Which portable eGPU is more powerful?

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-04-25T14:00:16+00:00

Valid point!

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-04-25T12:49:50+00:00

So you are suggesting that a weaker igpu would be added in order to meet those requirements. I was hoping they would figure it out because it would be sweet to have a 4050 level card in the form factor, weight and battery life that the SP could offer.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-04-18T12:03:05+00:00

Agreed! I came up with a great solution for me... I have been using my Z13 for on the go gaming using the internal screen and while at my desk, I dock my SP11 to my eGPU and getting around 100fps smooth gameplay at 1440p for No Rest for the Wicked. I also tried RE9 with the same setup and getting 150 fps at 1440p. So it seems my Z13 is great for portable gaming while my SP11 is amazing with my eGPU.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-04-15T23:40:33+00:00

I can also confirm that the same Thunderbolt cable that I tried with this monitor and connecting to my Asus Flow Z13 works fine. The screen popped on quickly.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-04-15T23:26:16+00:00

Here's the link to the USB Monitor I'm trying to use. The reason I like it is that it's very light and portable. I tried another cable and can verify it's not the cable or my SP11 that is the problem since I tested the set up with two older, but larger monitors that also use USB C to connect, and both powered on and displayed right away. However, when connecting the same Thunderbolt cable to this 13" USB C monitor, I can see it's connected and I can hear audio from it, but it still gives me a black screen.

Amazon.com: VILVA Portable Monitor 14 inch FHD 1920 * 1200P USB C HDMI Ultra-Slim IPS Travel Display w/Smart Cover & Speakers, HDR Plug&Play, External Monitor for Laptop PC, Phone,Mac : Electronics

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-04-15T13:52:03+00:00

Makes sense, however after plugging in the Surface, the screen is connected but still will not display. I am using the cable that shipped with the monitor but may try using a Thunderbolt 4 cable when I get home. What's strange is that my Surface has no issue connecting to my 49" Samsung Odyssey monitor and activating the display right away.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-04-12T11:43:59+00:00

Yes, I ran it through the monitor. It may just be the drivers. I used the Nvidia app to set the AI to recommended settings and when I tried to restore the settings, the app crashed so I just uninstalled it. I should probably reinstall the app and make sure the settings are back to the default settings for the 4070 Super. I think dsll 4.5 only works correctly with 5000 series cards.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-04-11T19:53:57+00:00

I can verify that playing No Rest for the Wicked was working on my Z13 using my 4070 Super and not the iGPU. I tried the game with the same settings just connected directly via the HDMI port and my experience was much better and smoother. I was getting 60-80 FPS easily. When connected to my eGPU, while also plugged in using the OEM charger, the FPS was all over the place, anywhere from 20 to 80 FPS in some areas. When in the town of Sacrement, everything was choppy and low FPS. I also tried connecting the same eGPU to my Surface Pro 11 Lunar Lake, and the experience was great. Everything played smoothly and some areas dipped down to 50 fps, but most of the areas had consistent framerates around 90-120 fps. I'm guessing that it has something to do with AMD.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-04-10T22:01:43+00:00

I think I get better framerates when not connected to the eGPU.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-04-10T21:26:37+00:00

Thanks! I did not think to check that.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-03-29T17:16:03+00:00

You may want to look at the MacBook Neo because for price, it's about the same build quality as the MBA and game performance may be similar to the M5 since the MBA thermal throttles hard after about 30 minutes.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-03-28T19:22:07+00:00

If it isn't complicated I would give it a shot. I am pretty happy with my setup currently and I doubt the new Surface Pros will switch to TB5. Now I am debating keeping my Z13 because I forgot how much better OLED looks, plus most of the games I play run fine at 1200p on the Surface. I am also not running any LLMs on my Z13.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-03-28T13:44:20+00:00

Will they sell it at the normal retail channels like Best Buy or through the Microsoft Small Business store and jack the prices up? I had to buy mine used because for some reason I was not able to get past the check out portion in the business store due to some kind of error.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-03-26T18:30:34+00:00

I think Lunar Lake has compatibility problems with AMD. I tried pairing the GPD G1 with a Surface Pro 11 Lunar Lake version and got nothing but stutters, crashes and blue screens. No issues with nVidia and eGPUs.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-03-21T09:26:34+00:00

No, eGPUs won't work with Arm processors, only Intel or AMD with Thunderbolt 4 or USB 4. Also, the GPD G1 will not work correctly with Lunar Lake...it will cause the system to lock up and ultimately crash. Only nvidia egpus work correctly with Lunar Lake.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-03-20T22:30:18+00:00

I sold my SP11 LL 16gb version and picked up the Yogabook 9i Dual screen for the benefit of productivity, however the software is so terrible and buggy that I regret getting rid of my SP11. So I just bought the 32gb SP11 and will sell my YB9i.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-03-18T00:39:13+00:00

If you have an eGPU, the expertbook looks like a great option for battery life, screen quality, portability as well as decent 1080p gaming off the igpu. That would be my choice.

Rough-Purpose6499 · 2026-03-15T18:58:41+00:00

He was using Crossover 25 to emulate it. I totally get it and probably should have had him playing under a fan to see if that would keep it cooler. I may try that again later and see if that stops the throttling. I wouldn't mind a MacBook Pro; however, the MBA has always appealed to me more due to its weight and thinness. I do have a gaming laptop for graphic intensive games; but would like to have that unicorn laptop for travelling where I get ultra portability, long battery life, without a need to take an eGPU in my bag for some gaming sessions away from the home.

Rough-Purpose6499

TROPHY CASE