eGPU in 2022

Icaru3Flyer · January 11, 2022

I know there was a thread on this back in 2020, universally decrying an eGPU. Here's where I'm at though: I've got a Lenovo X1 from a few gens ago, which has Thunderbolt 3. It definitely doesn't have the power to run some heavier games, and I would like to have the option to do so without buying a new computer - the Lenovo is working well for school and work and everything else I need it to do.

Is it worth buying an eGPU enclosure secondhand (looks like it runs ~$150-200 on secondhand sites) and a cheaper GPU (if such a thing exists - maybe a GTX 1050 or something)? Total cost would run ~$350-400

Or am I just wasting my time here and I should wait a few years until the Lenovo dies to purchase a gaming laptop?

TIA for your responses!

Edit: Or do I just say screw it and wait for the Steam Deck to be available to play heavier PC games?

Edited January 11, 2022 by Icaru3Flyer

Fasauceome · January 11, 2022

It was painful enough when an eGPU dock cost $150 and hurt the value that much already, but $150 plus a GPU in today's market?? Painful.

Do you need your laptop to continue functioning as a laptop? Because most of the time, if you sell your laptop and use the money you would otherwise spend on an external dock, you could build a respectable desktop.

Icaru3Flyer · January 11, 2022

1 minute ago, Fasauceome said:

It was painful enough when an eGPU dock cost $150 and hurt the value that much already, but $150 plus a GPU in today's market?? Painful.

Do you need your laptop to continue functioning as a laptop? Because most of the time, if you sell your laptop and use the money you would otherwise spend on an external dock, you could build a respectable desktop.

Re: Cost. Yeah. Painful. But cheaper than building a desktop from scratch?

And yes. I absolutely need a laptop that can travel with me to school (law student) and various internships and jobs. I need to take video calls from a variety of locations every week. So unfortunately, selling the laptop isn't a great solution for me.

Kaaverik · January 11, 2022

It depends mostly on how you feel about it. Plenty of people will still decry about it. Personally, I think eGPUs are a great idea, but the cost of the dock alone without a GPU is just a cash grab. If they were $50 I would find it much more reasonable to go that route.

If you want to keep your laptop in tip-top shape, and you plan on doing thermal paste replacement and maybe a battery replacement down the line, maybe not even for a few years, it is a viable option. The laptop if performing great now, should last a good while into the future.

Gaming laptops were and still are mostly bulky with short battery life. There are a few really nice ultrabooks out there! Yes, you will get a lot of performance out of them, but at the cost of portability for the high end ones. It brings me back to the pentium 4 laptops, god those things were insufferable. You were lucky if you could squeeze an hour and a half away from a wall socket.

Fasauceome · January 11, 2022

38 minutes ago, Icaru3Flyer said:

Re: Cost. Yeah. Painful. But cheaper than building a desktop from scratch?

And yes. I absolutely need a laptop that can travel with me to school (law student) and various internships and jobs. I need to take video calls from a variety of locations every week. So unfortunately, selling the laptop isn't a great solution for me.

if GTX 1050 levels of performance would satisfy you, then either saving up to build a cheap gaming desktop, or replace your current laptop with one that has a low end GPU would be preferable solutions to an external GPU.

Icaru3Flyer · January 11, 2022

20 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

if GTX 1050 levels of performance would satisfy you, then either saving up to build a cheap gaming desktop, or replace your current laptop with one that has a low end GPU would be preferable solutions to an external GPU.

Fair points, thanks!