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The best external GPUs for your laptop in 2023

Razer Core X Chrome next to a MacBook.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Using one of the best external GPUs can boost your laptop performance, regardless of if you're trying to gain some frames in Apex Legends or make your Premiere Pro renders a little faster. We've rounded up the top options on the market that can accommodate even the most powerful graphics cards, including the RTX 4090 and RX 7900 XTX.

A good GPU enclosure goes beyond being a box for your graphics card. Our picks come with enough power to feed hungry graphics cards without sacrificing efficiency, and they're cool and quiet, allowing you to game or create without distractions.

Razer Core X Chroma
Razer Core X Chroma
The best eGPU enclosure overall
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Sonnect eGFX Breakaway Box 750
Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box
A great budget eGPU enclosure
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GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 4090 Gaming Box
Gigabyte Aorus RTX 4090 Gaming Box
The fastest eGPU you can buy
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The Razer Core X Chroma external graphics card on a desk next a laptop and a monitor.
Razer

Razer Core X Chroma

Pros
  • Fits almost any graphics card
  • Has a big enough PSU for any GPU
  • Has strong cooling
  • RGB model has fancy lighting effects
Cons
  • Can't fit RTX 4080 or 4090

The Razer Core X is the best external GPU enclosure on the market. At around $400, it's a little more expensive than some of the other options available (though cheaper than others), but still balances looks, thermals, and performance. The base model comes packed with an internal 650-watt power supply and can fit up to a three-slot GPU.

The more expensive Chroma model comes with a beautiful RGB underglow and boosts the power supply to 700W. It, too, can fit a three-slot GPU and comes with four USB ports and Gigabit Ethernet. Regardless of the model you choose, all you need is a single Thunderbolt 3 cable to hook up the enclosure.

You'll need to bring your own graphics card, but you can fit nearly anything inside the Razer Core X outside of the RTX 4080 and 4090. In addition to plenty of room, the power supply is more than enough to handle even the most power-hungry graphics cards. Plus, the unit comes stock with a 120mm fan, adding a little more cooling potential.

Razer Core X Chroma
Razer Core X Chroma
The best eGPU enclosure overall
Sonnect eGFX Breakaway Box with an Apple MacBook.
Sonnet

Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box

Pros
  • Has up to a 750W PSU
  • Can fit most dual-slot graphics cards
  • Has lots of USB ports for device charging
  • Gigabit Ethernet provides networking potential
Cons
  • Only supports Thunderbolt 3
  • Can't fit the biggest GPUs

If you're looking for a slightly cheaper enclosure, the Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box is for you. The current version is the Breakaway Box 750, and Sonnet offers it in two different models -- 750 and 750ex. Both models come with a 750W power supply, but the 750ex also comes with four USB ports and Gigabit Ethernet for a $50 premium.

You can use the latest graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia in the enclosure, including Nvidia Quadro cards for professional workloads. Although it was designed around older, lower TDP GPUs, it still has enough power and cooling for all the latest RX 7000 and RTX 4000 models, outside of the ludicrously big RTX 4080 and 4090.

You can even chain multiple Breakaway Boxes together, connecting up to four boxes if you have enough Thunderbolt ports, allowing you to accelerate even the most demanding workloads in applications like DaVinci Resolve and Cinema 4D. It does only support Thunderbolt 3, but it has the maximum 40 Gbps bandwidth.

The only downside is that the Breakaway Box 750 only supports dual-width graphics cards. It has enough power for something like the RTX 3090, but many models are too large to fit inside.

Sonnect eGFX Breakaway Box 750
Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box
A great budget eGPU enclosure
Gigabyte Aorus RTX 4090 gaming box.
Gigabyte

Gigabyte Aorus RTX 4090 Gaming Box

Pros
  • Has an RTX 4090 in it!
  • It's a self-contained solution with no extras needed
  • Excellent cooling for quiet operation
  • Fancy RGB lighting looks great
Cons
  • Can't deliver anything close to the RTX 4090's full power
  • Lacks Thunderbolt 4 support

If you want the ultimate in external graphics power, then the Gigabyte Aorus RTX 4090 gaming box is the enclosure for you. It has the world's most powerful graphics card inside, the Nvidia RTX 4090, with all of its CUDA cores, RT cores, tensor cores, and high clock speeds, and it delivers the fastest gaming experience possible from an external GPU enclosure.

However, do note that the RTX 4090 is so powerful that it completely saturates the poor Thunderbolt 3 connection to your laptop, so it won't be able to make full use of the RTX 4090. In fact, performance might be close to half that of the full -speed 4090. That's still faster than almost any other gaming laptop in existence, and most gaming desktops too, but it's worth bearing in mind.

