External GPUs?

Slipperymovement20

I've heard of a couple places that have external GPUs that a laptop can use to give more power when needed for more resource heavy gameplay. Is there anything that remotely possible to do so? I have a laptop, but I was debating on selling it and getting a desktop that's 900. But I doubt there's anything that has a 3050 RTX in it alongside Intel for that kind of price. What do you think? I only have 4gb of VRam, so I was debating on looking into something that can at least increase that. I wish they had a simple thing that could be plugged in by USB to just add more Vram, but nothing else. And yes, I finally got a new laptop. I like it, but I don't kinda like it like it..

Ian

Greetings, we do not seem to carry external GPU's at Micro Center so we would not have a direct recommendaton for you on that.

They can be quite pricy however to add a GPU to a laptop. I'd suggest to look over these articles for some recommendations: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/everything-need-know-external-gpu/ and https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/best-egpus

PowerSpec_MikeW

@Slipperymovement20

Generally you need a laptop with Thunderbolt. There are direct PCIe options, but they generally involve removing the bottom of the unit and using the E-Key slot for the wireless card to run the GPU. Keep in mind that slot is only x2 PCIe but it can still offer significant performance gains over an IGP for gaming.

For Desktops:

12400F and RX 6600 for $899.99: https://www.microcenter.com/product/646648/powerspec-g230-gaming-pc

JadedBuddhist

I would also like to request that you start carrying external GPU enclosures at MicroCenter.