So...why hasn't this been invented yet? It'd basically just be a box with a pci-whatever slot in it and a power adapter that you'd plug into the wall (so it wouldn't run off the laptop's battery). USB 3.0 is as fast as PCI-E now isn't it? So...why hasn't this happened yet?

Actually it has been invented already.

has been invented as well.

Good god, no.

Even forgetting (and that would be a mistake) for a moment the latency issue with external hardware (not a big deal when transferring stored files for use, but a HUGE deal with the back-and-forth required for video rendering), USB 3 peaks at 5 gigabits and a typical PCIe 3 runs at 32 gigabits, because most PCIe cards are x16. Even an older x8 will still be four times as fast as USB 3.0

EDIT: four times as fast not counting the latency, just pure data transfer speed. External video cards are a terrible idea in a time when the Intel integrated options are so good.

Will be closely followed by the bulletproof jockstrap I'm sure.

Wonder how much they'd pay the "volunteers" for the final live testing phase of the product.

You don't need a live testing phase, human dummies usually do the trick. Or the industry was actually all along using abducted human subjects tarning them as inanimate objects. Interisting conspiracy theory.

Well, I'm assuming you want to insure at least a minimal degree of comfort while someone is getting shot in that area.

A dummy will give an overall damage assessment, but can't convey a painful sensation unless it translates into some visible damage to the dummy.

they exist and are called gaming station or something similar

Heh.


On some business-class laptops you can rig an external card to the laptop using ExpressCard slot and soldering skills
So nothing new for tinkerers

Already a thing.

I'm still waiting for MSI's refresh of their gaming dock (Gamingdock Mini). V1 was a large ugly box. V2 is integrated more like a laptop stand... but aside from the computex 2015 footage - there has been no news since ><

I would think the main problem would be bandwidth and latency. I think USB 3 has probably improved bandwidth enough but I wonder about the latency.

Those boxes look kinda big? Like placing a small-ish desktop PC case under your laptop. Not very attractive at least to me.

If it was an enclosure not much bigger than the actual desktop graphics card, maybe then I might be interested. Something that fits neatly into your laptop bag, along with your laptop. And yeah, it should be standardized so that it works with different laptop vendors.


As far as gaming laptops go, I don't care that much how usable they are with battery power. I always use them with mains power anyway. The battery is mostly nice in case there is a power cut, so that I have enough power to save any stuff and shut the system down properly (or put to sleep mode, or hibernate, or whatever). E.g. in Thailand that is quite common, trying to use a desktop PC there without an UPS is a nightmare.

It is possible to do this using desktop video cards. You however will be limited to PCI-E x1 speed. So while cards won't be as fast as if they were used in a desktop, you can still get some good performance. The bandwidth will limit how far you can scale upwards though.

Google for DIY EGPU and you'll find lots of info on how it works.