Minisforum DEG1 eGPU dock launches for $99, PCIe Gen 4 interface and PSU-powered

The Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock is a very cool and minimal approach to hooking up an external GPU to a mini PC or laptop. It uses the OCuLink interface to deliver 64 Gbps of bandwidth, and the open-air design means you could hook up anything from a GeForce RTX 3060 to a GeForce RTX 4090 or the flagship Radeon RX 7900 XTX.

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There's an included signal amplifier to ensure a stable connection, though the $99 USD price tag means you'll need a PC ATX or SFX power supply to provide enough power to the GPU. It's an elegant approach, but it does mean that you'd probably need to shell out for a power supply - and in that case, you'd want the most compact and modular option to help maintain a minimal look.

It's a niche product, but with the rise of portable PCs with powerful hardware-including PC gaming handhelds - there's a definite market for it. In fact, with a few mini PCs currently sitting in my living room, I wouldn't mind one of these to play more than Hades 2 on my big-screen OLED.

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It's also worth noting that with an eGPU device like this, even though it's connected via PCIe Gen4, you do lose out on performance on high-end GPUs due to bandwidth limitations - not a lot, but enough to be noticeable. Also, one cool feature of the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock is that it powers on automatically when the host PC fires up.

The Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock product page is live, indicating that stock is expected to ship in mid-July.