- NXPort eGPU integrates 650W power in a small dock
- Thunderbolt and USB4 connections may bottleneck even the most powerful GPUs
- Open-frame design leaves components vulnerable to damage
The pursuit of transforming business laptops into desktop-grade powerhouses has long relied on external GPU enclosures.
Traditional solutions have often been bulky, cumbersome, and required separate power supplies or complex assembly.
NXPort claims to be the “world’s smallest eGPU dock,” promising 650W of integrated power in a palm-sized form factor measuring 169mm x 102mm x 82mm.
Compact form, big questions
The central claim of NXPort is that it houses a built-in power supply within a tiny, open-frame chassis.
On paper, this allows compatibility with nearly all consumer-grade GPUs and simplifies connectivity by supporting Thunderbolt 3/4/5 or USB4.
However, a compact, exposed design introduces concerns about heat management and physical protection.
Expensive components, including GPUs like the $1,999 GeForce RTX 5090, would sit exposed to dust, accidental contact, and variable cooling conditions.
The device meets the ATX 3.1 spec for stable power delivery, but real-world performance under sustained load is unverified, leaving potential users cautious about long-term reliability.
The company presents NXPort as a plug-and-play solution that can greatly improve GPU performance.
In the company’s tests, pairing a budget laptop with an Nvidia RTX 4060 reportedly produced a “6X Gaming Benchmark” improvement.
The dock is also described as suitable for intensive creative workloads and AI model training, capable of handling tasks requiring “thousands of parallel operations.”
Yet, it is important to note that performance may be limited by the bandwidth of Thunderbolt or USB4 connections.
This could restrict the throughput of high-end graphics cards despite the dock’s internal power.
The dock also supports GPUs with various power connectors, including 12V-2x6, 8-pin, dual 8-pin, triple 8-pin, and quad 8-pin (12VHPWR).
This provides flexibility for future upgrades without enclosure limitations.
Although NXPort claims to be the “world’s smallest eGPU dock,” its 1.3kg weight is well above that of the GDP G1, a former smallest, which weighs only 867g.
The company states that the device is budget-friendly, as an NXPort paired with an RTX 3050 costs $459 ($239 for the base dock + $220 for the GPU).
Compared with $1,599 for a laptop featuring a similar RTX 4050 GPU, this offers a cost-efficient way to achieve desktop-level graphics without replacing the existing laptop.
The NXPort project is currently listed on Kickstarter, where it has raised $57,618 from 211 backers, surpassing its $3,856 goal.
With 21 days remaining in the campaign, the funding trajectory suggests strong early interest, although the final product has yet to reach backers for independent evaluation.
Disclaimer: We do not recommend or endorse any crowdfunding project. All crowdfunding campaigns carry inherent risks, including the possibility of delays, changes, or non-delivery of products. Potential backers should carefully evaluate the details and proceed at their own discretion.
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