ASUS ROG XG Station 2 eGFX Enclosure with Thunderbolt 3 Launched

ASUS last week finally launched theROG XG Station 2 external GPU chassis, to enable Thunderbolt 3 systems to implement discrete graphics. The eGFX enclosure from ASUS integrates a 600 W PSU to ensure compatibility with power-hungry graphics adapters, and can house not only a video card but also an additional 2.5” storage device and bundles in extra USB 3.0 ports. The design of the external GPU box features signature ‘Republic of Gamers’ elements with red LEDs and Mayan-style patterning.

ASUS was among the pioneers of external graphics adapters in 2007 when it first showcased its XG Station with an integrated NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT GPU. The dock used the Express Card interface, was not upgradeable, was only compatible with select ASUS laptops and its performance was not enough for then-popular games like Crysis (which is partly why it never took off). The company did not bury the idea of external graphics for laptops completely, and at CES 2014 the company showcased its XG Station 2 with a Thunderbolt 2 interface co-developed with SilverStone. The chassis was upgradeable and could house a variety of graphics cards, but the entire platform itself had numerous limitations when it came to bandwidth, hot-plugging, driver support and some others which is why that product was not even released. In January this year, ASUS demonstrated yet another XG Station 2, this time with a proprietary physical interface that used two USB Type-C cables (albeit with 32 Gb/s maximum bandwidth) and was to be compatible with select ASUS laptops. Around that time Intel had managed to finalize its eGFX over Thunderbolt 3 specification with some external help from AMD (see XConnect), whereas Razer showcased their compatible solution up and running (and later commercialized it). The Thunderbolt 3 graphics appeared to be so robust that ASUS decided to drop its proprietary external graphics interface and go with TB3 instead. At Computex in June, the company showcased its XG Station 2 with a Thunderbolt 3 interface, which will finally hit the market in 2017, a decade after the original XG Station (and in the third iteration of its own).

The ASUS ROG XG Station 2 looks exactly like the one demonstrated at Computex: the Mayan patterns serve like the openings to ensure proper cooling and the enclosure is equipped with multiple red LEDs controlled using the ROG AURA technology. The eGFX chassis from ASUS can accommodate a qualified double-wide PCIe x16 video card that is up to 12.2”/310 mm long. Due to TB3 bandwidth limitations, as with all TB3 eGFX enclosures, the GPUs are limited to PCIe 3.0 x4 bandwidth. The company does not specify the exact height of graphics adapters that the XG Station 2 can host, but for demonstrations it has used its ROG Strix boards with enlarged PCBs, hence it is safe to assume that there is plenty of vertical space inside the enclosure. To ensure that graphics cards receive enough power, ASUS integrated a 600 W PSU into the XG Station 2, a more powerful unit than in any other contemporary eGFX chassis. The enclosure has three 80-mm fans to pump up cool air into the box to guarantee proper cooling and enhance GPU overclocking potential for those who need it.

The ROG XG Station 2 is not just an eGFX enclosure, but also rather an expansion dock for laptops that adds Gigabit Ethernet, four USB 3.0 ports as well as one 2.5” bay for a SATA hard drive or an SSD. It is noteworthy that the four USB ports are not involved in the TB3 connection and do not use PCIe bandwidth, but have to be connected using a USB 3.0 Type-B cable (which means that the XGS2 needs three cables: TB3, USB and power). From connectivity and expandability standpoint, the ASUS ROG XG Station 2 is on par with PowerColor’s Devil Box, but leaves the competitor behind it when it comes to the wattage of internal PSU.

When it comes to compatibility, the ASUS ROG XG Station 2 should work with all systems that feature Thunderbolt 3 and support of eGFX through BIOS and TB3 firmware. ASUS lists its computers that can work with its external GPU enclosure on its website, but also lists systems from other makers. Nonetheless, it should not be a problem for the ROG XG Station 2 to work with appropriate non-ASUS PCs (e.g., with Razer’s Blade Stealth) with TB3 and appropriate BIOS/FW.

