GPD launches external Radeon RX 7600M XT GPU with OcuLink connector

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GPD’s external GPU relies on Radeon RX 7600M XT

The company announces pricing for their next-gen gaming console and their new external GPU module.



GPD Win Max 2 is the latest handheld gaming console announced this month. Like other modern devices of this type, it features an AMD Ryzen 7 7848U APU with Zen4 and RDNA3 architectures. What makes Win Max 2 different from ROG Ally or AyaNeo 2S is a clamshell design with a full keyboard hidden under a screen.

However, the design of the console (similar to last-gen) is not particularly interesting. What is exciting is the Oculink connector. This connector enables higher bandwidth for peripherals, in this case an external graphics cards. The company announced GPD G1, which a slim design external graphics component powered by Radeon RX 7600M XT GPU.

The G1’s Radeon GPU has the same specs as the upcoming desktop Radeon RX 7600 series, which is full Navi 33 GPU (2048 cores) and 8GB GDDR6 memory across a 128-bit bus. The GPU has 120W TGP and the whole enclosure has a 240W GaN charger. This is not a high-end GPU, not even close to ASUS’s GeForce RTX 4090 XG Mobile module, but it is small and needs less power. The “World’s smallest eGPU” measures just 22.5 x 11.1 x 29.8 cm.


 
Additionally, the eGPU enclosure has many external headers, including two DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x HDMI 2.1, SD 4.0 card readers, three USB 3.2 Type-A and one USB4 connector. There is sadly no Ethernet port on this product. It should be noted though that SD card reader and Type-A connectors will not work when the product is connected through OcuLink.

Oculink standard enables up to PCIe Gen4 with four lanes, which contributes to 63 Gbps, compared to just 32 Gbps on Thunderbolt 4 connection. External GPUs that are connected through TB4, typically loose around 20% of their performance. The Oculink device should no doubt have lower performance loss.

GPD are claiming that their eGPU should offer 4% higher performance in 3DMark FireStrike and 13% lower in Time Spy than the desktop GeForce RTX 3070 (do note it is mislabeled on the first graph as 4070):


 
The only bad news is the pricing. The cheapest setup featuring GPD G1 eGPU costs $1703 (retail), which is more than high-end laptops powered by RTX 4070 GPU. Normal gaming laptops are for sure larger, but there is no need to carry external GPUs around.


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