Why don't laptop manufacturers move away from built in dGPU's to external dGPU's

The thread names pretty much says it all. Wouldn't it be easier just to have laptops without built in GPU and just connecting an external GPU whenever we need it.

This would alow thinner & lighter laptops with less overheating concerns and better battery life.

We already have mobile workstations doing this so why not consumer laptops.

This way you could enjoy the benefits of an ultrabook coupling with good graphics performance when you need it. The only limitations would be if your CPU would be a bottleneck but this would only happen for lower end and ULV CPU's.

Am I missing something here?

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External GPU means more bulk, extra baggage, more power cords/supplies, etc., so it wouldn't be a very mobile solution and many people want to take their gaming power with them. Otherwise I'm sure it would probably appeal to a decent audience. Look at the external GPU mods people have done.

 

With everything moving to a SOC package, I don't see what you want happening.

Mobility is everything - discrete components, while it may provide the best performance at any given (frozen) point in time, do not fit well with being able to 'take it with you' - at least not easily.

Even the new Mac Pro is going in the wrong direction (imo) with the mentality that 'if you need it - simply attach it'. I did this almost a decade ago: it was a great experiment and while I had the fastest mobile setup possible - it would take me up to half an hour to get setup to even start any work and the teardown was almost as long as I needed to keep cords (power and data), power adaptors, etc. neatly separated.

I know you're talking about gaming while my focus was enhancing productivity, but it was an expensive experiment on my part and my overall productivity was worse (if seeing more than two or three clients in one day).

The best setup? A system that gives the performance you need now and for the foreseeable future, at a size/weight that makes sense. I think it has always been that way (at least theoretically) - but it took me a while to see it in practice.

That is exactly why I recommend maximizing the platform you're buying as close to the acquisition date as possible: buy/use the latest O/S (to fully take advantage of your hardware), buy the most CPU you can afford in a chassis that will allow you to fully utilize it (i.e. proper cooling design/implementation), max out the RAM in both quality (speed/latency) and quantity, and finally buy a system that allows you to have the proper storage capacity for the workflow you need (via multiple drive bays, mSATA connectors and now NGFF).


The idea that you can plug something in to your system and make it better (overall) is like believing a pill can cure your ills without any side effects. There is no free lunch - if you need performance, you need a platform designed to deliver that - if you want mobility, same thing. The two keep converging as time goes by - but the most performance or the most mobile platforms will always have a huge golf between them.

But if you're willing to pay the $$$$ - I'm sure manufacturer's will let you find out what I (now) know for yourself.

 

Looks like i see things waaay differently then other people )

For me moving to external gpus would mean a gain in mobility. I wouldn't need to compromise and get a 15" rig that is on the thick and heavy side (3.6cm×2.9 kg) just to have some decent gaming power. I know there are some lighter and smaller options out there but all of them are compromising something for the added power that they have.

Razer blade - good power to weight/size ratio but crappy screen and huge price
Clevo w230st- good power good weight but with a plastic body and not very attractive design...also tends to overheat
Etc.(the list can go on)

And these rigs are just moderately powerfull...there really isn't anything with say a gtx780 out there that really can even enter this category of size and weight. As the gpu is the main culprit in creating these machines....why not move it outside of the ecuation and make it external.

As 80% of the time i am outside my house I don't game, I would just buy a sleek ultrabook and just take the external gpu with me in the rare ocasions that I need it.

It's the same principle as the external dvd... you use it so rarely outside of a home/desk environment that there really is no need for manufacturers to have it mounted on laptops anymore.

HDD's are a totally different thing...that's where they need to put an accent on including as much of it inside your machine. Because content is something you can have a need(or will) to access at any time.

I know what you will say... just buy a desktop...or just buy a gaming notebook for gaming and an ultrabook for everything else...but that's just it. I would like to have just one machine...that with small additions can do EVERYTHING and fit every purpose... small enough to do some casual browsing on the bus/train and generally carry arround with me... powerfull enough that i can spread some brains on the walls in crysis 3 and bf4.

