Hands-on with the Asus XG Station external GPU

We had to see it to believe it, but the Asus XG Station does indeed turn that wimpy laptop of yours into a somewhat capable gaming rig. The cats at ASUS set us up with a head-to-head demo of two, 'zactly spec'd laptops with awesomely weak Intel GMA 945 graphics processors -- just one of the two was hooked up to an Asus XG Station via ExpressCard. After attaching the external monitor to one of the XG's two DVI connectors, Asus let the gaming demo fly. The stock laptop struggled to keep up with the action with noticeably huge jumps in frames making intense game play a non-starter. The XG-equipped laptop, however, hummed along quite happily. Game play was smooth though a few frames were occasionally dropped. Surround sound is in fact simulated, which is both good and bad: the good is you get pseudo 5.1 surround from any headphones; the bad is you get pseudo 5.1 surround from any headphones. Verdict: the XG Station is ready to game as long as you don't expect it to perform like a dedicated gaming rig. But if you're the occasional gamer who like his lappie ultra-portable and under powered for gaming as a result, then this might be the solution for you. Lots of pics after the break.

Hands on with the ASUS XG Station external GPU

[A smart guy @ Mar 13th 2008 11:18AM]

This thing probably won't ever come out.

Heres the reason why:

ExpressCard bandwidth = 2.5 Gbit/s
8x AGP bandwidth = 2 GB/s

For those who don't know there is 8 bits in a byte. Kids, this should be common computer knowledge. For those who can't do math, 2.5 gbit/s = .3125 GB/s or 320 MB/s. There won't be much or any gains with this if you have even decent dedicated graphics. If this thing does have a 7900gs in there, it won't even come close to what it should in terms of price / performance.

Unless this is priced really reasonably (i.e., between $50 - $120), this won't sell.

[Alec @ May 28th 2008 12:30PM]

Where/when can I get one?? anyone know?

[m @ May 30th 2008 3:57PM]

since the 8x output of the card is going into a separate lcd/crt, you won't need more than 350GB of info going into your card from cpu keyboard and mouse.

[m @ May 30th 2008 4:05PM]

I mean "MB". Definately will buy.

[pastorcete @ Jun 2nd 2008 11:29AM]

quisiera saber cuando saldrá esto en españa o si a salido ya, mi portatil es bastante vergonzoso y veo que esta sera mi única solución antes de comprarse otro pc.

[DavidA @ Jun 13th 2008 7:14PM]

Joder pues si con una nvidia 8600 GT te andas quejando manda cojones. Mira la configuracion de la tarjeta seguro que la tienes a bajo rendimiento.

[Benjamin Ewing @ Sep 23rd 2008 3:47AM]

any word on this lately, I REALLY need this thing to drive my 30" cinema display, 1280x800 just aint cutting it

[Lukas @ Oct 3rd 2008 9:45PM]

on sale in Australia for $417.65 ,
NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT

Built for Microsoft Windows Vista

NVIDIA SLI Technology ready

Full support for Microsoft DirectX10 and Shader Model 4.0 enables stunning and complex special effects

OpenGL2.0 support

Single dual-link DVI outputs support 3840 x 2400 at 30Hz resolution displays


I/O Specifications
Audio connector
- Microphone out
- Headphone out
USB *2
TV-out
Dual DVI-I


Graphics Engine NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT

Video & Color Engine ASUS Splendid HD
Bus Standard PCI Express 2.0
Video Memory DDR3 256MB
Effective Memory Size 256 MB
Effective Memory Bandwidth 128-bit
Engine Clock 540 MHz
Shader Clock GHz

Memory Clock 1.4 GHz ( 700 MHz DDR3 )

RAMDAC 400MHz
Memory Interface 128-bit
CRT Max Resolution 2048 x 1536
DVI Max Resolution 3840 x 2400
D-Sub Output Yes x 1 (via DVI to D-Sub adaptor x 1 )

DVI Output Yes x 2 (DVI-I)

HDTV Output (YPbPr) Yes
HDCP Support Yes
TV Output Yes (YPbPr to S-Video and Composite)
Audio Output 1 x Headphone out
1 x Microphone out
Adapter/Cable Bundled 1 x DVI to D-Sub adaptor
1 x HDTV-out cable
1 x Power cable
1 x Express Card cable
Software Bundled ASUS Utilities & Driver

[Michael Voigt @ Oct 12th 2008 10:13PM]

ASUS making a Mac driver for this ... don't get your hopes up ;(

It would be a cakewalk to make this driver.

