Zotac Shows Two Thunderbolt 3 Enclosures for External PCI-E Cards

Zotac presented two enclosures at Computex with which PCI-e cards can be connected using Thunderbolt 3. One of these cases focuses specifically on video cards, the other is smaller and has less capacity for high-end cards.

The Zotac Thunderbolt 3 External Box is designed like the computers in the Zbox line. On the inside there is a PCI-e slot that offers enough space for a double-wide video card, according to TechPowerUp. There is less space in the length; a card longer than 17cm will not fit. Also, the built-in power supply cannot deliver more than 120W and it has no extra PCI-e connectors for a video card. The External Box also has an m.2 slot and four USB 3.0 connections.

Zotac has presented its External Graphics Dock before. This aluminum-made dock has a PCI-e 3.0 slot and four USB 3.0 ports, one of which can provide an output of 2A to charge a phone smoothly. In addition, it has an extra Thunderbolt 3 connection, with which more devices can be connected.

The Graphics dock is equipped with a 400W power supply, with which a built-in video card with the two 6+2-pin PCI-e connections can be supplied. Video cards can be up to 22cm long. It is cooled with a 140mm fan on the front and a 120mm fan on the back.

Zotac previously indicated that the External Graphics Dock would be released in the second quarter of 2017. It is not yet known when the External Box will be released and what prices the devices will receive.