Since a trully powerfull thin and light that doesn't have heating issues, has good build quality and can play games on ultra /high is a pipe dream i was thinking that this could be an affordable solution for the masses.

It would also be advantageous for the major computer brands...as instead of spreading their efforts to create 20 different niche products they would just create a few products that are suitable to every possible scenario. The same laptop will be suitable for a student that wants to take some notes or a gamer that wants to play one of the latest titles.

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Mobile GPUs are getting more powerful every generation. Integrating the chip/memory/power supply into a motherboard is ultimately much cheaper than creating an enclosure/GPU board+cooling/separate power supply, not to mention that the latter is much less portable (maybe if they were powered by USB it would work, but they're not, they need a rather big external PSU).

There will be Thunderbolt eGPUs, but I believe integrated dGPUs will stay for as long as mobile PCs exist...

 

I doubt it. It's been about three years since Thunderbolt's release and as of today, nothing really significant has been released for the interface. It's like Firewire, but even less useful...

Anyway, iirc the Sony Vaio Z series had an optional eGPU from the OEM, though I suppose it wasn't popular enough of an option for Sony to keep making them (or other OEMs to adopt them).

 

The way I see it, Windows OEMs want to put as little effort into engineering as they can get away with. The fact that Intel had to actually force the OEMs to review the power consumption of their integrated onboard components with Haswell speaks volumes.

What you're asking for would require a moderate amount of engineering effort for very little ROI (potentially even negative ROI if the GPU is user-upgradable like with the ViDock). I could potentially see Razer or Vizio doing it as they're somewhat more consumer-centric and more importantly much less complacent than the big, established players like Asus or Lenovo are, but even that's a stretch.

 

Pretty much what Peon said and if you ask me, there would also be a need to develop a higher bandwidth interface than expresscard and thunderbolt for the performance enthusiasts. Thunderbolt 2.0 is still rather far from what a PCI-E x16 bus can do, even at PCI 2.0 speeds, I can definitely see this being problematic for the higher end GPUs like the GTX780. I will say that Thunderbolt is getting close to PCI-E 2.0 x8 speeds which would be alright for most external video cards.

 

It's simple, buy a 1-3k gaming 17.3" laptop, and buy a 11-13" ultraportable laptop. When you start to mish-mash laptops, it goes all horribly wrong. If you want to game, you should have high end performance parts and it should be dedicated to gaming. 13-15" laptops with mid range dGPU compromise too much by either being too thick, not enough gaming performance.

 

There's a whole forum section about external graphics for any notebook with an ExpressCard or Thunderbolt port. So if you want to set that up for your system, you can. There isn't a big enough market for this for the notebook manufacturers to put much effort into it. Sony's Vaio Z is about the only system designed to work this way, and you'll notice there aren't any other systems trying to duplicate it.

 

Still yet to be proven, but this is a good contender: AORUS Gaming Laptop X7

Potentially ~ 780m performance in a 0.9" thick chassis and 6.4 lbs.

Not the same principle. Pretty much all software and multimedia can be obtained electronically easily. And with fast internet, local storage is less of a need as well. Of course you can already stream games to another less powerful device using nVidia's Game Streaming tech, but there's still issues with latency and bandwidth. It's OK for a local fast wi-fi connection at 480p but otherwise not very practical.

That being said, I've always thought a modular approach would be nice. Have a tablet that connects to a larger base that has extra GPU, CPU, RAM, storage horsepower, and act like a regular gaming laptop or just basic laptop depending on the user's needs. And then let that be docked to a desktop unit for the ultimate performance if you desire.

 

Already knew about the Aorus.....but SLI graphics in that size laptop....isn't that like asking for finger burns )

Lenovo did it with y510 ultrabay on a thicker laptop and it was still nightmarishly hot. Although arguably the ultrabay was poorly designed.

However I for one was very pumped when it came out. I would like more manufacturers to come up with something like this and actually do it right.(right now lenovo quit on it)

Also love the modular tablet idea....didn't really think about that.

