CONNECT A HIGH-PERFORMANCE GPU CARD OR OTHER BANDWIDTH-HUNGRY PCIE CARD TO A THUNDERBOLT™ 3 EQUIPPED COMPUTER

Sonnet’s eGFX Breakaway Box Thunderbolt 3 to eGPU PCIe card expansion systems are designed specifically to accommodate large and power-hungry GPU cards. Functioning as a simple plug-in upgrade, a Breakaway Box boosts the graphics performance of an eGFX-compatible computer by connecting a high-performance desktop GPU card via a Thunderbolt 3 port. With four models to choose from, the Breakaway Box line supports all Thunderbolt-compatible cards(1) with popular GPU chipsets—such as AMD Radeon™ R9 and RX series, including VEGA 64 and Frontier Edition; and NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 9 and 10 series, and TITAN X, Xp, and V. Even the latest pro cards—AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100, WX 7100, WX 9100, and SSG; and NVIDIA Quadro® GP100, P4000, P5000, and P6000—are supported! Alternatively, if you are need a cost-effective Thunderbolt expansion system for a Thunderbolt-compatible, non-GPU PCIe card, the Breakaway Box offers all the space and power you could possibly need at an affordable price.

GRAPHIC INTENSIVE GAMING

There’s no need for you to carry a heavy and expensive gaming laptop to have a great gaming experience—just plug in a Breakaway Box and add the GPU power you want when you need it! By delivering significantly higher frame rates for smooth game play, the Breakaway Box is ideal for enabling graphic-intensive gaming on Ultrabook™ and other thin/light notebook computers that otherwise would deliver a poor gaming experience. When used with an eGFX-compatible computer, accelerated graphics can either be displayed on your notebook’s own display panel or on multiple external monitors. And, unlike with gaming laptops, when the next generation of GPUs ships and you are ready for another performance boost, simply upgrade the GPU card in the Box—nobody should have to replace their computer just to keep up with the latest in GPU technology.

READY FOR WORK

From editing to rendering to color grading, and from animation to special effects, many applications rely on GPU cards to do the heavy lifting. With a GPU card installed, the Breakaway Box can accelerate your video production workflow. In addition to GPU cards, the Breakaway Box supports every other Thunderbolt-compatible PCIe card, up to full-length, full-height, double-width. Its single x16 PCIe 3.0 slot easily accommodates full-length cards such as the Avid® Pro Tools|HDX(4) or RED® ROCKET-X. The Breakaway Box’s single-port 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interface ensures the full 2750 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth(2) is dedicated to the installed card.

COOLEST & QUIETEST EGFX GRAPHICS CARD BOX ON THE MARKET

The Sonnet eGFX Breakaway Box is the coolest and quietest eGFX box on the market—with its large variable-speed, temperature-controlled fan that quietly and effectively cools the installed card, the Breakaway Box can be comfortably used in noise-sensitive working environments.

LIQUID COOLERS SUPPORTED

The eGFX Breakaway Box supports 120mm x 1, single-fan radiators. Water block coolers run quieter than active fans, plus, water block coolers enable higher overclocking.

FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS

In today’s pro audio and video production, use of audio I/O and DSP cards (such as the Avid Pro Tools|HDX), and video I/O and transcoding cards (such as the or RED ROCKET-X) is essential to keeping up with recording sessions, as well as on-set and post-production timelines. The eGFX Breakaway Box is ideal for supporting the acceleration of these workflows.

40GBPS THUNDERBOLT 3 PERFORMANCE

Thunderbolt 3 is a leap forward in every way. Whether you’re editing high-frame-rate 4k video, or blasting aliens out of the sky, you can now transform your notebook into a true desktop experience. With up to 2750 MB/s available PCIe bandwidth(2), the Breakaway Box exploits its 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interface to offer the best possible eGPU experience, or handle the most demanding, highest performance PCIe cards.

All Breakaway models are Thunderbolt Certified, and include a 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable to connect the system to your computer. Choose the one that best suits the power requirements of the card you intend to use, or you can opt for the model with an included GPU card.

