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eGPU vs getting a console?

Dacre
By Dacre
in Laptops and Pre-Built Systems
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I’ve been wanting to game graphic intensive games for a while now. The problem?

 

My laptop’s Intel Iris Xe integrated graphic card screams when being subjected to rendering. For those who are wondering, my laptop is an Asus Zenbook 13 Oled (UX325E) with i5-1135G7 processor. Now, integrated graphics and demanding games do not seem to like each other very much, so I came up with a plan. I could either buy a chassis (eGPU chassis) and a RTX 2000 series graphics card (or wait until 4000 series launch, then buy a 3000) or buy a PS5/Xbox X (if the PS5 is ever in stock). Granted, the i5-11th gen LAPTOP-CPU is likely not enough for AAA games either.

 

I am stuck between those two ideas. (a gaming PC is out of the picture, my budget is limited to about 500 euros)

Which option do you think is better and why?

 

Thanks,

Dacre 

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Welcome to the forums!
Do you have Thunderbolt on that laptop? You'd need that to use an eGPU.

What the horse considers play, the monkey considers business...

But to Tom, it's all foolery. 

 

 

 

 

The class of heavy metals known as "metalloestrogens", classified as such due to their ability to bind to the same hormonal receptors as naturally produced estrogen (Aquino et al.), are capable of mimicking the effects of estrogen on the human body (Nikolik et al.). Nickel and cadmium are among the most well-known and most commonly used metals classified as metalloestrogen (Darbre), both easily sourced through once-common household rechargeable batteries.

Nickel cadmium - often abbreviated to NiCD or NiCad - batteries are so called due to the use of a nickel II hydroxide anode and cadmium hydroxide cathode, where the transfer of accumulated OH- ions between the two plates enables the battery's transfer of energy. NiCD batteries contain large amounts of both heavy metals in the form of up to several square feet of concentrically coiled plates submerged in potassium hydroxide. Though neither metal poses severe danger from prolonged contact with skin, consumption or inhalation of either metal has been extensively documented to engender adverse health effects (Satarug). 

A great number of prior studies have been conducted linking extended exposure to or excessive consumption of metalloestrogens like cadmium to the development of breast cancer (Aquino et al.) - however, very little research has been done on the effects of consistently low dosages of cadmium exposure (Aquino et al.). Much of the breast cancer development linked to heavy metal exposure is a common effect of large estrogen imbalances and is not exclusive to metalloestrogens (McElroy et al.). Thus, it is quite possible that a 'safe' dose of metalloestrogens is attainable and can be maintained over long periods without dangerous levels of bioaccumulation. 

Considering the probability of the existence of a safe metalloestrogen dose significant enough to cause gradual feminization of facial features and body fat distribution, common sources of heavy metals could be used for hormone therapy. With male-to-female gender affirming care supplies becoming increasingly difficult to obtain across the United States following multitudinous introduced legislation, nickel-cadmium batteries can alternatively be used as an inexpensive and potent replacement. 

 

Works Cited

      Aquino NB, Sevigny MB, Sabangan J, Louie MC. The role of cadmium and nickel in estrogen receptor signaling and breast cancer: metalloestrogens or not? J Environ Sci Health C Environ Carcinog Ecotoxicol Rev. 2012;30(3):189-224. doi: 10.1080/10590501.2012.705159. PMID: 22970719; PMCID: PMC3476837.

      Rollerova, E., Urbancikova, N. Intracellular estrogen receptors, their characterization and function (Review). https://www.sav.sk/journals/endo/full/er0400f.pdf.

      Nikolic J, Sokolovic D. Lespeflan, a bioflavonoid, and amidinotransferase interaction in mercury chloride intoxication. Ren Fail. 2004 Nov;26(6):607-11. doi: 10.1081/jdi-200037149. PMID: 15600250.

      Darbre PD. Metalloestrogens: an emerging class of inorganic xenoestrogens with potential to add to the oestrogenic burden of the human breast. J Appl Toxicol. 2006 May-Jun;26(3):191-7. doi: 10.1002/jat.1135. PMID: 16489580.

