#Gus ii external gpu enclosure pro#
#Gus ii external gpu enclosure Pc#

Moreover, a nearly $1000 price tag makes the Echo Express look like a comparative bargain at $600. There's a three-slot Magma ExpressBox 3T available with a bigger power supply, but it's twin x8 and single x4 slot configuration doesn't handle graphics cards well.

Almost one year has passed since we first saw MSI's GUS II, but that company still hasn't set a shipping date. Sonnet Technologies deserves considerable praise for introducing us to the first Thunderbolt-based expansion chassis for PCI Express add-in cards. The good news is that an old faithful GTX 460 fits perfectly in the $600 Echo Express. Pinching off that bus means that, at a certain point, it doesn't matter how big of a GPU you attach to the host.

#Gus ii external gpu enclosure Pc#

Mission accomplished (even if we had to use a PC power supply to get there).Р”Р„t least you don't have to worry too much about procuring a flagship graphics card, right? Our benchmarks show us that a GeForce GTX 460 is, in many cases, just as fast as the higher-end Radeon HD 6970 as a result of the interface constraints of Thunderbolt. Of course, that's wholly a side effect of our desire to see a potent GPU sitting alongside an Ultrabook, driving a demanding AAA title faster than any mobile graphics module could muster.

A top-mounted power connector will force you to use the enclosure with its top popped. As you can see in the image above, the chassis is designed to exacting specifications just large enough to accommodate full-height PCI Express cards. If you do end up using a card with auxiliary power connectors, pay close attention to their orientation.

#Gus ii external gpu enclosure pro#

Either way, we'd like to see Sonnet incorporate at least one six-pin lead to fully exploit the Pro model's 150 W peak power delivery. Or, hooking up your own power supply, as we did with our Radeon HD 6970, could work too. Mainstream cards that get everything they need from the PCI Express bus are one option. A lack of auxiliary power connectors limits the number of boards you can use. The only bummer is that Sonnet Technologies' Echo Express line-up isn't really designed for graphics cards.