A new leak suggests that the launch date for the new Asus ROG XG Mobile external GPU (eGPU) is imminent. This portable gaming GPU will provide gamers with a plug-in upgrade to either an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 or RTX 5070 Ti for their gaming laptop or handheld gaming PC. However, while it will be a tempting performance upgrade for many gamers, its rumored price could put many off.
While most eGPUs are glorified external docks for your existing graphics card to plug into, this particular Asus model is a much smaller, all-in-one solution. The new ROG XG uses the laptop equivalent GPUs of some of the best graphics cards from Nvidia, with an RTX 5090 model offered for maximum performance, while the RTX 5070 Ti model is a more affordable option.
According to a report by Chinese website ITHome, Asus is planning on releasing this new eGPU lineup on February 25. The GPU will see a brand new design over the last ROG XG, released back in 2023, with an 18.5% smaller casing and a weight under 1Kg. According to the report and Asus’ own released specs page, the device will also be 3dB quieter than the last ROG XG Mobile, which was equipped with a mobile RTX 4090, along with a 54% bigger cooling surface for improved thermal performance.
More importantly, this new eGPU will reportedly feature an upgrade to a Thunderbolt 5 connector, delivering up to 80Gb/s bandwidth. That’s great for gaming, but Thunderbolt 5 connections still aren’t common, except in top-spec gaming laptops and PCs. You’ll still be able to use it with a Thunderbolt 4 port, however, meaning you could use this device on one of the best handheld gaming PCs such as the Asus ROG Ally X, but the available bandwidth is halved to a maximum of 40Gb/s, making it a much slower (and less appealing) option.
Along with its two Thunderbolt 5 USB-C ports, the new ROG XG Mobile will ship with ports for DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, and 5G Ethernet. Two USB-A ports will also help expand the connections on any laptop or mini gaming PC that are plugged in to the eGPU. The ROG XG Mobile also incorporates a 330W power supply, although the connection via Thunderbolt 5 – for powering your laptop – only supports up to 140W.
While on paper this could be a good upgrade over the integrated GPUs used in some laptops or gaming handhelds, the price is going to make it an option reserved for only the most enthusiastic few. IT Home reports that the XG Mobile with an RTX 5090 is set to cost $2,199.99, which is $200 more than the MSRP for the desktop RTX 5090’s base model.
That might not sound so bad, but the XG Mobile is based on the mobile RTX 5090, which is equipped with only 10,496 CUDA cores compared to the desktop version’s 21,760, making it a much less powerful GPU. It also ships with only 24GB VRAM, in contrast to the desktop 5090’s 32GB. These specs place it remarkably close to the desktop RTX 5080’s specs on paper, with fewer CUDA cores but extra VRAM than that card, but for more than two times the desktop RTX 5080’s $999 MSRP.
The RTX 5070 Ti model is a better option in terms of affordability and value, with it priced at $1,199.99. That’s still $450 more than the desktop RTX 5070 Ti’s MSRP, but the performance drop between mobile and desktop GPUs here is much less steep. The laptop 5070 Ti ships with 5,888 CUDA cores and 12GB VRAM, compared to 8,960 and 16GB VRAM on the desktop card.
If you’re desperate to improve the gaming performance of your gaming laptop, handheld, or mini gaming PC, and you’ve got the dollars to spare, this Asus ROG XG Mobile will certainly do it. However, limited Thunderbolt 5 availability, the use of less-powerful mobile GPUs than the desktop equivalents, and such high pricing mean this eGPU lineup may not prove to be a popular add-on for most portable gaming rigs.
We’ll see just how popular these new Asus eGPUs are when they go on sale. If it doesn’t appeal, however, you may want to grab yourself a desktop card and place it in a standard eGPU enclosure instead. Our where to buy 5090 guide is updated daily with the latest RTX 5090 stock availability, and we’ll be doing the same with our where to buy 5070 Ti guide when that card launches on February 20, too. You can also check out our RTX 5090 review to see how well the new Nvidia flagship performs in the real world, at least on a PC.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC hardware news, reviews, and guides, or join our community Discord to stay in the know.