Today we find available a new external GPU dock, the MINISFORUM DEG2, which offers Thunderbolt 5 and OCulink connectors in the same device.
This external dock with support for Thunderbolt 5 protocol specifications, allows to reach 120 Gbps in certain scenarios, but for eGPUs remains at 80 Gbps. In the upper area we have a PCIe 4.0×4 slot and a connector for standard ATX source, we also have a socket M.2 2280 PCIe to add a disk, USB ports and Ethernet 2.5G connector. This is an improved version of the previous DEG1 which only had OCulink connectivity on its ports.
This connection system for external graphics cards requires a mini PC or computer with at least USB 3.2 or USB 4, as it is backward compatible. The graphics power for gaming will be multiplied as we have seen in our eGPU comparison.
Technical specifications of the MINISFORUM DEG2
The new MINISFORUM DEG2 dock offers a Thunderbolt 5 port with USB-C format that reaches speeds of 80 Gbps. A speed that is twice as fast as the 40 Gbps USB4 and 64 Gbps OcuLink connector that is also available. To use it optimally we need Thunderbolt 5 cables, this can not be longer than 2 meters. By default, this dock offers us enough cabling to get it up and running.
In the upper area we need to connect a conventional ATX power supply. By giving it power it will automatically be detected as the new main graphics of our system, games or applications will use it by default.
Other notable features
In the upper area we have the PCIe x16 slot for our graphics card and the connectors for the power supply. Located in this same area under a cover we have the socket for the M.2 2280 disk that we can use as an external drive.
In the rear area we have a USB-A 3.2 Gen2, two USB-C TB5 ports that reach up to 140W of power and an OCulink port, as well as a 2.5G Ethernet port. On the front we have the power button and a USB-A 3.2 Gen1.
Price and availability
- The MINISFORUM DEG2 dock is available from MINISFORUM and soon on Amazon starting at $239.
