ASUS ROG announced the XG Station 2 external graphics solution that utilizes Thunderbolt 3.
The first-generation XG Station was released in 2007 which was the first docking station that aims to boost laptop graphics performance. It came with an on-screen display and allows the user to overclock the graphics card and tweak other settings. Today, ASUS ROG announced the XG Station 2 external graphics solution that utilizes Thunderbolt 3 with bandwidth speeds of up to 40Gbps which is eight time faster than USB 3.0 and four times the video bandwidth of HDMI 1.4. However, such powerful external graphics solution has limited support given that only high-performance hardware configuration can harness its power. With that, the ROG XG Station 2 can only support a selected number of ASUS ROG gaming laptops.
There’s a slight overhead due to encoding and decoding when connecting only via Thunderbolt 3, the ROG XG Station 2 allows you to connect an additional USB Type-B cable to help compensate and push the performance further. The performance can then be pushed up to within 10% of the graphics card’s maximum performance. Aside from boosting graphics power, the XG Station 2 also provides four addition USB 3.0 ports and a Gigabit Ethernet port for the connected laptop. Also, ASUS ROG made it possible to connect and disconnect the XG Station 2 without restarting making it very convenient and easy to use.
Key Features
– Enjoy VR gaming without sacrificing notebook’s portability
– Upgraded gaming performance that’s even better than dedicated gaming laptops and many desktop PCs
– Thunderbolt™ 3 for 8X faster data transfer and 4X the video bandwidth while also supplying power
– Supports the latest GeForce® and Radeon™ graphics cards
– Plug and play with expanded connectivity
– 600W 80 Plus Gold certified power supply for up to 90% energy efficiency
– ASUS Aura Sync with all-new plasma tube to press your energized gaming style
– Enjoy VR gaming without sacrificing notebook’s portability
– Upgraded gaming performance that’s even better than dedicated gaming laptops and many desktop PCs
– Thunderbolt™ 3 for 8X faster data transfer and 4X the video bandwidth while also supplying power
– Supports the latest GeForce® and Radeon™ graphics cards
– Plug and play with expanded connectivity
– 600W 80 Plus Gold certified power supply for up to 90% energy efficiency
– ASUS Aura Sync with all-new plasma tube to press your energized gaming style
The XG Station 2 doesn’t only power up the graphics card installed in it, it also provides 100W of power to all USB-connected devices and the laptop as well. The XG Station 2 is also capable of powering a GTX 1080 or a RX 480.
The centerpiece of the ROG XG Station 2 is the ROG-themed plasma tube in the middle. The XG Station 2 is also ASUS Aura Sync compatible to synchronize lighting effects with other compatible ASUS ROG hardware. The ROG XG Station 2 will be available worldwide in the beginning of 2017.