We'll need Thunderbolt 5 or USB4 to take full advantage of eGPU enclosures like this. Still, it's about as fast as you can realistically expect an eGPU enclosure to be today, which means it'll let you play any game at any setting with ease. It also looks good, has near-silent water cooling, and actually represents pretty great value at around $2,000, since you're getting a watercooled RTX 4090, which by itself would set you back around $2,000.

GIGABYTE AORUS RTX 4090 Gaming Box
Gigabyte Aorus RTX 4090 Gaming Box
The fastest eGPU you can buy

If you'd rather just buy a gaming laptop, here are some of the fastest gaming machines you can buy in 2023.

Jacob Roach
Former Digital Trends Contributor

Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from graphics cards to processors to PC cases, Jacob also writes the ReSpec column and newsletter that covers the intersection of PC hardware and gaming. If it's something you can plug into a gaming PC, there's a good chance Jacob has used it.

Although Jacob is interested in just about anything in or around a PC, he's currently reporting on graphics cards, PC game optimization, and gaming monitors. At Digital Trends, he's dug deep on the untold origins of the Steam Deck, uncovered the truth behind poor PC port optimization, and broke the story on Microsoft's Bing Chat going off the rails.

Before joining Digital Trends, Jacob contributed to Business Insider, Forbes, and PC Invasion, among various other outlets. Jacob has been a guest on TWiT and NBC, and his work has been cited in Fox News, Futurism, and Business Insider.

As if tinkering with the latest PC hardware wasn't enough, Jacob spends most of his free time living the PC gamer life he writes about so frequently. That includes playing the latest games, but also poking around on his PC to see what he can break, just to see how it works. When he gets a moment to step outside and "touch grass," Jacob enjoys tabletop games, wandering the shops of St. Louis, and forcing his lazy Corgi onto walks.

The powerful Alienware m18 R2 gaming laptop is $400 off
The Alienware m18 R2 gaming laptop with Baldur's Gate 3 on the screen.

You shouldn't pass up any discount when you're shopping for gaming laptop deals on a premium device, as any form of savings is already a huge bonus. That's exactly why you're going to want to take advantage of Dell's offer for the Alienware m18 R2. This configuration that usually sells for $2,400 is currently $400 off, slashing its price from $2,400 to $2,000. It's still not in the budget territory, but for serious gamers, it's going to be worth every single penny. You need to complete the transaction immediately though, as the bargain may be gone as soon as tomorrow.

Why you should buy the Alienware m18 R2 gaming laptop
If you want a gaming laptop that will be able to play the best PC games at their highest settings without any issues, you should set your sights on the Alienware m18 R2. It's equipped with the 14th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, along with 32GB of RAM that's the sweet spot for high-end gamers, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. The gaming laptop also features a 1TB SSD for ample storage space for your favorite games, and it's got Windows 11 Home pre-installed.

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This Lenovo ThinkPad laptop with 32GB of RAM is 45% off
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 5 opened up on a table.

If you're looking at laptop deals for a machine that won't let you down in terms of performance, we've found an offer from Lenovo that you should check out. The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, which is originally sold at $2,739, is on sale at 45% off, bringing it down to nearly half-price at $1,506. You need to be quick in completing your transaction for the laptop if you don't want to miss out on the $1,233 in savings though, as it may return to its sticker price sooner than you expect.

Why you should buy the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 laptop
Lenovo inherited the ThinkPad line of laptops from IBM, and maintained its iconic look, sturdy design, and business features, according to our explainer on Lenovo brands. All of these are on full display in the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, which is powered by the AMD Ryzen AI 7 Pro 360 processor and AMD Radeon 880M graphics card, alongside 32GB of RAM that our guide on how much RAM do you need says is the sweet spot for professionals. With these specifications, you'll be able to carry out demanding processes and multitask between several apps with ease.

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The Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptop with RTX 4080 is $600 off right now
The interior and exterior of the Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptop.

For an incredible experience at a reasonable price, consider gaming laptop deals from Dell, such as this offer for the Alienware x16 R2. This particular configuration with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card has a sticker price of $3,300, but you can currently buy it for $2,700. That's $600 in savings that you can either pocket or spend towards video games and accessories, but you're going to have to finish your purchase for this gaming laptop quickly because we're not sure how much longer the discount will remain available.

Why you should buy the Alienware x16 R2 gaming laptop
The Alienware x16 R2 is the upgraded version of the Alienware x16 that equips the gaming laptop with the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 graphics card, alongside 32GB of RAM that's the sweet spot for high-end gamers, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. It won't have any trouble running the best PC games at their highest settings, and it will be ready for the upcoming PC games of the next few years.

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