GPD Box mini PC launches with OCuLink-beating MCIO eGPU port

GPD has made the Box mini PC available to purchase through the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. Backers can get this Intel Panther Lake system at a discounted price, and the starting price is $1,452.

That starting price is for the configuration with the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H, which doesn't have the Arc B390 iGPU. Instead, it features the less capable 4-core Xe3 iGPU, but this config features the OCuLink-beating MCIO 8i eGPU port.

For reference, the MCIO 8i port is based on PCIe Gen 5 x8, and it promises 512Gbps of bidirectional bandwidth. The OCuLink 4.0 port that's found on most mini PCs is rated for 64Gbps. This jump means that with a capable eGPU setup, it's possible to get near-native desktop performance through this port.

There's another configuration of the GPD Box available, and it comes with the Core Ultra X7 358H. It has the more capable Intel Arc B390 iGPU but misses out on the MCIO 8i port. Beyond these, the other aspects of the two configurations are the same.

Both come with a built-in 160W GaN power supply, and they can be adjusted from anywhere between 15W and 80W TDP. GPD further highlights that this Intel Panther Lake mini PC has dual M.2 slots, and one of them can hold a PCIe Gen 5 x4 SSD (2TB Samsung SSD 9100 Pro curr. $423.91 on Amazon). There's also a rich set of connectivity ports for easy expansion, including:

• 2x USB4 v2
• 4x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
• 2x 2.5G Ethernet
• 1x HDMI 2.1
• 1x DisplayPort 2.1
• 1x 3.5mm audio

The company is offering the mini PC with up to 64GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and on Indiegogo, it's possible to purchase the Core Ultra 7 356H config bundled with the GPD G2 eGPU dock, which also features the MCIO port. This bundle starts at $1,837, while the config with the Core Ultra X7 358H starts at $1,534.