[tim @ Jan 15th 2009 4:51PM]

Has anyone got this working on a mac or hackintosh? I have one and am busting to get working.

[dongzy @ Feb 5th 2009 3:23AM]

I wonder if this can be used on a notebook with a failure onboard gpu. I dont want to pay money for repairing.

[mcheddadi @ Jan 8th 2007 7:56PM]

MUST BUY OMG

[Shell @ Jan 8th 2007 7:56PM]

Oh my god. This looks amazing! I hope it's not expensive. o.o


http://blog.dotshell.net

[Jovanny Munoz @ Jan 8th 2007 7:58PM]

omg, i want one so bad for my "awesomely weak Intel GMA 945 graphics processor", i seriously hope it doesn't cost as much as my laptop though.

[infinitespecter @ Jan 8th 2007 9:40PM]

Sweet! Maybe now I won't have to upgrade my computer just to play Crysis!

[Chris Moroz @ Jan 9th 2007 12:39AM]

Is it PCMCIA or ExpressCard?

[kojo87 @ Jan 8th 2007 9:54PM]

can this only be used for gaming or would it boost my 1.4GHZ Intel Celeron M for everything? cause i have an ATI Raedeon Xpress graphics card that came with my Toshiba Satellite A105. would something like this external GPU be worth it for me?

[Chieh Cheng @ Jan 8th 2007 8:35PM]

Several things missing from this entry . . .

1. Is external monitor required to be used with this product? Will it work with the LCD that is built-in to the notebook?

2. Is any PCIe graphics card usable as an upgrade? Or does it take proprietary card only?

3. What game was used to do the comparison?

[Aaron @ Jan 8th 2007 9:12PM]

It's 3D Mark, of course!

[Tim @ Jan 8th 2007 8:53PM]

thats 3dmark06 running in the pictures

[JD @ Jan 8th 2007 8:54PM]

Finally easily upgradable graphics for lappies?!

So many questions, what's the purpose of the second DVI connector? Is it Windows-only? Will it work on non-ASUS computers?

[Andrew H. @ Jan 8th 2007 11:17PM]

wut if i already haf a dedicated gpu on my 2 lappies. (one is mobility x300 and the other is mobility x1600) will this external gpu increase performance?

[bluemonq @ Jan 8th 2007 8:59PM]

I can answer the first one for sure: yes, an external monitor is required. As for #2, I'm wagering that Asus didn't make the graphics chips that are on-board removeable.

[IrishGadgetWhore @ Jan 9th 2007 9:58AM]

RE: JD
what's the purpose of the second DVI connector?
>>Dual monitor setups one would think.

Is it Windows-only?
>>Very curious about that too!
Will it work on Macs?!? \(0.0)/

[JD @ Apr 26th 2007 1:52AM]

All things considered and I've been doing some googling on the subject, it houses a standard PCIe 16x graphics card, "any" graphics card, probably only those that will take up a single slot (in a normal case), and most likely no longer than 9inches. So, your choice of cards is only limited by these factors, I'm not sure whether the 7900GS that is currently slated for packaging with the product requires a 6pin PCIe power cable or not, but that could also be a limiting factor. In essence this product is a docking station with a graphics upgrade as it's main feature. Though I still hope they will fix it so that the signal can be sent back, but unless you happen to have a DVI-in on your laptop I don't like the chances. Yes the two DVI ports are obviously meant for multiple monitor support, as that is normal output capability for the card that was put into the station.