Thanks for the tip on the eGPU section...had no idea it existed


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Even if gigabyte could cool the SLI solution in the Aorus i would still pick a single 780M over it, thickness be damned.

 

Yet to be seen. But the 765m runs surprisingly cool. It's the Intel Haswell CPU's that are the heat generators. I think they clocked them a lot higher than what the TDP actually is. If I run my i7-4800MQ clocks at 2.6-2.8GHz while gaming, my system stays remarkably cool. I know it's not ideal, but an Intel quad core at those speeds is adequate for gaming purposes.

I applaud Lenovo for the attempt. At least they're thinking outside the box. But you can see how quickly they abandon the idea without developing it further. Imagine an external GPU idea. I guess if there was a standard that could be adhered to and all the laptop OEM's had to do was offer a standard port then it might make sense. But it would take a massive effort in developing that spec.

All depends on the need. I have had 15" and 17" gaming notebooks aplenty, but they just weren't that portable. Their bulk, weight, heft, in addition to the other crap I have to carry with me was just not convenient, plus they really don't make a good machine for your lap.

 

Considering how the GTX 765M is about on par with a GTX 460, and considering how that's the mainstream GPU in today's market, the need for a powerful eGPU is just not there anymore. It was different when laptop GPUs were barely faster than the old 9800GTs. But nowadays, with the upper tier GPUs being around the level of a HD7870 or GTX 570, it's less efficient to buy the mount for the cards AND then buy the cards. I mean, if you wanted to buy a cheaper, previous gen, laptop with a slightly older i7 and just use a GPU that you already had lying around, I can see the idea working out for ya.

But that still leaves the mounting components, the ViDock being one of the only really viable options in my book. Even the most basic options cost as much as the mobile GPUs... so you're really not saving any money...

 

I have pretty much a similar vision as you and HT.

For me a good system would be a very light, high battery life, high CPU performance, high storage performance, convertible/tablet/notebook, where I would have a dock with a high speed connection

In that dock it can be a monitor that already has a dgpu or a dock that holds a dgpu, or just a egpu plugged into a dock.

That means I do have the mobility with the performance when I need it.

We may need to wait TB 3 for something like that and hope that it comes embedded with the CPU

Though I have to say that I'm simply disappointed by the validation team from Intel, they take too long and don't help as much as they should

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Check this article out it looks like Asus is trying to give you what you are looking for.

http://www.gamersnexus.net/news/1273-silverstone-sg-station-2-external-gpu

Looks pretty interesting. But is it practical?

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From the way that they are designing that? No.

Its a very large chassis. Its basically a rehash of what Silverstone did last year. It was they that did that thing not Asus.

There are more portable models in the market. While one may argue about the size needed for the more powerful GPUs the bottleneck is still very much present

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That does not look portable but interesting nonetheless.

I am one of those people that prefer to carry one laptop at a time. I use mine for work and gaming. While I really enjoy my gaming notebook if I could carry an eGPU around and throw it into say a tablet/phone/lightweight and cheap(er) laptop and have the ability to stream I would be set. I also probably wouldn't have the need for a desktop anymore.

Edit: not necessarily physically carry but actively use

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One reason that I'm actually intrigued by the ps4, now if only they had games I wanted to play..

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It conflicts with the desktop market and lengthen laptop life. Msi had a demo of affordable tb egpu, but is never released for w.e reason.
I personally don't get how people can manage several machine. Luckily I can still handle 9-10lb on my back with a backpack.

Kaz, how do you plan to smuggle a ps4 in ? : D

 

I was going to recruit you to do it! Though outside the major retailers you can find the ps4 for half the price from U$2k to U$1k

That's a bargain right?

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First of all this thread was not started with existing solutions in mind....but with what could be a whole new standard in mobile computing

Also the idea was not to come out cheaper necessarily... but to avoid the need to own more then one machine. I personally hate syncing data across devices plus other things that multiple machines entail.

