Sonnet Announces Two High-Power Thunderbolt 3 to eGPU Card Expansion Systems

[Uskompuf]

Sonnet Technologies today announced the launch of the eGPU Breakaway Box 750 and eGPU Breakaway Box 750ex, the newest and most powerful members of the company's award-winning family of Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe graphics processing (GPU) card expansion systems. Both systems support full-length, full-height, double-width GPU cards, and utilize large temperature-controlled fans that provide efficient and ultra-quiet cooling for the installed card. Sonnet designed these new expansion systems with the goal of offering users a future-proof purchase, equipping them with 750-watt power supplies capable of supporting the most power-hungry GPU cards available. The systems are nearly identical, except the eGPU Breakaway Box 750ex adds a built-in connection hub for USB devices and Ethernet connectivity.





What They Do:

eGPU expansion systems boost a computer's graphics performance by connecting a powerful desktop or workstation GPU card to it via a Thunderbolt 3 connection, bypassing the computer's onboard GPU to deliver graphics performance not otherwise possible. Sonnet's eGPU Breakaway Box 750 and 750ex systems are designed for professionals who need to run graphics-intensive applications on their eGPU-compatible notebook, all-in-one, or small-form-factor computers, with the products' designs focused on cool, quiet, and reliable operation without unnecessary bells and whistles.

Why They're Important:

The most popular applications used by professionals rely on GPUs to do the heavy lifting in processing data, but many computers favored by those same users are only equipped with an integrated or a low-power discrete GPU unsuitable for many of those tasks. With support for most popular AMD- and NVIDIA-based GPU cards, an eGPU Breakaway Box significantly boosts a computer's graphics performance to remove the roadblocks to pro video application use. For users whose computers are short on ports, the eGPU Breakaway Box 750ex offers four additional USB Type A ports (handy for connecting a mouse and keyboard) and one Gigabit Ethernet port for wired networking.

How They're Unique:

Both eGPU Breakaway Box models are equipped with the highest-wattage power supply available in an eGPU system today. In terms of GPU card support, the higher-wattage power supply provides more than enough power for the cards available today, and enough to support even more power-hungry cards expected in the future. The eGPU Breakaway Box 750ex incorporates a second Thunderbolt 3 controller dedicated to supporting its additional USB and Gigabit Ethernet ports, and provides a more seamless user experience than was possible with some earlier eGPU systems with added ports (and that were prone to operation issues).

When You Can Get Them:

The eGPU Breakaway Box 750 (part number GPU-750W-TB3) is available now from Sonnet at the suggested retail price of 299.99 USD.

The eGPU Breakaway Box 750ex (part number GPU-750WEX-TB3) will be available from Sonnet in late December 2020 to early January 2021 at a suggested retail price of 349.99 USD.

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[DeathtoGnomes]

the eGPU Breakaway Box 750ex adds a built-in connection hub for USB devices and Ethernet connectivity.

I didnt think adding a USB hub was worth the extra $50 but also including a network card does.

 

[azdesign]

a terrible product design

1. it's too big, with such dimension, you could have a complete itx system
2. most power hungry, high-end gpu have oversized cooler that took additional 1 expansion slot. Lot of mini-itx case won't fit some rtx 3080/3090, this is no exception
3. so what's the point of having 750w power supply when you can't even fit those cards mentioned? Also, it's only 2x6+2pin. Some cards like gainward phantom gs rtx 3080 has 3x8pin.
4. atx power supply? 0 point on portability, lot of wasted space inside. They should use flex/sfx PSU instead.
5. correct me if i'm wrong, I don't see any top ventilation on this product. It's going to burn.

I think niche product should have broad compatibility and minding the temps for prolonged use. For example:
1. use 3 expansion slots
2. use sfx/flex psu that support 3x8pin and and place it on the bottom, which will save space.
3. use mesh panels on all 4 sides (front as well)
4. place hubs on the opposite side of the psu (front), as well as on the side of the gpu (extra space for hub ports and cable management)

 

[Dippyskoodlez]

a terrible product design

1. it's too big, with such dimension, you could have a complete itx system
2. most power hungry, high-end gpu have oversized cooler that took additional 1 expansion slot. Lot of mini-itx case won't fit some rtx 3080/3090, this is no exception
3. so what's the point of having 750w power supply when you can't even fit those cards mentioned? Also, it's only 2x6+2pin. Some cards like gainward phantom gs rtx 3080 has 3x8pin.
4. atx power supply? 0 point on portability, lot of wasted space inside. They should use flex/sfx PSU instead.
5. correct me if i'm wrong, I don't see any top ventilation on this product. It's going to burn.

I think niche product should have broad compatibility and minding the temps for prolonged use. For example:
1. use 3 expansion slots
2. use sfx/flex psu that support 3x8pin and and place it on the bottom, which will save space.
3. use mesh panels on all 4 sides (front as well)
4. place hubs on the opposite side of the psu (front), as well as on the side of the gpu (extra space for hub ports and cable management)

1.) irrelevant, you can have a laptop in a smaller system.

2.) that's why this is 2 slot?

3.) 375w gpu + 100w laptop charging + buffer wattage to handle GPU spikes that may peak as high as 500w.

4.) flex/sfx are substantially more expensive and harder to replace.

The ventilation is fine. I use a box extremely similar to this every day.

I just hope the USB/ethernet hubs actually work unlike the abomination that Razer has tried for years that has never worked.

 

[Cheeseball]

a terrible product design

1. it's too big, with such dimension, you could have a complete itx system
2. most power hungry, high-end gpu have oversized cooler that took additional 1 expansion slot. Lot of mini-itx case won't fit some rtx 3080/3090, this is no exception
3. so what's the point of having 750w power supply when you can't even fit those cards mentioned? Also, it's only 2x6+2pin. Some cards like gainward phantom gs rtx 3080 has 3x8pin.
4. atx power supply? 0 point on portability, lot of wasted space inside. They should use flex/sfx PSU instead.
5. correct me if i'm wrong, I don't see any top ventilation on this product. It's going to burn.

I think niche product should have broad compatibility and minding the temps for prolonged use. For example:
1. use 3 expansion slots
2. use sfx/flex psu that support 3x8pin and and place it on the bottom, which will save space.
3. use mesh panels on all 4 sides (front as well)
4. place hubs on the opposite side of the psu (front), as well as on the side of the gpu (extra space for hub ports and cable management)

Not sure why you're comparing to an ITX system as ITX systems are not meant to be portable (due to a separate display & external peripherals), but to take up less desktop space.

This product is not primarily aimed at gamers. It was not designed to fit any of the RTX 3080s or 3090s that use 3x PCI-E PSU connectors, as per their compatibility list. Recommended cards are the Radeon VII (graphics editing/Mac use) and Quadros (for ML/AI).

3 expansion slots is also useless when TB3 is only PCI-E 3.0 x4.

1.) irrelevant, you can have a laptop in a smaller system.

2.) that's why this is 2 slot?

3.) 375w gpu + 100w laptop charging + buffer wattage to handle GPU spikes that may peak as high as 500w.

4.) flex/sfx are substantially more expensive and harder to replace.

The ventilation is fine. I use a box extremely similar to this every day.

I just hope the USB/ethernet hubs actually work unlike the abomination that Razer has tried for years that has never worked.

The Razer Core X (and Chroma variant) seems to be fine nowadays, but I have heard about those internal hub issues since its release.

I use a Mantiz Saturn Pro myself and have no problems with the front and back hubs.