[BSalita2002 @ Jan 9th 2007 2:16PM]

HDCP?

[Derrick @ Jan 8th 2007 10:56PM]

what does it use to connect to the lappy??

[RichardC @ Jan 8th 2007 11:20PM]

Derrick:
It uses the ExpressCard slot (the successor to PC CARD). This makes sense since ExpressCard is based on the same PCI-Express standard used by current desktops.

For those complaining about the size: this is meant more as a docking station for at home. Leave your speakers and dual monitors hooked up to it all the time, and just slide the ExpressCard into your notebook. When you're ready to go to class (if you're a student) or to a client's, just pop out the ExpressCard and you've instantly got your small notebook back.

What I want to know is if this will work with only certain model Asus notebooks (and which ones), or if it's a universal product only requiring an ExpressCard slot.

[benhc911 @ Jan 11th 2007 8:14PM]

so many questions indeed! Direct X 9 and shader 3.0? how much memory of what type? how many pipes? what are some benchmarks in comparison to others (ie. my go 7950 gtx haha), can it work with your existing gpu or only instead, and does it have to be external monitor????? SO so many questions, price point, power consumption, heat, noise?? How is the speaker quality on the bass etc etc. I cant wait till more details hit. Especially on whether or not the card can be changed, because im a bit upset that my "top of the line" laptop card wont be worth anything once direct x 10 goes big time, unless the newest open gl is backwards compatible.

[par @ Jan 8th 2007 11:10PM]

OMG! that thing is huge. its as big as the laptop next to it.

[Ben Snow @ Jan 8th 2007 11:12PM]

Derrick, it uses ExpressCard|34

[Vences5 @ Jan 9th 2007 6:05AM]

Question: When is this going to be available for purchase?

[Neg2LED @ Jan 9th 2007 6:14AM]

Expresscard. PCMCIA can't pump data fast enough for decent video.

--neg

[Heelix @ Jan 9th 2007 6:54AM]

I did some looking up on the web, and the speed that the ExpressCard can handle is 2.5gbit/sec similar to the agp 8x interface that could handle ~2gbit/sec.
Don’t believe that asus would release something that wouldn’t improve the performance; the question is if the performance increase is worth the eventual price tag.

This would be so sweet if it worked with the macbook.

[Philip @ Jan 9th 2007 7:19AM]

WOW finaly i can put that express card slot in my lappy to use... but it already has a 7600 GT so it would need to have a more powerful card than that to be worth buying for me...

[M@ C AIR @ Jan 9th 2007 11:33AM]

Man, I now need a monitor a keyboard and this. Man my MacBook Pro could definitely use this to keep it cool and hike the performance of my games.

[Robotochan @ Jan 9th 2007 5:52PM]

According to http://www.slashgear.com/asus-xg-station-steroids-for-your-laptop-video-card-073362.php (don't know how reliable they are)

It will have 2 PCI-X slots, will overclock with the knob and will come with a ASUS EN7900GS

I really want it!

[Monkey @ Jan 10th 2007 3:02AM]

So if I'm at a LAN with this, my friend can run by and crank the knob up (fry the chip) or down (lag to death). :D

Assumming it uses standard cards and all, I wonder about the heat and noise issues. I guess modding the fans is always an option.

Definitely looking foreward to this if it performs well.

[raphael @ Jan 9th 2007 12:28PM]

This will be a serious boon to anyone looking to purchase a Tablet PC. What happens to the laptop's own screen with the XG Station? Hmm...

[H�kan @ Jan 10th 2007 5:13PM]

I hate to destroy the party but a few things need to be considered. The port used is Expresscard, the successor to Cardbus. Cardbus was more or less a normal PCI-interface with 133MB/s in bandwidth. This bandwidth was shared among the rest of the PCI-components like ethernet or WiFi. Expresscard is based on PCI-E 1X with a bandwidth of 250MB/s. While the difference towards Cardbus is small, less than a 100% increase, Expresscard is a dedicated bus.

