Introduction

Nowadays, in pursuit of high performance and portability, external GPU docks have become the preferred device for many users of thin and light laptops and mini PCs to improve graphics performance. Compared with the Thunderbolt GPU Dock, the GPU Dock with OCuLink interface has a significant advantage in bandwidth and transmission loss.

Next, let’s take a look at how the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock performs.

What is OCuLink?

OCuLink, short for "Optical-Copper Link," is a peripheral connection standard that allows you to connect PCIe devices using an external cable rather than an internal slot.

The interface was developed by the PCI-SIG, the Body for standardization and norming of the PCI interface (Peripheral Component Interconnect Special Interest Group). It is designed to provide a smaller, more flexible, and more efficient PCIe expansion solution.

OCuLink delivered PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 bandwidth. It also supports SATA and SAS. The common OCuLink interface on the market uses two different connectors, SFF-8611 and SFF-8612, which are used for the host side and the device side respectively. It provides 4 PCIe lanes, each with a bandwidth of 8GT/s (PCIe 3.0) or 16GT/s (PCIe 4.0), for a total bandwidth of up to 64Gbps.

OCuLink is a connection system for the PCI Express area. The interface has a Small-Form-factor which is optimized for internal and external enclosure usage. OCuLink cables are a cost-effective possibility for an external PCIe extension.

Compared to Thunderbolt which integrates DisplayPort and PCI-Express, OCuLink is a pure PCIe channel and does not include a DP channel. Its transmission loss is relatively low when connecting an external graphics card dock. OCuLink of PCIe 3.0×4 can reach a bandwidth of 32Gbps, while PCIe 4.0×4 can reach a bandwidth of 64Gbps, which is more advantageous than the maximum bandwidth of 22Gbps of Thunderbolt 3 and the maximum bandwidth of 32Gbps of Thunderbolt 4.

However, OCuLink may be slightly inferior to Thunderbolt in terms of compatibility, integrity, and completeness, but it has the characteristics of relatively lower price and better performance.

Product Appearance

OCuLink | Review of Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock-Chargerlab

The box adopts a simple design, with the outline of the GPU Dock, "MINISFORUM", model "DEG1" and its interface printed on the front.

The specs info are printed on the box.

The box contains the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock, an OCuLink cable, the matching bracket, screws, and other small accessories.

The Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock has a minimalist design and is made of metal. Due to its open design, there is no limit on the length of the graphics card, and it supports up to NVIDIA Geforce RTX 4090 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX.

It provides a PCIe 4.0x4 expansion interface, which can provide a data transmission bandwidth of up to 64Gbps.

There is a 24-pin external power supply interface next to the base, which requires an independent power supply and is compatible with ATX/STX standard power supplies. In addition, it has a built-in signal amplification chip, which can achieve a more stable high-speed transmission.

There is a power switch button on the side and an indicator light next to it.

There is an OCuLink interface on the other side for connecting laptops, mini PCs, and other devices.

There are anti-slip silicone pads on the four corners of the bottom.

The included OCuLink cable has a press-on buckle design to prevent damage to the graphics card and GPU Dock due to pulling and accidental plugging and unplugging (The GPU Dock does not support hot plugging and can only be hot-plugged when paired with specific models such as Lenovo ThinkBook 14/16+ 2024 Core Edition).

The length of the OCuLink cable is about 66 cm (25.98 inches).

The length of the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock is about 27 cm (10.63 inches).

The width is about 18 cm (7.087 inches).

The thickness is about 2.89 cm (1.14 inches).

The weight is about 880 g (31.041 oz).

GPU Expansion Test

We will connect the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock to the Lenovo ThinkBook 14+ 2024 Core Edition and the AOOSTAR GEM12 Pro Mini PC respectively for testing. Since device compatibility, graphics card drivers, connecting cables, etc. may affect the performance of the graphics card after connection, the test results are for reference only.

Tested with Lenovo ThinkBook 14+ 2024

Since the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock does not come with a power supply, we used FSP's 350W power supply (model: FSP350-60AGBAK). The graphics card chosen is a Lenovo RTX 4060Ti 8GB.

Use GPU-Z to view various information about the graphics card. The graphics card is NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti, with 48 ROPs, 136 TMUs, 4352 shaders, a default clock of 2310 MHz, a boost clock of 2535 MHz, memory type: GDDR6, memory size: 8GB, and a bus width of 128bit. The driver version is 31.0.15.5152 DCH/Win11 64.

Using 3D Mark to conduct PCI Express functional testing can verify whether the actual data transfer rate of the channel complies with the standard and ensure that the graphics card can fully exert its performance. After testing, the transmission bandwidth reached 6GB/s, which basically meets the bandwidth rate and loss of the OCuLink interface.

In the 3DMark TimeSpy (DX12 1440p) test, the Lenovo RTX 4060 Ti 8GB graphics card paired with the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock can achieve a graphics score of nearly 9634 points.

Under the AMD R7 5800X + MSI X570S + TEAMGROUP 8GB×2 3600MHz platform, the Lenovo 4060 Ti 8GB can achieve a score of 13330 points in the 3DMark TimeSpy (DX12 1440p) test.

Finally, the game test shows that in Counter-Strike 2, at the default high-definition setting, the fps can reach 123 when connected directly to an external monitor and graphics card with OCuLink.

The Lenovo ThinkBook14+ 2024 Core Edition was tested with the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock. Although it achieved relatively good results in the PCI Express function test, it may be due to graphics card driver or compatibility issues. There is still a certain degree of loss in the actual 3D Mark TimeSpy running score compared with the running score under the direct connection to the PCI-E x16 slot.

Tested with AOOSTAR GEM12 Pro Mini PC

Since the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock does not come with a power supply, we used FSP's 350W power supply (model: FSP350-60AGBAK). The graphics card chosen is a Lenovo RTX 4060Ti 8GB.

Using 3D Mark to conduct PCI Express functional testing can verify whether the actual data transfer rate of the channel complies with the standard and ensure that the graphics card can fully exert its performance. After testing, the transmission bandwidth reached 6.7GB/s, which basically meets the bandwidth rate and loss of the OCuLink interface.

In the 3DMark TimeSpy (DX12 1440p) test, the Lenovo RTX 4060 Ti 8GB graphics card paired with the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock can achieve a graphics score of nearly 13469 points.

Under the AMD R7 5800X + MSI X570S + TEAMGROUP 8GB×2 3600MHz platform, the Lenovo 4060 Ti 8GB can achieve a score of 13330 points in the 3DMark TimeSpy (DX12 1440p) test.

Finally, the game test shows that in Counter-Strike 2, at the default high-definition setting, the fps can reach 137 when connected directly to an external monitor and graphics card with OCuLink.

In the 3D Mark PCI Express functional test, it achieved a score of 6.7GB/s and in the 3DMark TimeSpy (DX12 1440p) it achieved a graphics score of nearly 13469 points, which is even higher than the performance on the desktop host platform. It can be seen that the overall performance loss is relatively small.

Summary of ChargerLAB

Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock provides an ideal external graphics card solution for users of thin and light notebooks and mini PCs through its open design and high-bandwidth transmission brought by the OCuLink interface.

We used the Lenovo ThinkBook 14+ 2024 Core Edition and the AOOSTAR GEM12 Pro Mini PC for testing, and they performed well overall in terms of compatibility and graphics performance. For users who want a balance between portability, performance, and expandability, the Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock is a good choice.

OCuLink | Review of Minisforum DEG1 eGPU Dock