This $350 Thunderbolt 5 eGPU dock boosts Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K Ultra settings to 90 FPS without DLSS
A few months ago Razer launched the Core X V2 enclosure with Thunderbolt 5 port, which is currently available for $349 on Amazon. It also has 140 W PD charging support. The special thing about this eGPU dock is that it can fit up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 or an equivalent AMD card. Simply put, the enclosure has a lot of space. It also has a 120 mm fan, which automatically adjusts speed based on the load, and the dock also has built-in holes for improved ventilation.
Recently, YouTuber ETA Prime put the Razer Core X V2 to the test in a unique way. First, the eGPU dock was paired with an Asus ROG Strix Scar G18. Then, it was paired with an MSI Claw A8, a handheld gaming PC. While the former device may be an intended use case for the eGPU dock, because it is an 18-inch gaming laptop with an Intel Core i9 and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090, the latter, much smaller and much less powerful MSI Claw A8 is an interesting choice for the eGPU dock.
In the first test, ETA Prime set up the eGPU dock with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 GPU and compared it with the RTX 5090 laptop GPU. Do note that in this setup the eGPU dock is connected via the Thunderbolt 5 port on the Scar G18.
So while testing Cyberpunk 2077, we get to see the biggest difference between both setups. At 4K Ultra with no DLSS, the RTX 5090 laptop GPU scored 52 FPS. Meanwhile, the RTX 5090 via the eGPU dock scored 90 FPS. The TGP difference was also significant, as the laptop RTX 5090 consumed around 170 W, while the Razer eGPU dock drew around 460 W of power.
However, when testing Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, both the laptop and the desktop 5090 performed neck and neck, with the former scoring 83 FPS and the latter scoring 84 FPS at 4K Very High settings without any DLSS.
Similarly, when the YouTuber tested Borderlands 4, the laptop RTX 5090 delivered 40 FPS and the desktop 5090 via eGPU ran the game between 45–50 FPS at 4K Ultra settings without DLSS.
What could have been the issue with these two games is not clear, the YouTuber too didn't explained the same in the video.
However, next, they paired the Razer Core X V2 with the MSI Claw A8 and tested Cyberpunk 2077 via USB 4. With much less bandwidth available, the RTX 5090 delivered between 70-80 FPS and dropped below 70 FPS in cases where there was an explosion on screen.
The YouTuber then turned on Nvidia DLSS Frame Generation, and the average frame rate boosted to up to 276 FPS. The experience of running the game like this, as per the creator, was pretty ‘smooth.’
ETA Prime also conducted a similar test recently in which they connected an eGPU via OCuLink to a gaming handheld. If you want, you can read more about it here.
For the a detailed look at the gameplay and testing you can watch the full video by the YouTuber down below.
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