Key Takeaways
1. The Aoostar AG03 features two USB 4 v2 or Thunderbolt 5 ports, offering up to 80 Gbps bandwidth.
2. One Thunderbolt 5 port supports up to 140 W PD, ideal for gaming handheld setups.
3. The AG03 has a built-in 800 W power supply but can supply a maximum of 500 W to the connected GPU.
4. The design remains similar to the AG02, with no M.2 slot support and an x16 PCIe 4.0 x4 slot for desktop GPU installation.
5. The AG03 is priced at CNY 1,499 (approximately $213) and is currently available only in China.
Aoostar has released an improved version of its external GPU dock, called the Aoostar AG03. This new model mainly upgrades from the AG02 by including two USB 4 v2 or Thunderbolt 5 ports. The v2 ports are capable of providing up to 80 Gbps bandwidth, which is a step up from the standard USB4 port on the older version.
Enhanced Power Features
In addition to the increased bandwidth, one of the Thunderbolt 5 ports supports up to 140 W PD, making it very useful for gaming handheld setups (Silkland TB5 4-feet cable curr. $29.99 on Amazon). The second port can deliver up to 27 W of power, and like its predecessor, the AG03 includes an OCuLink port. However, the PCIe interface for installing a desktop GPU has not changed; it still features an x16 slot with PCIe 4.0 x4 support.
Specifications and Performance
Another important feature of the new eGPU dock is the maximum GPU power it can supply through its built-in PSU. The Aoostar AG03 comes with a built-in 800 W power supply but is limited to providing up to 500 W to the connected desktop GPU. By comparison, the previous model could deliver up to 600 W of maximum GPU power, likely due to the new USB4 v2 ports. Other than this, not much is different in the new external GPU dock; it keeps the same design and still lacks M.2 slot support, which some other eGPU docks offer. However, one of the Thunderbolt 5 ports does allow for connecting external drives to the setup.
Pricing and Availability
The Aoostar AG03 has been launched in China with a price of CNY 1,499, roughly $213. The company has not yet announced when the eGPU dock will be available in other markets around the world.
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