Question Desktop GPU in laptop?

Dec 18, 2021
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Hi there. My main PC is unfortunately died.

I have a ASUS X540LA laptop it has i3-5005U CPU, 12GB RAM and Intel HD Graphics 5500 iGPU. So it's not suitable for gaming at all, maybe some light indie games.

I have heard it is possible to connect desktop GPU on laptop but i'm not sure if it can be done on low-spec laptop like this. It has type-c but don't know if it's supports thunderbolt.

I have AMD Radeon R9 280X graphics card and Gigabyte P650B power supply. Both works fine.

i3-5005U is surely going to bottleneck the R9 280X at 1080p but it is going to be way much faster than HD 5500.

It is possible to do this? Or doesn't worth to try?

Thanks.
 

Eximo

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Ambassador
No, no thunderbolt on that laptop. So no direct access to the PCIe bus externally.

There are other ways that involve using an internal m.2 port, but that is not a guarantee and removes a lot of the portability of a laptop. Best to save up and replace one or the other. You would have to spend quite a bit on an adapter/enclosure for the GPU anyway. A thunderbolt dock is quite expensive if that were an option.

What is wrong with your main PC, might only take a few components to get it running again and low-mid range hardware has almost never been cheaper.
 

Eximo

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Ambassador
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-10100F 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($68.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B560M PRO-E Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P2 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3 GB Dual-X Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: Gigabyte P-B 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $238.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-08-08 10:01 EDT-0400
 
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Hi there. My main PC is unfortunately died.

I have a ASUS X540LA laptop it has i3-5005U CPU, 12GB RAM and Intel HD Graphics 5500 iGPU. So it's not suitable for gaming at all, maybe some light indie games.

I have heard it is possible to connect desktop GPU on laptop but i'm not sure if it can be done on low-spec laptop like this. It has type-c but don't know if it's supports thunderbolt.

I have AMD Radeon R9 280X graphics card and Gigabyte P650B power supply. Both works fine.

i3-5005U is surely going to bottleneck the R9 280X at 1080p but it is going to be way much faster than HD 5500.

It is possible to do this? Or doesn't worth to try?

Thanks.
You can with an eGPU enclosure if your laptop had a thunderbolt port but it doesn't. Enclosures are also expensive and never perform like the same anyway. @Eximo has the best suggestion, build an entry level rig instead.