IDEAL FOR ACCELERATING

• Special effects
• Animation
• Color grading
• Rendering
• Editing

ALSO IDEAL FOR ENABLING GRAPHIC INTENSIVE GAMING ON NON-GAMING COMPUTERS:

• Enables high frame rate gaming with Ultrabook™ and other thin/light notebook computers
• Accelerated graphics on notebook display or external display
• No need to carry around a heavy/expensive gaming laptop—connect GPU power when you need it

• Connects High Performance GPU Cards to Computers with Thunderbolt 3 Ports - Boosts the graphics performance of your eGFX-compatible computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports
• Supports the Latest GPU Cards - Includes AMD Radeon R9, RX, RX Vega, and Pro WX models; and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 9 and 10 series, TITAN X, Xp, V, and Quadro models
• Supports Other Thunderbolt-Compatible PCI Express Cards - Supports full-length, full-height, single- or double-width card, perfect for cards such as the Avid Pro Tools|HDX⁽⁴⁾ or RED ROCKET-X
• 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 Interface with One Thunderbolt 3 Port - Ensures full 2750 MB/s of PCIe bandwidth⁽²⁾ is dedicated to the installed card
• Choice of Four Models - Add-your-own-card eGFX Breakaway Box models with various wattage power supplies and Power Deliveries, plus the Developer Edition with included Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 580 8GB card, are available
• Quietest eGFX System Available - Large built-in, variable-speed, temperature-controlled fan quietly and effectively cools the installed card
• Thunderbolt Certified
• Graphics Card Power Compatibility

MAC COMPATIBILITY

Breakaway Box, Breakaway Box (Developer Edition), Breakaway Box 550, Breakaway Box 650

• Mac with Thunderbolt 3 ports and macOS 10.13.6+
  • Breakaway Box and Breakaway Box Developer Edition are not currently compatible with 2018 13" MacBook Pro 15,2. An update is pending. The Breakaway Box 550 and 650 are fully compatible with all Thunderbolt 3 Macs.
  • Details on official macOS eGPU Support can be found under the eGPU/OS Info Tab
  • macOS drivers for NVIDIA GPU cards are currently not compatible with Thunderbolt Technology
  • If you have a Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt Mac that may have worked with external graphics under the beta program that ended after macOS 10.13.3, then you will not be able to continue to use external graphics if you update to macOS to 10.13.4. To continue to enjoy external graphics, you would need to upgrade to a Thunderbolt 3 Mac which fully supports external graphics beginning with macOS 10.13.4.
  • Automatically accelerates eGPU connected monitors, and games and select apps run on those monitors ⁽⁶⁾
  • One eGFX Breakaway Box eGPU (WX9100, for example) supports up to six external 4k monitors @60Hz
• Mac with Thunderbolt 3 ports and macOS 10.14.1+ Additional Features
  • Accelerate games and applications run on the internal display (or Thunderbolt Display) by selecting the App, selecting “Get Info”, and checking “Prefer External GPU”⁽⁷⁾
  • Windows 10 support under Parallels Desktop 14 for Mac ⁽⁸⁾
  • Attach two eGFX Breakaway Box eGPUs (WX9100s, for example) to support up to twelve external 4k monitors @60Hz
• Breakaway Box Developer Edition includes a Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 580 8GB card
• Supports VIVE and VIVE Pro with AMD Radeon RX 480 or better.⁽⁵⁾
• Mac with a Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt port with an Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter and macOS 10.12.6+ (external GPUs not supported by Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt equipped Macs)
• Certified with all generation Thunderbolt Macs to support Thunderbolt-compatible non-GPU cards, such as AVID HDX⁽⁴⁾ and RED ROCKET-X.

WINDOWS COMPATIBILITY

All Models

• Windows PC with a Thunderbolt 3 port
• GPU card use requires an eGFX-enabled Windows PC
• Windows 10 (64-bit Edition, Version 1709 or greater)
• Supports VIVE and VIVE Pro with NVIDIA GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 480 or better. ⁽⁵⁾

TECHNICAL NOTES

1. eGFX Breakaway Box models support up to a standard full-height, full-length, double-width card. Cards with three power connectors are not supported.
2. While the eGFX Breakaway box features a 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 interface, some computers equipped with Thunderbolt 3 use an x2 PCIe lane implementation of Thunderbolt 3 technology that limits PCIe performance to 20Gbps. Find more computer information here. Full performance also requires the use of the included Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable, or other Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cables; look for the Thunderbolt icon AND the number 3 on the connector housings to identify these cables.
3. Choose eGFX Breakaway Box model that supports the power requirement of the chosen card.
4. Power adapter cable for Avid Pro Tools|HDX card sold separately.
5. Not compatible with VIVE Wireless Adapter
6. A few professional applications (such as DaVinci Resolve or Cinema 4D) have menu options to use the external GPU even if the app is run on the internal monitor. Final Cut Pro requires 10.14.1+ for external GPU acceleration.
7. Ultimate gaming performance is attained by using a display attached to eGPU.
8. See Using eGPU with Parallels Desktop for Mac