Also you are not considering the fact that an eGPU can be used by multiple persons (not at the same time ofcourse) and the fact that once you buy the dock itself you will only need to swap to a different GPU once it becomes obsolete.

The silverstone looks very interesting...if only it was half the size ).Also good luck on finding laptops with not one but TWO thunderbolts.

IMO Baii might have accidentally stumbled upon the answer to this threads question.... it would basically make the desktop PC obsolete except the very few cases where extreme computing performance was required. But all in all if these things became mainstream the desktop would remain a niche item that very few people would still have a use for.

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Part of the problem Microsoft properly writing code to handle a situation if the gpu is unplugged unexpectedly.

 

easy, its greed. Gaming laptops are profitable SOBs (especially the smaller models with bono MXM), with the current system, the mobile GPUs can be sold at much higher margins while the performance is insufficient for the user to sit on their machines for more than 2 years.
the kicker is that u have to purchase a whole new machine which means duplicate purchases vs simply upgrading a GPU for which the profit from said upgrade doesn't go to the original OEM of the laptop.
the only way eGPUs are going to be mainstream is if a startup or, heaven forbid, apple decides to implement it in order to get around the anemic mGPU performance for the industry toove forwards. Sure profits will reduce but the user experience will improve.

let's not forget the desktop industry was not always this modular and easily moddable.

 

Isn't it true that eGPUs don't support SLI/CrossFire at the moment? If so, as long as dual flagship mobile cards match the performance of a single flagship desktop card, there's very little incentive for anybody to move to an eGPU solution, especially when you consider the profit margins on the mobile cards.

 

The biggest hurdle is getting a fast enough interface and tied right to the PCI bus on the laptop, with a controller to manage it. Maintaining that raw speed and performance across a connector and external cable without introducing latency or input lag would be problematic, and every ms counts when it comes to gaming. For a game controller, it'd be OK probably considering they have service like OnLive where they stream the game over the internet, but the latency is ridiculous, and barely suited for use with a controller. This wouldn't be nearly as awful obviously, but same concept applies.

Valid point. But there's no reason since the bandwidth is limited as it is, there's no reason to bump to such a powerful config when the GPU's will be starved for data most the time.

 

Is it possible for an admin to close this thread?

 

thunderbolt may be able to do this, the AMD version of thunderbolt... i think advertised external GPU capabilities.

 

Wow and since the thread is going toward your camp it is time to close...how odd when something goes different from what someone one wants they want to close not because of bad use of language just close because it isn't going to their camp.

I for one can say Ext GPU for laptop is more backward thinking as I can see. What was the laptop made for then? Portability and all in one computing on the road without the hassle of extra hardware besides the charger. If you want real power buy a concrete laptop with massive power upgrade or power Desktop and go with that for Power User. All this talk about ext GPU for laptop is a failed endeavor if it was so important all the laptop makers and after market customizer laptop would built it already but as reading so far the makers barely even have them for sale. Just put this way why was a laptop made for: Portablity and AIO computing that can be taken on the road so one doesn't have to pack their Desktop to take on the road. That is why laptop is selling as good as they are low-med-high end models fit for different users but they for sure don't want to lug around more hardware then they need to take. I have a Desktop that is my main home computer but also have multiple laptops that are home but set to do different task and 2 that I keep for portable to use when I am on the road. There are cons/pros to the laptop and desktop but external GPU is a backward thinking since in Desktop it has a internal GPU why make a external GPU in Desktop makes no sense and that would related exactly to laptop as well. All that external hardware requires bandwidth and power something of which Desktop and Laptop has internal already. More rambling but IMO Ext GPU is having your head where the sun don't sun.....

 

SilverStone / ASUS SG Station 2 External Thunderbolt Video Card Hands-On | Gamers Nexus - Gaming PC Builds & Hardware Benchmarks

 

Lol...I only wanted to close the thread because it was stagnant for a long time. But if people care to carry on..then by all means )


You talk about portability...but how portable exactly is a laptop with a high end dGPU....not at all portable I would say.

