In the world of laptop upgrades, the GPD G1 “GPU box” emerges as an ingenious solution to boost your laptop’s graphical capabilities without the need for a full laptop replacement or the complexity of replacing the GPU yourself. This lightweight and compact GPU expansion unit from GPD not only offers significant graphics enhancements but also serves as a versatile docking station.
The GPD G1, weighing just 867 grams and measuring 225 x 111 x 30mm, resembles a docking station with an array of ports that expand your laptop’s connectivity options. However, its real magic lies in its ability to supercharge your laptop’s graphics performance. It comes equipped with a Radeon RX 7600M XT GPU, armed with 8GB of GDDR6 memory, promising a remarkable graphics boost.
Japanese publication PC Watch put the GPD G1 to the test and reported that its performance rivals that of the powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card. This is no small feat, as the RTX 3070 is known for its impressive capabilities.
Benchmarking tests were conducted on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen9 enterprise notebook with an Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU running Windows 11 Pro. The results were astounding. For instance, when running Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition, the laptop scored 1,373 without the GPD G1 but surged to 8,900—an increase of 590%—when connected to the GPU unit. Similarly, the Blue Protocol benchmark jumped from a score of 2,319, which was below the minimum hardware requirements, to a stellar 11,937, earning an “Excellent” rating.
It’s worth noting that these remarkable results were achieved on the ThinkPad’s built-in display. When connected to an external display with a 2,560 x 1,440-pixel resolution via HDMI, the score saw a 30% decrease.
Beyond gaming, the GPD G1 demonstrated its prowess in productivity tasks. PCMark 10 and PCMark 10 Extended tests showed a notable increase in scores—17% and 51%, respectively. Even in office settings, with benchmarking done against Microsoft Office apps such as Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, the GPD G1 contributed to a 6.1% boost in performance.
Moreover, the GPD G1 doubles as a docking station, offering a range of connectivity options that business laptop users often require. It features three USB-A 3.2 ports, an SD card reader, two DisplayPort 1.4 ports, an HDMI 2.1 port, an OCuLink port, and one USB 4.0 port. However, it’s worth noting that there’s only one USB Type-C port with power delivery, and it lacks an Ethernet connection.
In summary, the GPD G1 GPU expansion unit is a game-changer for laptop users seeking enhanced graphics performance for gaming and productivity tasks. Its compact design and versatile port offerings make it an excellent companion for modern business laptops, elevating both gaming experiences and work efficiency.
