ROG XG Mobile (2025): Asus upgrades to Thunderbolt 5 with GeForce RTX 5090 22 comments
Image: Asus
Asus has been offering the complete ROG XG Mobile (Station) eGPU solution with a proprietary connection for almost four years. Things have been quieter lately, even though the first ROG Ally offered the connector. Despite all the doomsday prophecies, Asus is now preparing to breathe new life into the eGPU market and is moving on to Thunderbolt and the RTX 5000.
Asus ROG XG Mobile (2025) in details
With the latest version of the Asus ROG, the TGP is specified as a full 150 watts, but the extra 25 watts from the processor via Dynamic Boost 2.0 is probably not available in this case.
GeForce RTX 5000 Laptop GPU at a Glance GPU Model Shader Memory,
Interface, max. Max TGP bandwidth Dynamic Boost 2.0 DLSS 4 GeForce RTX 5090 GPU for Laptop GB203 10,496 24GB GDDR7
256-bit 95 – 150 watts 25 watts ✓ GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU GB203 7,680 16GB GDDR7
256-bit 60 – 150 watts 25 watts ✓ GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU GB205 5,888 12GB GDDR7
192 bits 60 – 115 watts 25 watts ✓
eGPU and docking station on TB 5
The other features also please. In addition to the power supply of up to 140 W via the Thunderbolt cable, which should be able to run most laptops, the eGPU box also offers a LAN interface which, in addition to the obligatory 1 Gbps, also has 2 .5 and even Can provide 5 Gbps. Also included are two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A interfaces, another Thunderbolt 5 interface, an SD card reader (UHS-II), HDMI 2.1 and a modern DisplayPort 2.1 socket for connecting a monitor directly to the eGPU .
Aura Sync and 330 watts
Aura Sync is also fully supported so the semi-transparent housing can be highlighted via an RGB LED if necessary. The ROG Mobile (2025) is powered by a PSU of up to 330 watts, of which 140 watts can be transmitted. A vapor chamber, already known from the 2023 model, cools the GPU and aims to maintain the tolerable noise level.
Compatible with Thunderbolt 4 or USB 4
Important: The new version cannot work on a Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3 port with USB-C; only ports with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 4 are compatible – but not as fast (40 Gbps, unless it’s USB4 2.0 at 80 Gbps).
Thunderbolt as a Game Changer?
With the move to Thunderbolt 5, the dock can now be used universally across manufacturers, but the new Asus ROG Ally X gaming handheld, for example, also uses USB 4 and could work with it. All current Intel platforms are equipped with Thunderbolt 4 (Lunar Lake, Arrow Lake). The spread of Thunderbolt 5 will continue to be slow, however, because a separate chip is still required.
Prices and availability
There is currently no further information on pricing or availability.
Topics: Asus CES 2025 GeForce Nvidia Thunderbolt graphics cards Source: Asus
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