How to Use External GPUs (eGPU) with Laptops in 2025

If you own a laptop and wish it had more graphics power for gaming, content creation, or professional work, an external graphics card (eGPU) could be the solution. In 2025, eGPUs have become more accessible, offering laptop users the ability to tap into the performance of Nvidia graphics cards, AMD graphics cards, or even best graphics cards for 3D rendering without replacing their entire system.

What Is an eGPU and How It Works

An eGPU is an enclosure that houses a standard desktop computer graphics card and connects to your laptop via a high-speed interface such as Thunderbolt 4 or USB4. Inside the enclosure, the graphics card runs just as it would in a desktop PC, but sends its output to your laptop’s display or external monitors. This setup allows you to enjoy desktop-level performance from a portable system.

Benefits of Using an eGPU

The main advantage of an eGPU is flexibility. You can use a lightweight laptop for portability and attach it to a powerful GDDR6 graphics card or 16GB graphics card at home for heavy workloads. For gamers, this means playing demanding titles at higher settings and resolutions. For creators, it enables smoother video editing, faster rendering, and real-time 3D work without needing a desktop tower.

Another benefit is upgradability. When new Nvidia graphics cards or AMD graphics cards release, you can swap out the GPU in your enclosure without replacing your laptop.

Choosing the Right Graphics Card for Your eGPU

Not all GPUs perform equally well in an eGPU setup. Consider your needs:

• For gaming, an RTX graphics card with DLSS 4 or an AMD card with FSR 4 can help you achieve higher frame rates, even at high resolutions.

• For creative work like 3D modeling or video production, the best graphics card for 3D rendering with high VRAM capacity, such as a 16GB graphics card, is ideal.

• If you are looking for a budget-friendly option, a cheap graphics card or DDR5 graphics card 8GB can still offer a noticeable performance upgrade over integrated graphics.

Selecting the Right eGPU Enclosure

An eGPU enclosure needs to be compatible with your chosen GPU and have enough power supply capacity. Look for features like:

• Sufficient PCIe slot space for larger cards like MSI graphics cards or ASUS graphics cards

• Adequate cooling for high-performance GPUs

• Multiple video outputs for dual monitor graphics card setups or even graphics cards with 3 HDMI ports

Some enclosures also offer extra USB ports and Ethernet connections, turning them into docking stations.

Setting Up an eGPU with Your Laptop

• Install the GPU into the eGPU enclosure, securing it properly.

• Connect the enclosure to your laptop using Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 for the fastest possible data transfer.

• Install drivers from the GPU manufacturer’s website. For Nvidia graphics cards, use GeForce Experience; for AMD graphics cards, use Adrenalin software.

• Configure display settings to ensure games and apps are using the eGPU instead of your laptop’s internal GPU.

• Most modern laptops automatically switch to the eGPU when connected, but you may need to adjust settings in Windows or macOS for specific applications.

Performance Considerations

While eGPUs greatly improve performance over integrated graphics, they may run slightly slower than the same GPU inside a desktop due to bandwidth limitations of the connection. However, this difference is often small enough that the benefits far outweigh the loss, especially when moving from integrated graphics to a GDDR6 graphics card.

For gaming, pairing your eGPU with an external monitor connected directly to the GPU can improve performance. This bypasses the laptop’s internal display routing, reducing latency and maximizing frame rates.

Who Should Consider an eGPU

An eGPU is a great investment if you:

• Travel often but want desktop-class performance at home

• Use creative software that benefits from GPU acceleration

• Want to play modern games on a lightweight laptop

• Prefer upgrading your GPU over replacing an entire laptop

It may not be as cost-effective for those who already have a powerful desktop PC or do not use GPU-intensive applications.

Using an external graphics card with your laptop in 2025 is one of the easiest ways to combine portability with performance. By choosing the right computer graphics card, enclosure, and connection method, you can enjoy a setup that delivers desktop-like power without sacrificing mobility.