Asus’ Pricey, Proprietary Mobile RTX 4090 eGPU Arrives, for $1,999
Asus’ ROG Flow X13, Z13, and X16 are powerful laptops with some of the best hardware on the market. However, they rely on his ROG XG Mobile GPU for high-end gaming performance, making it an attractive option for those looking for a slim laptop on the go. Connected to his eGPU at home it becomes a powerful gaming rig.
However, the latest 2023 edition of ROG XG Mobile doesn’t come cheap, as it’s powered by one of the best graphics cards for gamers: Nvidia’s flagship GeForce RTX 4090 (in mobile format).
ROG XG Mobile is an external graphics dock introduced by Asus in 2021 for its premium ROG Flow X13 (GV301/GV302), ROG Flow Z13 (GZ301), and ROG Flow X16 (GV601) laptops. ROG XG Mobile is not compatible with notebooks other than the aforementioned ROG Flow units, as IT connects to the host device via a proprietary PCIe connector. to provide a PCIe 3.0 x8 highway for communication between The theoretical bandwidth of PCIe 3.0 x8 connection is 63 Gb/s, about 57% higher than Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gb/s).
Aesthetically, the ROG XG Mobile hasn’t changed much from its conception. The dock measures 21.7 x 16.5 x 3.26 cm, the size of a hardcover book. It has the same footprint as the 2022 model, but is slightly larger than the original. After all, Nvidia’s GPUs are getting more thermally demanding. That’s why ROG XG Mobile is getting heavier every year. The 2023 and 2022 models are 300 and 200 grams heavier, respectively, than the 2021 model.
ROG XG Mobile (2023) Specifications
Model name | graphics card | Graphics card TGP | ethernet connection | display port | USB port | SD card reader | power supply | size | weight | price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GC33Y (2023) | GeForce RTX 4090 laptop GPUs | 150W | 2.5 Gigabit | HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x 1 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A x 3, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C x 1 | yes | 330W | 21.7×16.5×3.26cm | 1.3kg | $1,999.99 |
GC32L (2022) | Radeon RX 6850M XT | 165W | 2.5 Gigabit | HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x 1 | 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A | yes | 330W | 21.7×16.5×3.26cm | 1.2kg | $999.99 |
GC31S (2021) | GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPUs | 150W | gigabit | HDMI 2.0b x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x 1 | 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A | yes | 280W | 20.8×15.5×2.96cm | 1.0kg | $1,099.99 |
GC31R (2021) | GeForce RTX 3070 laptop GPUs | 140W | gigabit | HDMI 2.0b x 1, DisplayPort 1.4 x 1 | 4x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A | yes | 280W | 20.8×15.5×2.96cm | 1.0kg | ? |
The ROG XG Mobile 2023’s most notable upgrades are under the hood. This year’s model utilizes Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090 laptop GPU (150W). This is a huge improvement over its predecessor with the Radeon RX 6850M XT (165W) in terms of performance and power efficiency. Cooling comes in the form of a vapor chamber for the GPU die, aided by a standard heatsink and a small cooling fan with red lighting visible from the front of the dock. The GeForce RTX 4090 laptop GPU has a TGP configurable between 80W and 150W, so consumers will get the best configuration here. Logically, it can’t compete with his GeForce RTX 4090 laptop GPU with its overclocked 175W envelope, but that’s another story.
The ROG XG Mobile obviously can’t get all the power it needs from the laptop. Despite using mobile graphics cards in the ~150W range, the dock always includes a large power adapter. The first ROG XG Mobile came with a 280W unit. Since then Asus has upgraded it to 330W to give more power headroom to other devices.
ROG XG Mobile can also act as an I/O hub, but that functionality also requires a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gb/s) connection to your laptop. The first dock only had a Gigabit Ethernet connection, but the 2022 and newer models have him a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port. Asus has also revamped its USB ports to make them faster. ROG XG Mobile 2023 offers a combination of 3 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports and 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port. This is in contrast to the four regular USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A used in the last two. generation. The display port and SD card reader are two items that have not changed.
Asus sells ROG XG Mobile 2023 for a whopping price $1,999.99 (opens in new tab)Considering you can get a desktop GeForce RTX 4090 or one of the best gaming PCs for that kind of money and still have spare change, it’s expensive.$999.99 (opens in new tab)) was significantly cheaper as Asus chose AMD’s Radeon RX 6850M XT for the job. For comparison, his 2021 model with a GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPU $1,099.99 (opens in new tab).
That means Asus is charging $900 or 82% more for a new version of its own external GPU. On the bright side, given the price, the ROG XG Mobile 2023 should have plenty in stock. I am confident that I will take the opportunity to do so.