ASUS introduces external graphics system

[Jimmy 2004]

ASUS has announced that it is planning a dedicated external graphics card system designed for notebook users, named the XG Station, which should allow users to experience high end graphics power to match desktops. The dock connects to the ExpressCard interface using an adaptor, meaning it can be easily unplugged from the system if it needs to be moved. ASUS has revealed it will work with any notebook featuring the ExpressCard system, which provides an equivalent to the PCI Express X16 slots desktops use. The XG Station itself features a PCI Express slot and is capable of running AMD (ATI), NVIDIA and Matrox graphics cards.

The unit itself is powered by an external power brick and features a customisable LCD display, which can display information including frame rate, fan speed and GPU temperature. A control knob on the front is used to control various settings including core and memory clocks, so it will potentially be able to overclock or underclock your graphics card. ASUS is expected to release this in the second quarter of 2007, although pricing is still unknown.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[ktr]

WOW, just wow...that pretty neat, now every laptop can have a 8800gtx

 

[EviLZeD]

haha how come no one thought of this before its an exellent idea

 

[RickyG512]

wow this is wicked, the only thing that can make it even better is if it can support SLI and Crossfire

 

[tkpenalty]

PFFT... About time they made this >_>... I was thinking why the hell hasn't any manufacturer made an external GPU in a blocky thingy; better cooling capabilities.

Then you find in the future we use E-PCI-E, then monitors with intergrated AA >_>... I can tell whats coming at us.

 

[pt]

cool
when i get a laptop i want one of those

 

[Jimmy 2004]

I wonder how far away USB graphics cards are. If USB gets faster then it could become a viable alternative - although internet would probably always be better USB would be nice for laptops. You can get good USB soundcards now.

But I think this is good by ASUS, and seems such an obvious idea now. Maybe PCMCIA has been too slow until now though, I think ExpressCard is essentially the latest version. If not it's a very similar idea.

Edit: looking at a couple of Malware's newsposts referencing this it seems it could well be USB 2.0 as well as using ExpressCard.

 

[RickyG512]

asus are doing everything now days, they doing the quad father motherboard for AMD, they got one of the best conroe mobos P5B delux and now this

 

[Casheti]

Nothing beats my X850XT. NOTHING.

 

[RickyG512]

Nothing beats my X850XT. NOTHING.

lol u sure bout dat

 

[Deleted member 3]

USB VGA adapters already exist. Though due to the lack of bandwidth they aren't really that great.

As for this, it's just MXM external, I don't see the market.

 

[killatia]

sweet, my friend in japan can really us this baby. how much will it cost though?

 

[Casheti]

ASUS is expected to release this in the second quarter of 2007, although pricing is still unknown.

Look there

 

[Jimmy 2004]

As for this, it's just MXM external, I don't see the market.

Well I don't know much about MXM, but from what I've seen no one really uses it yet and it isn't such an adaptable idea as this. This would be great for people who use laptops for study/ work but when they get home they want to have more powerful graphics - as this can use pretty much any PCI-E card it could really boost gaming performance. It does depend on the price of the unit, but people who are looking to upgrade their laptop and have an ExpressCard slot will be able to do that much cheaper this way, normally new graphics will mean a new laptop.

I can understand that notebooks still have limited hard drive capabilities and slower CPUs, but some of them are beginning to get quick and the ability to have a standard graphics card would be useful. I agree MXM would be nicer if it caught on, but it isn't looking too hopeful yet. The one thing I am sceptical of is whether using this dock will lead to a fall in performance and how large that would be. I can't imagine it as being as quick as standard PCI-E but we'll have to wait and see.

 

[Casheti]

My PCI Geforce 5200 owns that thing. Can barely run Sims 2.

 

[Dippyskoodlez]

USB VGA adapters already exist. Though due to the lack of bandwidth they aren't really that great.

As for this, it's just MXM external, I don't see the market.

If they could pump the bandwidth via Firewire, express card slot, this could be VERY useful.

You could buy a GMA950 gpu ultra-lite, with a high end CPU and a lot of ram.

Gonna go to work with some 3d apps?

Plug in the video card! Instant power

And battery life, on the go.

probably not THE BEST way to do a lot of things, but certainly has its use

 

[tkpenalty]

I wonder when will E-PCIE be a viable option >_>

 

[WarEagleAU]

This is awesome. Especially if mobile gpus are cheaper than their counterparts (which I would wreckon they are). Id be interested in this if my HP or Compaq of Dell had an express port. Then I could get decent hard drive, memory and cpu and not feel guilty about integrated graphics!

