Ultrabook + eGPU Gaming Setup (Need advice/tips)

[HadesCore]

Im planning on building an ultrabook + eGPU set up so that at uni I have a powerful slim laptop and at home I can plug the USB-C chord in and have a fully integrated gaming setup with my monitor, keyboard, mouse, ect. The biggest thing im stuck on is which laptop to choose, from what I can tell of the research i've done so far, the must have's are a Thunderbolt 3 with x4 PCIe connection and OPI 4GT/s Mode. What im looking for will ideally have a powerful 9th gen processor (although I could settle for an 8th gen if the 9th isn't really worth it), upgradability for ram and storage because I already have an ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB that i'd like to integrate, I wouldn't mind not being able to upgrade RAM if it had at least 16GB. I'd also prefer something without a dedicated GPU because from what I researched, running an eGPU on a slim laptop that already has dedicated graphics leads to overheating issues which i'd like to avoid. (Although I will be integrating a fan venitation system for where my laptop will sit when hooked up at home, I dont want to spend the extra money on a built in dedicated graphics card that I wont be using anyway) basically I only intend to use it for gaming at home and general use when im at uni. My current build is as follows:

MSI MAG Z390 Tomahawk
GTX1080ti
i5 9600k
16GB DDR4 2400MHz RAM
Corsair TX850M PSU
Coolermaster Masterair MA610P
Adata XPG SX8200 Pro NVMe PCIe M.2 1TB

I intend on using the GTX1080Ti for the eGPU and the M.2 storage as well.

Basically what im asking is what laptop should I choose, in terms of cost effectiveness but also favouring the highest power possible, i'd still like to hear what you would suggest if money was no object out of curiosity. Essentially I want an Ultrabook + eGPU setup that is still as powerful (or more) as my current rig for gaming but also slim and portable for when im out and about.

If you have any experience in the topic your suggestions are highly appreciated.

 

From what I can tell, Linus' Razer blade stealth (2018) is the go to, but its hard to find one new and I guess its slightly dated or will be soon.

 

 

 

 

Links to info/inspiration for this build:

https://egpu.io/ultrabook-buyers-guide-external-gpu/

 

[Stormseeker9]

@HadesCore

Huawei matebook x pro?

Spectre X360?

Dell xps 15?

 

[Mr.Humble]

Hi!

I was intrigued by that video as well, but I found out that with the system I have it's not worth it - the TB3 equipment would run almost as expensive as a new desktop.

 

I picked up the HP Spectre x360, I like it, but I'd recommend you look at the Lenovo Yoga C730 or something, Huawei Matebook X Pro, Dell XPS 13. Get one of those depending on your budget and game on your desktop.

 

You already have a very new PC, why are you considering this setup?

[HadesCore]

1 hour ago, vojta.pokorny said:

Hi!

I was intrigued by that video as well, but I found out that with the system I have it's not worth it - the TB3 equipment would run almost as expensive as a new desktop.

 

I picked up the HP Spectre x360, I like it, but I'd recommend you look at the Lenovo Yoga C730 or something, Huawei Matebook X Pro, Dell XPS 13. Get one of those depending on your budget and game on your desktop.

 

You already have a very new PC, why are you considering this setup?

Well I want the portability of a laptop and the power of gaming all in one. and in part, it pays for itself, because i'll just sell my cpu, ram, motherboard and case, which will fund the eGPU shroud and leave me with a bit leftover to spend on the laptop, essentially, instead of having to choose between one or the other, or going all out and just buying a new laptop while keeping my gaming rig, im going somewhere in the middle.

[Mr.Humble]

48 minutes ago, HadesCore said:

Well I want the portability of a laptop and the power of gaming all in one

I can understand that, but 

48 minutes ago, HadesCore said:

it pays for itself, because i'll just sell my cpu, ram, motherboard and case, which will fund the eGPU shroud and leave me with a bit leftover to spend on the laptop

I think you're overestimating the value of your PC while (grossly) underestimating the price of the solution you're looking for.

Let's look at PCPartPicker. Assumptions were made where you didn't specify parts - feel free to rectify that - and components were substituted in case prices weren't listed. SSD and GPU aren't included since you mentioned you want to keep them:

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/Pcj2hy

CPU: Intel - Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor  (€256.89 @ Mindfactory) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  (€29.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Motherboard: MSI - MAG Z390 TOMAHAWK ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (€150.80 @ Alza) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  (€64.90 @ Amazon Deutschland) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Pro 5 ATX Mid Tower Case  (€69.90 @ Caseking) 
Power Supply: Corsair - RMx (2018) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  (€135.63 @ Mindfactory) 
Total: €708.02
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-14 19:11 CEST+0200

 

Your setup would run around €700 new. Let's assume the most you can recover is 75 % = €525

 

The cheapest viable laptop will run you around €1200 - the Lenovo or HP. Depending on which one you get, the eGPU enclosure can be as much as €450. If you want to use the M.2 SSD as an external one, a TB3 SSD enclosure is around €150. If you want a TB3 dock for all your peripherals, that's another €250.

 

You've now spent over € 1500 (2000 - 500) on an objectively worse experience than if you keep the gaming PC and get a decent laptop for uni.

1 hour ago, HadesCore said:

instead of having to choose between one or the other, or going all out and just buying a new laptop while keeping my gaming rig, im going somewhere in the middle.

Given the assumed prices and performance - the laptop CPU will inherently be slower, and TB3 introduces some overhead depending on the implementation - you're better off with the desktop you already have.

[celerystruct]

What are you planning on doing for uni work?

 

If it's just programming or just office suite stuff then just buy a cheap refurbished Thinkpad and spend the rest of your money upgrading your pc.

 

The eGPU already makes gaming on the go impractical unless you want to carry it around with you and sit near an outlet at uni, which at that point you might as well go home to game on your PC.

[HadesCore]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, after doing a bit more financial planning it seems you are correct vojta.pokorny, I guess this whole set up is more of a pipe dream than a reasonable alternative, I didn't overestimate the value of my system, but I did grossley underesitmate the final cost of the whole set up. Im going to opt for a seperate ultrabook, at this point it looks like a better idea would be to update my mobo to something with thunderbolt 3 capabilties and set up some software to seemlessly integrate the two systems when I get home via tb3. That could net me the same results im looking for at the cost of still having my gaming pc sitting on the desk, which when I quantify in price/value is a much more acceptable caveat, albiet I still have to research that idea, though that is dipping into a whole new topic now, I digress.

 

I appreciate all the helpful suggestions and info, thanks for pointing me in the right direction everyone