ASUS plans to start sales of the ROG XG Station 2 in early 2017. The company yet has to disclose the final pricing, but given all the advantages that the product has, we expect it will cost more than an average eGFX box.

Gallery: ASUS ROG XG Station 2 eGFX Enclosure with Thunderbolt 3 Launched

Related Reading:

• AKiTiO Introduces Node: Thunderbolt 3 eGFX Box for $299
• PowerColor Announces Devil Box: Thunderbolt 3 eGFX Enclosure
• Razer Core Thunderbolt 3 eGFX Chassis: $499/$399, AMD & NVIDIA, Shipping In April
• More on AMD’s XConnect Tech: Thunderbolt 3 for External Radeons

Christmas Game Bundles: Civilization VI, Doom, Hitman, Serious Sam VR from AMD, HTC, & NVIDIA

In recent days AMD, NVIDIA and HTC have initiated three new free game campaigns in an attempt to attract attention of gamers to their hardware. AMD will add a free copy of the latest Hitman game to its Radeon RX 470 graphics adapters, as well as Civilization VI and Doom to those who buy a Radeon RX 480 video card and Intel’s Core i5-6600K CPU. Meanwhile NVIDIA has teamed up with HTC to bundle three free virtual reality titles (including Serious Sam VR) to those who buy a qualifying GeForce GTX 1060/1070/1080 along with the HTC Vive VR headset.

AMD Game Bundles: Civilization VI, Doom, Hitman

AMD will include a voucher for Hitman The Complete First Season on Steam as a bundle with any Radeon RX 470 video card purchased from an eligible retailer or a PC featuring the adapter from a qualifying system integrator. The campaign runs globally (with exception of China and Japan) and lasts until February 22, 2017, or when AMD depletes its supply of codes.

AMD has also teamed up with popular retailers to provide Steam codes for Doom and Sid Meier’s Civilization VI to those who buy an Intel Core i5-6600K CPU and a select AMD Radeon RX 480 video card from MSI (in the U.S.) or Sapphire (in Europe) from a participating retailer. In the U.S., you must buy from Newegg and the campaign ends on December 31 or when AMD runs out of codes. In Europe, the list of participating retailers includes Overclockers UK, LDLC and CSL and the campaign runs through January 15 or while supplies of codes last.

Keep in mind that AMD is also bundling Doom with select AM3+ motherboards priced over $99, as well as Civilization VI with all Radeon RX 480 graphics adapters. As usual, more information about all the current AMD promotions is available from the AMD Rewards web site.

NVDIA Game Bundles: Raw Data, Serious Sam VR, and Sports Bar VR

In a bid to lure early adopters of VR into their respective camps, NVIDIA teamed up with HTC to provide free game codes for Raw Data, Serious Sam VR, and Sports Bar VR to those who buy a GeForce GTX 1060/1070/1080 graphics card (or a PC featuring one of the GPUs) along with an HTC Vive from a participating retailer or system integrator. The campaign runs globally (except China) through January 31 or while supplies last. At press time, the list of NVIDIA’s partners for the campaign in the U.S. included Newegg and Microsoft Store, but NVIDIA said that the number of participating partners would increase over time.

It is also noteworthy that NVIDIA is still bundling Watch_Dogs 2 with select GeForce GTX 1070/1080 video cards and laptops carrying mobile versions of the graphics processors through December 19. Unfortunately, the two offers may not be combined and you are not going to get four free games with one huge purchase.

Related Reading:

• Game Bundles: Get Civilization VI, Doom, Watch_Dogs 2 for Free with AMD, NVIDIA and Samsung Hardware
• AMD Delivers Crimson ReLive Drivers: Yearly Feature Update for Radeon Gamers and Professionals
• NVIDIA Releases 376.19 WHQL Driver Update: Game Ready Oculus Touch and Two Giveaways

Sources: AMD, NVIDIA.

AMD Announces Radeon Instinct: GPU Accelerators for Deep Learning, Coming In 2017

With the launch of their Polaris family of GPUs earlier this year, much of AMD’s public focus in this space has been on the consumer side of matters. However now with the consumer launch behind them, AMD’s attention has been freed to focus…