News CES21: Asus Sneak-Peaks uSFF 3080 Custom eGPU [DigitalTrends]

Via DigitalTrends:

Asus pairs the portable ROG Flow X13 2-in-1 with a miniature XG Mobile eGPU

Asus brought an entirely new concept for a gaming laptop to CES 2021 this year, combining an ultra-thin 2-in-1 with a highly portable external GPU.

www.digitaltrends.com

"But then, there’s the ROG XG Mobile, an external graphics enclosure that’s meant to add some additional power to the Flow X13. External graphics are nothing new, but the XG Mobile has a form factor that makes it stand out. The enclosure itself only weighs 2.2 pounds, and Asus says it, only 6% of the size of a typical eGPU. The primary reason is because the XG Mobile uses a mobile version of an Nvidia graphics card, rather than the desktop models that most eGPUs use."

Pro:
Small!!
3000-series capable, built-in power supply.
Cons:
Custom PCIe connector.
Likely very expensive.

 

[thewizzard1]

LTT Video:
Not too much more information, but certainly some good peeking.

 

[thewizzard1]

Another update: via TomsHardware:

"Asus XG Mobile eGPU​

For enthusiasts, the interest will lie with the introduction of the XG Mobile eGPU, a 2.2-pound combination external graphics card, dock and power brick with up to a mobile RTX 3080. It adds extra USB ports, an Ethernet jack and display outputs (allowing for up to four monitors in total between the devices) and is also a 280W power adapter.

All of that connects to the laptop with the XG Mobile interface, a custom solution that, at the moment, only works with the Flow X13. Asus claims the connection, which uses over 67 wires in the cable, reaches PCIe 3.0 speeds of 63 Gbps, faster than Thunderbolt 4 eGPUs. That should mean better performance than a standard eGPU, though this is a mobile graphics card, and you can't swap it out. "

Of note: LTT said the connection was PCIe4x8, this reports PCIe3.

 

[Skripka]

It needs strongly emphasized...this is NOT a desktop 3080--this is basically a 3070. Talk about false advertising.

 

[Gilles3000]

It needs strongly emphasized...this is NOT a desktop 3080--this is basically a 3070. Talk about false advertising.

Yep, and a proprietary connector. So basically no resale value, unlikely to have a decent upgrade path and likely to be discontinued entirely after a few years.

 

[thewizzard1]

I don't mind mobile vs desktop name/branding, so long as it's always stated - "Mobile" 3080 suffices.

It'd be great if they could dump the Max-P / Max-Q / TI / Super garbage branding.

@Gilles3000 but imaging if something comes along and resolves the pinout, or an adapter is made

 

[kotproger]

I don't mind mobile vs desktop name/branding, so long as it's always stated - "Mobile" 3080 suffices.

It'd be great if they could dump the Max-P / Max-Q / TI / Super garbage branding.

@Gilles3000 but imaging if something comes along and resolves the pinout, or an adapter is made

You still try to get the mating connector for the cable for self-soldering
It is more or less common to use a thunderbolt interface for an EGPU. There is also a proprietary connector with direct use of pci-e. So pinout won't help you.

So in terms of compatibility and the future ... there is no future compatibility.

 

[thewizzard1]

@kotproger Who says the cable won't be pulled from the internal header, and replaced with something more universal? A man can dream, can't he?

 

[KepKe]

Not going to lie, drop a CPU, some RAM, a WiFi card and a M.2 and this would be the most erotic PC on earth. Please tell me Asus will do exactly that... If there was a NUC-ish PC with that XG connector, one could just glue them together and probably still have the highest Perf./L ratio out there.