Are the external graphics cards here yet?

November 2, 2007 10:51 AM

Questions about external graphics cards such as the Asus XG Station.

The only thing keeping me from gaming on my laptop, according to System Requirements Lab, is the crappy Intel onboard graphics card - specifically, the lack of T&L. (When I bought my laptop, it was all I could afford. I still can't really afford a gaming laptop.)

I've read about external graphics cards meant for laptops, such as the Asus XG station. However, searching leads me to previews, and even a few reviews, but I can't find anywhere to purchase it. It was supposed to be released at the beginning of Q2 2007. I've also read in varying articles that it would cost from $500 to sub-$200.

Does anyone have any updated info on when it will release? (I will try contacting Asus as well, but I'm having a hard time finding out how to contact them if I don't already have a product that I need support for.) Or, are there any alternative external graphics cards that are currently available? Searching Google leads me to mentions of ATI making one, as well as some MSI creation, but I've never heard of MSI before. Finally, does anyone have any personal experience with any of these cards?

posted by IndigoRain to computers & internet (5 comments total)

Belkin sells an external graphics card, but I don't think it'll offer you any performance gains.

MSI is a reputable company; I wouldn't hesitate to buy their card if it ever comes out.
posted by zsazsa at 11:48 AM on November 2, 2007

$200-500? a price like that is running dangerously close to the price of a bargain dell with a modern graphics card stuffed into it. in the long run, it will be cheaper to have a laptop and a gaming desktop (that you can upgrade as time goes on) than to try to make your laptop into a gaming machine with overpriced add-ons. just something to consider.
posted by almostmanda at 12:15 PM on November 2, 2007

The notion of an external graphics card is flawed. The bus bandwidth between CPU RAM and graphics card has to be as high as possible - hence special AGP and PCI-E x16 slots that aren't used by anything but graphics cards - and you don't get high speed connections like that to external devices.
Ya ya, technically it might be possible, but in practice I don't think it will happen any time soon.
posted by Chuckles at 5:29 PM on November 2, 2007

And when I say in practice, I am including cost in the assessment..
posted by Chuckles at 5:33 PM on November 2, 2007

Almostmanda, I know... but people regularly spend $200+ on graphics cards for desktop PCs... if it was anywhere near as good, I'd spend that for a laptop card. I really don't have room for a desktop, nor a desk, table, or counter to put it on, and once you add the price of a monitor (preferably flat-panel to save room), well, there's another couple hundred dollars.

I guess I'll wait until I can afford a gaming laptop.
posted by IndigoRain at 6:18 PM on November 3, 2007