Compared this to AGP 8X (a dedicated bus as well) with more than 2GB/s in bandwidth or PCI-E 16X which support 8GB/s.

So what we have here is only slighly better than a normal PCI-interface. How many among you would hook up a high-end graphics card on a PCI-bus? Toms hardware did some tests on how available bandwidth affected performance. http://www.tomshardware.com/2004/11/22/sli_is_coming/page10.html

Remember that this test is more than two years old and todays high-end cards would be even more bandwidth-starved.

I don't say this is a pointless solution, far from. I just don't want people to expect that they will be able to hook up some 8800GTX to see blazing framerates. Still, a proper implementation should be able to score at least 5000@3DMark05.

[pjf @ Feb 29th 2008 1:59PM]

from wiki

"The ExpressCard has a maximum throughput of 2.5 Gbit/s through PCI Express"

i.e. better than AGP8X possible on a laptop, sweet

looks like the thing is to be released in US in May 2008 $600

[Sam Winter @ Mar 6th 2008 3:37AM]

2GB/s > 2.5Gb/s .... Its GIGABYTES dumbass

[Alex @ Jan 16th 2007 4:20PM]

If Asus push a line of portables/ultraportables (12.1-15.4 inches) with one of the/the ExpressCard slots hooked up to the PCI-E 16x port of their motherboards (lappies have those right? Yes I'm utterly clueless) to obtain full speed (=compatibility with the latest and the greatest) we'd have a truly great product, though I admit I'm waiting on pricing for this thing (buy a cheapo lappy with the XG or buy a better lappy with a graphics card, considering an Asus A8J series actually).
Oh, and anyone have first-hand experience with Asus laptops? how good is build quality, screen, etc...? (please email at [e-mail])

[brandon @ Jul 19th 2007 1:09AM]

wait so youre telling me that you have to have that weird shaped card slot not the pcmcia slot in order for this thing to work. i can't believe i just bought a tablet pc with 256 graphics and the stupid thing won't play so many games, gta san andreas works, but not hitman bloodmoney sniper doom 3 any of the ones that require hw transform and lighting and vertex shader. if someone figures out how to get my computer to have, or think that it has these two things, email me at [e-mail]

[swabelicous @ Mar 17th 2007 1:47AM]

taken from asus' website
"Equipped with Express Card interface, USB 2.0" so I guess you can use usb 2.0 as well

[Allen @ Mar 25th 2007 8:14PM]

I have an idea of how to connect the XG station to your laptop and play it on your laptop screen. Let me know if you think I'm just bogus. ;) If you laptop has two card slots, (say one ExpressCard slot and one PC Card slot) couldn't you simply use one to output to the XG station and then use a TV Tuner card to input the video back to your laptop so that you wouldn't need an external monitor???
Or, if you don't have two card slots in your laptop, couldn't you do the same thing with an external PC Card drive?

[Jared @ May 22nd 2007 11:34PM]

so it's friggin May 22nd and this thing isn't out yet
i've contacted Asus and they can't even find the product in their system, half the people i've spoken to over there don't even know what it is.

they said i had to call Asus sales so i called them and was only given the option to leave a message ... FOR SALES!!! wtf?? they should be like yes how can we take your money today?

if anyone knows where to buy one let me know, i've got $600 set aside for it ... it's alot cheaper than a whole new gaming PC so i'm all for this thing

[JimMOrbid @ Jul 5th 2007 10:23AM]

Well its 5th July now and still not a thing on the horizon. I would kill for one of these things...

[empire @ Aug 31st 2007 1:05AM]

My monitor is VGA, do you guys think I will be able to use this, if so what do I need?

[wiedzmin @ Sep 16th 2007 8:38PM]

Yes you will be able to use this - you'll just need the DVI-to-VGA adapter and they come included with most PCIe DVI videocards.

The question I have is where in hell is this product? The announcement says Q2 of 2007 and we're nearly at the end of Q4 already... unless they're not using US fiscal year... then we're still like what, 3 months away? Ugh.