MSI G65 Stealth or Laptop with External GPU?

[nellyone]

Hey guys,

 

I'm going to be going to college soon and the wait has finally ended to buy my college laptop.  I really hate carrying around huge bulking laptops, so I'm trying to figure out which type of setup would suit me the most.  I'm trying to spend under $2100 for a laptop or a laptop connected to an external GPU.  I would want to use this setup for VR and college work.  I'm unsure if a laptop and external GPU would even support VR, hence why I am here to get the community's advice.  If I'm looking for a standalone laptop, I've decided that I'm going to get the 1060 model of the MSI G65 Stealth;  however, I am very open to getting an external GPU to a slightly cheaper laptop without an internal GPU if it can work VR.  Is such a thing possible?  If so, what do you guys recommend which would max out specs for the price limitation?  Sorry for my ignorance in the area, and thank you in advance for the help.

[DrMacintosh]

For college work, or school work in general, you need portability and battery life. Two things that gaming laptops cannot provide. 

 

I don't know any specific laptops that would fit your budget or if you absolutely need to stick with a Windows only machine, but Apple does officially support eGPUs in macOS High Sierra and soon Mojave, but those systems can also support eGPUs in their optional native BootCamp Windows installations. 

 

I would recommend any Windows thin & light that is equipped with a x4 PCIe lane Thunderbolt 3 port, (these are not well documented so you'll have to do some research) and the Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 500W: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0764J5QVD/ref=twister_B076MHSRMM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 

 

Having 500W of power will allow your thin and light to charge while plugged into the eGPU. 

 

Alternatively, you can get any 13" 2017 MacBook Pro and the same eGPU enclosure. This is the option that I would personally go for, seeing as the Mac is essentially the King of portability and battery life and has the ability to become as powerful as you need it to thanks to BootCamp and eGPU support in both macOS and Windows 10*.

 

*To get Windows 10 to recognize eGPUs on a Mac, there is a quick and easy method, as demonstrated in this SnazzyLabs video

 

 

[sillypenguin213]

8 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 500W: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0764J5QVD/ref=twister_B076MHSRMM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 

 

Gigabyte has an eGPU and 1070 bundle for $530

[nellyone]

3 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

For college work, or school work in general, you need portability and battery life. Two things that gaming laptops cannot provide. 

 

I don't know any specific laptops that would fit your budget or if you absolutely need to stick with a Windows only machine, but Apple does officially support eGPUs in macOS High Sierra and soon Mojave, but those systems can also support eGPUs in their optional native BootCamp Windows installations. 

 

I would recommend any Windows thin & light that is equipped with a x4 PCIe lane Thunderbolt 3 port. (these are not well documented so you'll have to do some research) and the Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box 500W: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0764J5QVD/ref=twister_B076MHSRMM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 

 

Having 500W of power will allow your thin and light to charge while plugged into the eGPU. 

 

Alternatively, you can get any 13" 2017 MacBook Pro and the same eGPU enclosure. This is the option that I would personally go for and the Mac is essentially the King of portability and battery life and has the ability to become as powerful as you need it to thanks to BootCamp and eGPU support in both macOS and Windows 10*.

 

*To get Windows 10 to recognize eGPUs there is a quick and easy method, as demonstrated by this SnazzyLabs video

 

 

Thanks for the swift and comprehensive reply.  While I do appreciate the detail which went into explaining Macs, I am particularly disinclined towards their computers mainly due to possibility that I could get better laptop specs for the same price;  however, I will keep what you said in mind.  I will also take a look at that x4 PCle lane Thunderbolt 3 port.  In terms of portability, the G65 Stealth is light enough for my tolerance, and I carry around a battery pack with me at all times either way.  My hope is that someone here already has a setup of an eGPU and windows college laptop which they could share.

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, sillypenguin213 said:

Gigabyte has an eGPU and 1070 bundle for $530

I'm not aware of that deal existing. And if its in one of their gaming boxes, all I see is an RX 580 bundle for $540. 

[DrMacintosh]

2 minutes ago, nellyone said:

I am particularly disinclined towards their computers mainly due to possibility that I could get better laptop specs for the same price

That certainly is possible, and you should get something that fits your needs. I just find that Windows machines make too many compromises and priorities the wrong things.

 

I know Dell makes some great thin and lights, though I believe their machines that have Thunderbolt 3 ports are only x2, meaning your GPU will be pretty bottlenecked. 

 

Btw, here is a website that specializes in eGPUs

 

https://egpu.io 

[sillypenguin213]

4 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

I'm not aware of that deal existing. And if its in one of their gaming boxes, all I see is an RX 580 bundle for $540. 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125990 RX 580 is around GTX 1060 so...

[nellyone]

2 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

That certainly is possible, and you should get something that fits your needs. I just find that Windows machines make too many compromises and priorities the wrong things.

 

I know Dell makes some great thin and lights, though I believe their machines that have Thunderbolt 3 ports are only x2, meaning your GPU will be pretty bottlenecked. 

 

Btw, here is a website that specializes in eGPUs

 

https://egpu.io 

That is a great resource!  Thank you!  I'll make sure to keep an eye out for that 4x, thanks for making the distinction between 4x and 2x.

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, sillypenguin213 said:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125990 RX 580 is around GTX 1060 so...

Yeah, I can't recommend these gaming boxes. They are a great deal, don't get me wrong, but they lock you in to small form factor GPUs and that just sucks. Something like the Sonnet is more expensive, but you get more compatibility and options to upgrade and buy a GPU from your favorite brand. 

[nellyone]

Would anyone with knowledge in the Windows market know of any <4 lbs laptops with a x4 PCIe lane Thunderbolt 3 port?

[sillypenguin213]

5 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Yeah, I can't recommend these gaming boxes. They are a great deal, don't get me wrong, but they lock you in to small form factor GPUs and that just sucks. Something like the Sonnet is more expensive, but you get more compatibility and options to upgrade and buy a GPU from your favorite brand. 

Upgrading but limited by pcie 3.0 x 4? 

[DrMacintosh]

1 minute ago, sillypenguin213 said:

Upgrading but limited by pcie 3.0 x 4? 

You are limited by the size that those gaming boxes from Gigabyte can support. They only take ultra small GPUs. 

 

But any card you put in one will of course be limited to PCIe x4 speeds. 

[genexis_x]

1 hour ago, DrMacintosh said:

their machines that have Thunderbolt 3 ports are only x2

New models and some business models have x4 PCIe lanes

1 hour ago, nellyone said:

Would anyone with knowledge in the Windows market know of any <4 lbs laptops with a x4 PCIe lane Thunderbolt 3 port?

There are many