An external GPU would allow me to take my ultrabook to college and then when I get home have enough power to use the same ultrabook to fullfill my gaming needs instead of either having the need for 2 machines (one for college and general use and one for gaming) or lugging arround a heavy and big gaming laptop

Why buy a laptop AND a desktop for different purposes and then go through the hassle of syncing data between them when I could simply buy an external GPU and use it with my laptop when needed.
For me having more then one computer is a redundancy...that's not saying it's useless just that it's useless for ME and alot of other persons out there.

Looking at the title of the thread I realise that the starting idea of the thread was wrong.

I do see how there would still be a need for a laptop with a strong integrated dGPU.

But I still maintain the idea that a reasonably priced and reasonably small external enclosure...the size of a 3.5" hard drive let's say... in wich you could add your own MXM Gpu would be a big hit amongst all of the people that need the portability of a lightweight laptop but don't want to buy an extra laptop or desktop computer just for gaming.

 

Right! the link i posted above elaborates on that point of view. if anything it allows you to have MORE portability. in a way. you can roll out and play games any where on a high end laptop so long as you have a wall outlet. with an ultrabook you can't play top end games but, you can still play a lot of old and inde games and then when you dock it at home with the eGPU can you can play the AAA top of the line games.

 

Just glancing over what's been said so far (little bit of TL;DR syndrome, due to a school project), but if the goal is to have something small/light like an Ultrabook to take around to places, then have something to game with at home, wouldn't it simply be easier to have a desktop or some other dedicated system at home (gaming laptop or console, for example). I know that, at least with laptops with ExpressCard or the like, a V-Dock is already possible, though that's mostly a DIY thing.

 

The whole point of notebook computers is to allow them to be protable, now i completely understand what the purpose is... But, unless it's like Lenovo's UltraBay that is small enough to be swappable on the go and just toss it into a back pack i see this being highly unethical.
Who in their right mind is going to want to carry an entire GPU assembly with a 450w PSU around with a notebook computer. I mean by the time you add the cost of the notebook and the eGPU you would be somewhere in the realm of 8970 or 780 even sli territory. Not to mention the machine would probably still weigh less and be more portable than all that crap. Yet, a decently clocked 780m/8970m or Sli would out perform any single desktop GPU available.

 

Rwpublic you misunderstand the point....
If you reread my last post you would see i was not talking about a desktop external gpu but a SMALL enclosure with an MXM mobile gpu that you can just update when it becomes obsolete while still keeping the same enclosure.

At the most it would have a 80W-100E power brick if you want to put a power hungry gpu inside but you could use a smaller gpu depending on the card you want to have.

I for one would be perfectly happy witha an Nvidia X70m gpu but maybe others will want an X80m or whatever else floats their boat.

Being a mobile gpu with a small power brick the enclosure would not be very large so on the rare ocasions that you would need to game outside your house you could take it with you.

It would still come out much cheaper then a gaming desktop with all it's peripherals and it would enable you to use your lightweight laptop for gaming aswell.

It would basically be like having your cake and eating it too

Not to mention it would be possible to upgrade your gpu (an option wich is relatively rare on laptops)

 

IMO you seem to be a small portion of what people look for in a notebook. Thus being the case, unless you buy a boutique brand, traditional notebook makers cater to what sells to 80-90% of consumers, not the .01% (no offense meant) but from their eyes they make more money selling normal laptops than a specialized one for people like you. I have a 17" gaming laptop that sits on my desk, and I had various 11-14" ultraportable/convertible tablet laptops (X61 tablet, X200 tablet, X220 tablet, X201, Latitude 13, T410s, Alienware M11x) for the go.

The argument that it is a hassle to synch documents between 2 machines seems like laziness over having 2 machines that suit your needs. Seems like Alienware M11x would have suited your needs, they can be 5-6 hour somewhat portable machines, but also do light gaming when necessary, eliminating the need for eGPU dock. Of course I wouldn't use an M11x as a primary machine..

