External Gpu?

[Mob]

Hey guys,
I wonder if an external GPU would work with: USB 3.1 Type-C™ Gen 1 (Data Transfer up to 5 Gb/s).
I've done some research and I just don't understand it. Some people say 5gb/s would work... other say thunderbolt..
Thanks!! :))

[darkkterror]

The only external GPU docks I've seen require Thunderbolt 3.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

https://egpu.io/forums/mac-setup/pcie-slot-dgpu-vs-thunderbolt-3-egpu-internal-display-test

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/839529-a-external-graphics-card-dock-on-usb-type-c

https://www.gamingfactors.com/best-external-graphics-card
^ short to the point quote from this link:

Originally posted by GamingFactors.com:

It’s worth mentioning now that USB Type-C with Thunderbolt 3 is the best — and in some respects only way to go when it comes to using an external graphics card dock. The Thunderbolt 3 interface supports data transfers of up to 40Gbps. This is nearly equivalent to PCI-E 3 4x speeds. Anything below this, and you’ll find that your card harshly underperforms. Your framerates will be much lower than they otherwise would be, and in some cases, you might even encounter frame skipping and stutters.

Next, you’re going to want to ensure that your laptop not only has USB Type-C but that it also has Thunderbolt 3 support, which uses the USB Type-C interface. If you have USB Type-C, it might only have SuperSpeed USB support, which is roughly equal to 10gbps bandwidth, or 25% of Thunderbolt 3. There are only a few laptops available with Thunderbolt 3 support as of now, but that should change going into the future.

With all of this said, we have a few tips for you to ensure that your experience is as pleasant as it can be.

Buyer’s Notes:

> Ensure your laptop has USB Type-C support.
> Ensure that your USB Type-C is Thunderbolt 3.
> Note that not all enclosures will work on all systems, and some enclosures claiming to work only on one brand might work on others.
> Ensure the enclosure you purchase uses the Thunderbolt 3 interface.
> An external gpu for laptop might not benefit you if your laptop’s CPU is very old or slow.
> Keeping all of this in mind, your experience as a shopper should be pleasant and painless.

.

I'd also look at those performance comparison charts in my first link above.

The better the GPU, the more chance of higher performance loss with it, due to the Bandwidth limits we're still capped at with TB3. Keep in mind, a full PCIE X16 Slot can support up to 126Gbps; so think about that for a moment. Now sure even a 1080 Ti or TitanXP in a single GPU solution usage might not fully saturate that, ever... but again, TB3 is around the speed of PCIE X4 and we all know that high-end GPUs simply take a huge dislike to being run off of a PCIE slot @ only X4 speeds.

So I would weight a few other factors as well.
> What CPU you have; above a GTX 1060 3GB it is a must (as of now) to have an Intel i7 MQ or HQ model to have enough CPU power to support using a better GPU. Some might ask, well then how can a Laptop with i7 + GTX 1080 run just fine; well that cause that GPU would be running directly off the PCIE Bus, not the slower TB3. Keep this in mind as well.

> Native Screen Resoltion you wish to run the Games.

> You can get as much as 50% performance lose when you bump up to around a GTX 1080 or 1080 Ti in an eGPU configuration. Where as with say GTX 1060 6GB you may only lose about 20%; so please don't think it will be the greatest idea to run out and grab a 1080 Ti for the purpose of using as an eGPU for Gaming.

> You also want to consider RAM; having anything below 16GB of RAM coupled with these kinds of high-end eGPU solutions is a "NO"

[Mob]

How can I tell if my type c is compatible with thunderbolt tho?
It only says (Data Transfer up to 5 Gb/s) in the specs.

Btw I have an i3-7100U and 8gb ram

[Bad 💀 Motha]

List the full model of the Laptop then please.

With an i3 and being a low-end U model, it's probably a pointless venture with eGPU anyways.

Instead of the cost of eGPU Dock + the GPU; better off selling the Laptop as a whole and buying a better one with a decent i7 + GTX 1060 or better already inside.

[Mob]

https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-pavilion-14-ba000-x360-convertible-pc/15551162/model/17053266/document/c05573487#AbT0

[Bad 💀 Motha]

1 USB 3.1 Type-C™ Gen 1 (Data Transfer up to 5 Gb/s); 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Data transfer only)
^ There you go, it's not for TB3, or it would state that.

This is what was referred to above as "SuperSpeed USB support"
This data rate for your Laptops USB is for "Data" only.

If the Laptop supports TB3 speeds over USB 3.1, it should list in the specs something like:

USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C with support for 40 Gbps Thunderbolt and DisplayPort

[Mob]

Originally posted by Bad_Motha:

1 USB 3.1 Type-C™ Gen 1 (Data Transfer up to 5 Gb/s); 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 (Data transfer only)
^ There you go, it's not for TB3, or it would state that.

This is what was referred to above as "SuperSpeed USB support"
This data rate for your Laptops USB is for "Data" only.

If the Laptop supports TB3 speeds over USB 3.1, it should list in the specs something like:

USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C with support for 40 Gbps Thunderbolt and DisplayPort

Thank you... It kinda sucks, wish I knew what this was when I bought the laptop :/.