 

[error_f0rce]

Now you just have to get yourself a laptop with an LCD that will do 5ms or less and it might be worth it

Nothing to piss you off after you drop a paycheck for that thing like ghosting... :shadedshu
There's always the obvious alternative of an external monitor, or docking station, etc.... but doesn't kinda defeat the whole purpose??

 

[Dippyskoodlez]

Now you just have to get yourself a laptop with an LCD that will do 5ms or less and it might be worth it

Nothing to piss you off after you drop a paycheck for that thing like ghosting... :shadedshu
There's always the obvious alternative of an external monitor, or docking station, etc.... but doesn't kinda defeat the whole purpose??

My laptop LCD is fine enough for me playing UT... Although anything rated less than 5MS isnt actually *5ms* its a nifty marketing trick invented to legally be able to say 2ms.

The big concern here is graphical quality ;D

huge difference between gma 950 and an x1300, letalone if you could fit SLI in there...

 

[error_f0rce]

anything rated less than 5MS isnt actually *5ms* its a nifty marketing trick invented to legally be able to say 2ms.

Hrm... I get the feeling you've been looking at my specs
Lest you think me a fanboy, I'll whip out the research... the 2ms 19" ViewSonic VX922 (as of it's release date) was the fastest LCD display on the planet and benchmarked as the fastest LCD ever tested by both CNET and Tom's Hardware:

CNET.com
http://reviews.cnet.com/ViewSonic_VX922/4505-3174_7-31594350.html
"The 19-inch VX922 is the fastest monitor we've tested"
"Gaming performance showed a high level of detail and smooth movement with no visible ghosting"

Tom's Hardware
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/03/27/the_spring_2006_lcd_collection/page33.html
"this is the fastest monitor we've ever seen. Its reactivity and precision put it in a class by itself."
"The Overdrive is exceptionally well controlled, earning the VX922 a place in Class A."
"if what you want is sheer performance, this is the monitor of choice."
"this is really the Rolls-Royce of gamers' LCD displays"
"the VX922 is a gamer's monitor first and foremost"


Back to my point:
Ok, I'll give you that almost every 2ms LCD is just an overdriven 5ms display (basically an OC'd monitor [nothing wrong with that]), but there is a far cry between 5ms and 12-18+ms (or slower) on a laptop, when playing fast paced FPS's like UT, Quake4, FEAR, HL2, etc. Unfortunately the laptops with smokin LCD's also have a hefty price tag.

Back to the real topic
I love the ingenuity of the idea, but I think this ASUS product would have greater application with slower paced games that require good graphics cards, i.e. FFXII, Everquest, etc.

My 2 cents.

 

[Dippyskoodlez]

Hrm... I get the feeling you've been looking at my specs
Lest you think me a fanboy, I'll whip out the research... the 2ms 19" ViewSonic VX922 (as of it's release date) was the fastest LCD display on the planet and benchmarked as the fastest LCD ever tested by both CNET and Tom's Hardware:

CNET.com
http://reviews.cnet.com/ViewSonic_VX922/4505-3174_7-31594350.html
"The 19-inch VX922 is the fastest monitor we've tested"
"Gaming performance showed a high level of detail and smooth movement with no visible ghosting"

Tom's Hardware
http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/03/27/the_spring_2006_lcd_collection/page33.html
"this is the fastest monitor we've ever seen. Its reactivity and precision put it in a class by itself."
"The Overdrive is exceptionally well controlled, earning the VX922 a place in Class A."
"if what you want is sheer performance, this is the monitor of choice."
"this is really the Rolls-Royce of gamers' LCD displays"
"the VX922 is a gamer's monitor first and foremost"


Back to my point:
Ok, I'll give you that almost every 2ms LCD is just an overdriven 5ms display (basically an OC'd monitor [nothing wrong with that]), but there is a far cry between 5ms and 12-18+ms (or slower) on a laptop, when playing fast paced FPS's like UT, Quake4, FEAR, HL2, etc. Unfortunately the laptops with smokin LCD's also have a hefty price tag.

Back to the real topic
I love the ingenuity of the idea, but I think this ASUS product would have greater application with slower paced games that require good graphics cards, i.e. FFXII, Everquest, etc.

My 2 cents.

Problem is, toms has always been, and always will be full of it. They're marketers, not reviewers. :shadedshu

Having a "5ms" rated LCD.... and a Macbook pro...

I notice no noticable ghosting differences... as 5ms is already within the threshold for margin of error from viewing..

But if you're getting jewed with a laptop with a 18ms screen, and you're trying to game, you bought a bunk laptop.