 

no need for two copies of each program etc etc.

 

Well, that depends on the program and the user's wants/needs. Free software is obviously not a problem, though if you have a "work" laptop and a "play" desktop for example, there's really not much reason to have two copies of, say, Office. Just keep the work stuff on the laptop, and the games on the desktop. Nevermind that for a pit of software, there are FOSS equivalents that can read its data, and nevermind that most of the "common" software can be found as multi-PC licenses.

 

Is it so hard to understand i don't want a special notebook....i want a run of the mill normal laptop with a thunderbolt port AND one single UNIVERSAL(universal being the key word) and affordable thunderbolt dock/enclosure that could fit an MXM gpu. If anything one of these docks would simplify the laptop market....no more need for big clunky gaming laptops when you could use any normal laptop with a decent CPU and RAM for gaming by simply connecting a SMALL/PORTABLE external MXM GPU. Also this would solve a lot of the overheating problems that you get from stuffing a powefull cpu+gpu in the same thin enclosure of a laptop body.


It would be sufficient for ONE manufacturer(any manufacturer) to make a reasonably priced external dGPU enclosure wich can then be used for any laptop out there with a thunderbolt port.

I am a VERY BIG portion of what people want in a notebook...that being a thin and light notebook with good battery life.

The fact that i want an external gpu doesn't change the requirements i have from a laptop and doesn't change in any way the big manufacturers will cater to what the crowd wants.

They will make the same types of laptops that they make today and we would be able to get some extra functionality from them by adding a peripheral.

Also most of you are totally ignoring the economic aspect..... why buy a whole new laptop/computer for a different task when you could simply buy a peripheral that SHOULD be 50% if not less of the price.

 

I think it is you who doesn't realize, manufacturers don't want to make 1 device that does all, that means less profits for them. Manufacturers want to sell you a notebook that is locked down and restricted, so when you realize it doesn't suit your needs, you go buy a new one. That's why when I purchase a notebook, I ensure the GPU/CPU/RAM are all upgradable for my gaming needs unless I'm going for portability (like my M11x). 90% of "normal" laptops sold are used for very basic things, Office, Youtube, email, and iGPU and low end APU solve that issue. Mid range APU and soldered GPUs fill maybe another 5% and 5% hardcore gaming laptops are sold.

 

Right you are about the interest in profit but that only applies to major laptop manufacturers like asus/lenovo/dell etc etc... not boutique enterprises.

I would expect to see it come from a peripheral manufacturer such as razer and the likes wich have nothing to lose and only to gain from releasing an universal dock.

 

So small laptop builders are not interested in making a profit?

Guess we know who took the $5 business 101 course.

 

Judging by their prices and whatnot, I'm sure Razor is interested in making profit. And so are every last one of the boutique resellers (such as Sager). Realize that, with the exception of Apple and high-end gaming/workstation laptops, laptops in general only give their OEMs and resellers low single digit percentages in profit (around 5% and lower), so asking an OEM to design their laptops to be even longer-lasting would be asking them to further reduce their profits. I mean, unless you're willing to accept a *massive* markup in the price of the eGPU setup, on top of the already high-ish prices of MXM GPUs. Somebody's gotta make money somewhere.

Anyway, I know plenty of people who have a hard enough time plugging in an external hard drive, or doing even elementary computer maintenance. I couldn't imagine how hard it'd be for them to grasp the concept of an eGPU (ViDock or your idea); remember that the average NBR poster is generally a hell of a lot more computer literate than the average joe.

 

Actually, it is you who are ignoring additional perspectives. Specifically, specialization. Just like you wouldn't use your car to pull a heavy load or transport construction equipment. Desktops are simple better suited for heavy duty complex tasks that are continuous and require long periods of operation.

This configuration also allows you to split the tasks and accomplish a lot more tasks per machine per operating period. This configuration is particularly applicable for businesses where time is money.

 

Computer manufacturers don't want you to replace your DVD-ROM with a hdd/ssd yet that doesn't mean that there isn't a HUGE market for caddy's. I believe the same principle would apply here.

