvantage over an internal one - about the only way to do it would be to have a unit that can plug in via a specific high speed connection on the laptop (basically a pci express/agp equivilent connection), which isn't going to happen.

The closest you can realistically do is the graphics card modules some manufacturers have that let you replace/upgrade the laptop's graphics capabilities, and they are very limited by heat and power issues.
 
I highly doubt spending the amount on a laptop that useful external GPUs cost will give you a larger benefit than the external GPU would.
 
I believe that Nvidia unit I linked to has a external type connection that connects to the PCI-E slot just like eSATA, or may be simply a card with cable plugged into the slot and out rear of PC case.

I never read it fully but was shown it many many months ago.

Also that cost is not much if you are a business and need that power for PRO work, tax deductble. ;)
 
I cant see the point. I bet such a laptop would spend 95% of its life sat on a desk taking up roughly the same space as a keyboard and 19" tft monitor. I would save myself a grand and get a PSP. Seriously though, would a laptop plus external gpu really be that much more portable than say a shuttle + 19" tft. Surely the external GPU would need its own battery? laptop batteries have always been poor and we know in desktop PC's the gfx card is usually the most power hungry component.
 
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@mame I think you missed the point of the OP, he is saying why can't you have an external graphics device for use when it's being used as a desktop. Didn't mention it having to be portable too.
I quiet like the idea of a fully fledged desktop pc, that a the touch of a button you could remove the keyboard and screen and have a mobile device. Leaving all the power hungry goodness on the desk where it belongs.
It really doesn't sound like a bad idea, maybe in about 10 years time :p
 
I prefer Laptops. I absolutely love this laptop to bits. I don't see why you'd want a desktop PC and a huge monitor for browsing OCUK/viewing holiday snaps/ordering DVDs/listening to music etc :D

Unfortunately, I've paid the price. For the £1299 I paid for this laptop, I could have got an awesome gaming machine, but I get so much satisfaction from the laptop and it is extremely fast and powerful in everything it does except graphics. It's also completely silent which is really, well, relaxing to be quite honest. It's nice just to sit up at night and browse these forums in silence without it sounding like they're filming the texas chainsaw massacre simultaneously.

The other thing is it's convenient. I can shove my lappy in a case, take it down to my mates, and we can have a good lan/internet game of UT2004. I wish we could do this with the newer games but it simply isn't powerful enough. Anyways, I'm off to Uni in September. Who knows what'll happen. I might ditch it and meet some guys who can show me how to assemble a PC myself, or I might sell it on and buy a better one when the technology comes available. I'd love to get my paws on Crysis though, which will be impossible with this laptop.
 
Tommy B said:
I prefer Laptops. I absolutely love this laptop to bits. I don't see why you'd want a desktop PC and a huge monitor for browsing OCUK/viewing holiday snaps/ordering DVDs/listening to music etc :D

Unfortunately, I've paid the price. For the £1299 I paid for this laptop, I could have got an awesome gaming machine, but I get so much satisfaction from the laptop and it is extremely fast and powerful in everything it does except graphics. It's also completely silent which is really, well, relaxing to be quite honest. It's nice just to sit up at night and browse these forums in silence without it sounding like they're filming the texas chainsaw massacre simultaneously.

The other thing is it's convenient. I can shove my lappy in a case, take it down to my mates, and we can have a good lan/internet game of UT2004. I wish we could do this with the newer games but it simply isn't powerful enough. Anyways, I'm off to Uni in September. Who knows what'll happen. I might ditch it and meet some guys who can show me how to assemble a PC myself, or I might sell it on and buy a better one when the technology comes available. I'd love to get my paws on Crysis though, which will be impossible with this laptop.
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you could have got the 8600m gt in a laptop for £799 which is nearly twice as fast as the 8400 gt

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html
 
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