GPD intros MCIO mini PC and eGPU with OCuLink-beating performance

GPD has introduced the first batch of products that come with the MCIO interface. This interface is designed to carry high-speed signals through a compact connector, and the MCIO 8i stands as a better alternative to OCuLink, Thunderbolt 5, and USB4 v2 for eGPU setups.

More specifically, the GPD G2, which is the new eGPU that the company has introduced, promises only a performance loss of 2% when paired with an MCIO system and a desktop Nvidia RTX 4090. To compare, OCuLink 4.0 x4 typically has a performance drop of anywhere between 4% to 25%, while it can go well above 25% for Thunderbolt 5 and USB4 v2.

For those wondering, MCIO, which stands for Mini Cool Edge IO, was typically used for next-gen servers, storage arrays, and AI hardware, but now, with brands like GPD pushing MCIO-enabled products, it's coming to the general consumer segment.

Getting back to the GPD G2, it's essentially a dock that comes with a built-in PSU. As the brand has shared a performance metric with RTX 4090 considered, it would be safe to assume that the eGPU setup can accommodate most triple-slot desktop GPUs.

The company further highlights that the G2 eGPU dock features an M.2 slot for allowing easy storage expansion, and there's support for 100W PD (3.3-feet Baseus cable curr. $7.99 on Amazon). It's worth noting that this eGPU isn't only for systems with MCIO, as it also comes with a USB4 v2 port. There are two USB Type-A ports and one LAN port for further expandability.

Speaking of systems with MCIO interface, GPD has also introduced a new mini PC that takes advantage of it, the Box. Its MCIO 8i port, which is based on PCIe 5.0 x8, promises a bidirectional bandwidth of 512Gbps, and GPD touts that it's four times faster than OCuLink based on PCIe 4.0 x4.

With the teaser, the brand has also confirmed that the GPD Box will be powered by the Intel Panther Lake series, and it will sport two 80Gbps USB4 v2 ports. The shared pictures further suggest that there will be four USB Type-A, two LAN, one HDMI, and one DisplayPort ports.

There's no word on when the GPD Box mini PC and G2 eGPU will launch. However, as the company has already showcased them, the launch could be around the corner.