Razer Core X or Build a Desktop?

[d3@thtr00p3r]

Hey all!

I'm looking into doing a new PC build however I just dropped some dough on the new Razer Blade Stealth 13.3 inch with the Nvidia GTX 1650 TI graphics card in it. I've done a little research into the external GPU scene and it looks like I might be able to just dump some money into a killer graphics card, monitor, and Razer Core X instead of shelling out close to 3K for a new desktop build. What do y'all recommend? Will a Razer Blade Stealth laptop perform as well with its Intel I7 10th Gen processor with an external GPU or should I just go ahead and build a PC for at home gaming? Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Shadowclash10]

Well, a desktop will definitely provide better performance. The big question is what games, resolutions, refresh rates are you playing at? IE, what GPU would you be looking at?

 

[lamboto]

So the thing to note with eGPU's using Thunderbolt 3 is that you only get 4 PCI-E lanes instead of the usual 16 lanes. I had the HP Omen Accelerator to use with my HP Spectre x360 13, which I should note has an i7-8550U and 16GB of memory, but it's also the thinnest laptop I've owned so the heat was an issue. I ended up returning it upon realizing that my RX 480 was being bottlenecked hard by the Thunderbolt connection.

I would say order the Core X and try it out. Razer has a 14-day return window, Amazon has a longer one. You can make the decision after a few sessions of playing around with it. But as of now, I believe Alienware is the only eGPU manufacturer with a connector to use all 16 PCI-E lanes, but that requires an Alienware machine.

 

[Shadowclash10]

So the thing to note with eGPU's using Thunderbolt 3 is that you only get 4 PCI-E lanes instead of the usual 16 lanes. I had the HP Omen Accelerator to use with my HP Spectre x360 13, which I should note has an i7-8550U and 16GB of memory, but it's also the thinnest laptop I've owned so the heat was an issue. I ended up returning it upon realizing that my RX 480 was being bottlenecked hard by the Thunderbolt connection.

I would say order the Core X and try it out. Razer has a 14-day return window, Amazon has a longer one. You can make the decision after a few sessions of playing around with it. But as of now, I believe Alienware is the only eGPU manufacturer with a connector to use all 16 PCI-E lanes, but that requires an Alienware machine.

This. Plus, it depends on how demanding your games are.

 

[d3@thtr00p3r]

Well, a desktop will definitely provide better performance. The big question is what games, resolutions, refresh rates are you playing at? IE, what GPU would you be looking at?

Id be looking at getting a 2070 or 2080 if I wasnt buying an entire rig

 

[d3@thtr00p3r]

So the thing to note with eGPU's using Thunderbolt 3 is that you only get 4 PCI-E lanes instead of the usual 16 lanes. I had the HP Omen Accelerator to use with my HP Spectre x360 13, which I should note has an i7-8550U and 16GB of memory, but it's also the thinnest laptop I've owned so the heat was an issue. I ended up returning it upon realizing that my RX 480 was being bottlenecked hard by the Thunderbolt connection.

I would say order the Core X and try it out. Razer has a 14-day return window, Amazon has a longer one. You can make the decision after a few sessions of playing around with it. But as of now, I believe Alienware is the only eGPU manufacturer with a connector to use all 16 PCI-E lanes, but that requires an Alienware machine.

Well said. Thanks for the advice. You think the I7 10th Gen wouldnt be able to handle a lot of it? The most CPU heavy game I have seen is World of Warcraft. I am just now getting back into PC gaming after a five year hiatus.

 

[d3@thtr00p3r]

Well, a desktop will definitely provide better performance. The big question is what games, resolutions, refresh rates are you playing at? IE, what GPU would you be looking at?

I've been playing Doom Eternal and Resident Evil 2. Both can be played on about medium settings on the laptop by itself without it overheating and maintaining 60FPS

 

[Shadowclash10]

I've been playing Doom Eternal and Resident Evil 2. Both can be played on about medium settings on the laptop by itself without it overheating and maintaining 60FPS

I've been playing Doom Eternal and Resident Evil 2. Both can be played on about medium settings on the laptop by itself without it overheating and maintaining 60FPS

1080p, right?

 

[Shadowclash10]

I would go with what @lamboto said, and try the Core X. $400 for the Core and say ~$550 for the GPU totals to $950. Accessories are the same no matter if you use a desktop or Core.

 

[d3@thtr00p3r]

I would go with what @lamboto said, and try the Core X. $400 for the Core and say ~$550 for the GPU totals to $950. Accessories are the same no matter if you use a desktop or Core.

Yea its the 1080P screen. I was looking at the Razer Raptor 27 monitor or an ASUS TUF monitor to pair.

 

[d3@thtr00p3r]

I would go with what @lamboto said, and try the Core X. $400 for the Core and say ~$550 for the GPU totals to $950. Accessories are the same no matter if you use a desktop or Core.

Really the only online games i will going for are StarCraft 2, League of Legends, and possible COD Warzone. I mostly like the single player games like DOOM, Resident Evil, Witcher, etc...

 

[d3@thtr00p3r]

Sooo update on this. I got the Razer Core X Chroma to pair with my Razer Blade Stealth 2019 and got an RTX 2080 Super to go with it. So far I’m incredibly impressed. I’m able to play Doom Eternal maxed out on the laptop screen at a smooth 60fps. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to test higher frame rates effectively because of the 60hz HD screen so I am waiting on my ASUS TUF 2K 165hz monitor to come in. The CPU so far isn’t an issue. Most of the games I play are mostly graphics intensive and not CPU.