If someone can male a profit out of the dirt cheap item that is a hdd caddy they can surely make a much bigger profit out of a Vidock.

Also installing a caddy would be more of a complex task then pluging in an eGPU so the argument of user stupidity is not a good one as there are plenty people inatalling caddy's in their laptops.

I don't know why people have this idea that this eGPU would not make a VERY BIG profit margin for whoever builds it as long as it's compatible with any laptop holding a thunderbolt port.

Think of all the people out there who need a portable laptop but would like to game even if they cannot justify the price of a second machine...

Maybe this is where I am making a mistake but I am asuming that this is the HUGE audience this machine would cater to.

Clevo would have nothing to lose from making a piece of hardware like this as it's laptops are already fully upgradeable....most of them anyway so it won't be stealing it's own bussiness so to say.
It would only be additional revenue for them as their product would be purchased by people who would not normally buy a clevo laptop due to the plasticky build and clunkiness.

Also I mentioned razer because they already ahowed an interest in a modular desktop tower(project christine)...why not a modular laptop?

 

In an age where people are using their phone for photos videos internet browsing gaming and a load of other stuff you are actually bringing in the argument of " specialization"?!?!

An eGPU would not be for people needing a workstation or bussineses but for the average joe who wants to game at the end of the day without paying the load of extra money required for a secondary dedicated gaming rig when he already has 80% percent of the components required in an already available machine(CPU, RAM, monitor ,motherboard, hdd etc etc) and is only missing the power of a dGPU.

 

It's not a matter of profit, imo. Like you said, an OEM can make a pretty healthy profit per unit sold. However, the original idea (multiple OEMs using a standardized eGPU design) would probably have issues with getting OEMs to agree on a standard (not just hardware, but software too; not to mention the question on their willingness to have customers use other OEMs' eGPUs instead of their own), as well as the potential market (everything said so far in this thread, now that I've looked through it, isn't really objective on the potential number of customers, other than "a lot", which is extremely vague). Worst case, only laptop enthusiasts like most NBR users and the like will be the supermajority of the potential market for a standardized eGPU; however, the population of members on sites like these (even as large as NBR) is still a tiny drop in the market compared to your average, computer-illiterate buyer at Walmart/BestBuy/Fry's/etc.

Just my two cents (as a somewhat casual gamer, though mostly haven't been playing until recently with WoT and War Thunder), I'd rather just have everything in one package instead of separate. Would a gaming laptop weigh more than a smaller laptop + eGPU + eGPU PSU? Maybe, though you also have to factor in the clutter that'd cause (people complain enough about laptop PSUs) and that it might take up more space in certain situations. Personally though, I honestly don't care if OEMs decide to develop this universal eGPU technology and deploy it to the mass market; I certainly won't be interested for the same reasons I'm not interested in gaming laptops (don't care to spend money on a mobile GPU when I have a more upgradeable and cheaper desktop). I just have my doubts about the potential market for such things and if it'd be profitable as a whole, not just per-unit.

 

My laptop currently has nvidia optimus, and 99% of the time my gpu isn't even on, yet i'm carrying it around with me wherever i go. What's the point? I only game at home, so if i could pop my gpu out and leave it on the side, then plug it in whenever i wanna game, that would be perfect.

For those of you saying get 2 machines because it'll be easier... really? Most people don't have the money to get a whole second laptop just for gaming (an egpu would be worlds cheaper), and how is having to set up and use a second laptop easier than just popping in a gpu when you wanna game? egpu seems like the simplest solution to me all round.

Obviously from a manufacturers perspective it doesn't make sense... i'd never need to buy a new laptop again, i could just keep upgrading the egpu. every other laptop component is 'good enough' and will be for a very long time.

Also the main reason i bought my current laptop as opposed to a more powerful one was because of the extra bulk which would have come with it. I'd be over the moon if i could have thin + light + powerful all in one, just by plugging or unplugging something.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself.