- Peladn Link S-3 exposing your GPU completely without any case, no fan, just air flow
- Exposed graphics cards make cool air flows easier but let components be vulnerable to everything else
- Don’t expect global availability yet; It’s only shipping in china for now
Peladn has announced the LINK S-3, a compact EGPU dock that introduces Thunderbolt 5 connection at a relatively low price.
The price of CNY 1,599 (about $ 223) is dock set to start sending in China on July 26, although international liberation details remain unknown.
The Link S-3 is designed to support desktop GPUs externally and are aimed at users who want to increase graphics performance on devices such as video editing of laptops or compact desktops without internal expansion options.
Unusual design prioritizes shape and air flow over protection
Unlike traditional GPU enclosures with voluminous cases, the LINK S-3 has a flat, outdoor design that helps reduce both size and costs that depend on ambient air flow to cool the graphics card.
While the design looks slim, it may feel risky to leave the most expensive part of your setup fully exposed to the environment.
The Peladn Link S-3 does not include a built-in power supply, but supports standard ATX or SFX units with up to 140W power supply through its Thunderbolt 5 port, which means users will need to connect an external PSU to operate the setup.
Connection is a key function in the S-3 link. It includes two Thunderbolt 5 ports that offer up to 80 Gbps two -way bandwidth.
However, GPU data transfer is limited to 64 Gbps due to PCIe 4.0 X4 interface.
While Thunderbolt 5 offers more bandwidth than previous standards, the real world’s performance advantage over Oculink can be marginal for most workloads.
Still brings Thunderbolt added features that many oculink-based docks are missing.
Dock also includes a 2.5 gigabit Ethernet port powered by Realtks RTL8156B controller, a 10 Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, an SD card reader and a PCIe 3.0 x1 M.2 Slot for SSD storage.
These additions could make it especially appealing to content creators using a video editing -PC or mobile workstation where quick access to external drives and networks is important.
Via TechPowerup