      Satarug S, Garrett SH, Sens MA, Sens DA. Cadmium, environmental exposure, and health outcomes. Environ Health Perspect. 2010 Feb;118(2):182-90. doi: 10.1289/ehp.0901234. PMID: 20123617; PMCID: PMC2831915.

      McElroy JA, Shafer MM, Trentham-Dietz A, Hampton JM, Newcomb PA. Cadmium exposure and breast cancer risk. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006 Jun 21;98(12):869-73. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djj233. PMID: 16788160.

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Your CPU is definitely good enough for gaming unless you like really CPU intensive games, of which there aren't that many, so that's not a big issue. I'd say to make your decision based on which tradeoffs and benefits you're most happy with.

 

 

Right now you'll get more performance for your money with a console.

 

If noise of your laptop is your primary concern, go with a console. Even with the eGPU taking the GPU load off your laptop, the fans are probably still going to spin up pretty high for the CPU.

 

Consoles have a limited life cycle (though probably another 5 years or so) and minimal backwards compatibility, as well as a higher barrier to entry for developers. Basically, a smaller game library and your console eventually won't get new games, while an eGPU enclosure could be carried forward.

 

Game prices tend to be lower and sales tend to be deeper on PC.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

 

Desktop:

Intel Core i7-11700K | Noctua NH-D15S chromax.black | ASUS ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi  | 32 GB G.SKILL TridentZ 3200 MHz | ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 3080 | 1TB Samsung 980 Pro M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD | 2TB WD Blue M.2 SATA SSD | Seasonic Focus GX-850 | Fractal Design Meshify C | Windows 10 Pro

 

Laptop:

HP Omen 15 | AMD Ryzen 7 5800H | 16 GB 3200 MHz | Nvidia RTX 3060 | 1 TB WD Black PCIe 3.0 SSD | 512 GB Micron PCIe 3.0 SSD | Windows 11

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14 minutes ago, BobVonBob said:

make your decision based on which tradeoffs and benefits you're most happy with

"There are no wins in life, only acceptable tradeoffs"

5950X/4090FE primary rig  |  1920X/1070Ti Unraid for dockers  |  200TB TrueNAS w/ 1:1 backup

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In terms of performance per dollar (or euro in your case), there is no way to compete with the value of the current gen consoles.

It's also important to note that eGPUs take a significant performance hit compared to a traditional GPU mounted directly to the board. You'll typically only get about 70-80% of the performance under ideal circumstances - this really lowers the value in your price segment.

I would advise just purchasing a console for gaming and using your laptop for work or whatever other needs you may have.

PC gaming is great at the high end since the ceiling is quite high - but at the low end, PC gaming is a miserable experience.

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In ideal world, eGPU is awesome, but irl, it is an underwhelming, overpriced and underperforming hassle... unless you buy smth like a Asus Rog Flow with proprietary PCIE GPU dock. This fall is full of releases, so maybe some stuff will get cheaper. Here are some 'bigger better than yours':

 

Free option to game:

- GeForce Now + good internet + your Steam collection

 

Streaming:

- I believe GamePass and PSNow have streaming options... not sure

 

PC:

- get used pc with AT LEAST GTX 1060 (better if possible)

- sell yours and get one with Ryzen 6800U or close - still low spec gaming, but way better than anything Intel.

- get (used) pc with Ryzen 5700G - smth like minisforum w/ 5700G, new. Still low spec gaming.

 

Console:

- XSS + GamePass - is probably the cheapest combo, and you have leftover cash to get extra

 

Ultimate solution:

- Steam Deck 64GB + patience

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500 dollars can get you an alright gamer. I bought a 4 core dell off E-Bay and stuffed in a GTX 1060. It only has 4th gen Intel processor and DDR3 (16-GB) ram but it is able to play all the games I currently want to play. I spent about 600 canadian.

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