This new Asus gaming GPU dock could be a game changer for mini gaming PC owners

As a mini gaming PC fan, I’ve always been fond of the idea of using an eGPU, but they’ve usually been too clunky or slow to make them a practical option. This new Asus ROG XG Station 3 eGPU dock, however, might just be enough to change my mind. This model, unveiled for the first time at Computex 2025, comes with a brand new design and much faster Thunderbolt 5 speeds, along with some interesting benchmark data.

This Asus dock, which at first glance looks a lot like a Puddle Jumper from Stargate, supports cards with power demands of up to 1,000W, meaning you can easily power the best graphics card options with it, including the RTX 5090, although the most powerful cards will require a power supply upgrade. It also supports the Asus GC-HPWR connector, meaning no cables are needed – it’s a slot-in-and-go scenario, as long as you have an Asus graphics card that supports the upgraded BTF connector.

Asus hasn’t released this new eGPU dock yet, but the company shared its first glimpses of the product at Computex 2025. Unlike the earlier Asus ROG XG Station 2 eGPU, which required a fully encased graphics card, this new model is a fully independent dock, requiring you to simply insert the graphics card on top. This will certainly help with airflow and any size restrictions, although it might end up being a bit noisy as a result.

That could be a price worth paying for the potential gaming performance, though – this is a device for a serious gamer who might only have a gaming laptop or a mini gaming PC on hand. It comes with a 330W SFX power supply built into it, so if you were planning to use it with a demanding card such as the RTX 5090, you’ll need to upgrade this yourself to a higher wattage alternative.

Some recent eGPU boxes have used OCuLink, a direct PCIe connector that originated from server use, to deliver the fastest speeds. However, OCuLink isn’t a connector that’s gained a lot of widespread support, which is why a Thunderbolt 5 connector makes more sense here. It’s also the faster option, too, with Thunderbolt 5 ports delivering speeds up to 80Gbps, compared to OCuLink’s current 64Gbps limit.

That improved performance is borne out in benchmark data, shared by Asus at Computex 2025 and reproduced by Videocardz, which shows an RTX 4090 desktop card using this Asus dock with gaming performance that was only 5% to 15% slower than the same card directly installed in a gaming PC, while easily outperforming the RTX 4090 mobile equivalent.

While this data isn’t independently verified, it does easily show the dock’s potential, narrowing the gap between external eGPU docks and directly installed graphics cards significantly. Asus also didn’t share RTX 5090 benchmarks, despite showing the eGPU with such a card installed, as seen in these photos supplied by Hong Kong tech site HKEPC in an X post.

While Thunderbolt 5 support is still lacking in a lot of gaming laptops and mini gaming PCs, it looks like Asus is betting that the situation will change over the next year or two. Thankfully, Thunderbolt 5 is fully backwards compatible, so you will be able to use this dock using a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 connection, although you won’t get the maximum available speeds.

If you’ve got an Asus BTF graphics card, you can plug it into the dock and it’ll work without cables, making it a much cleaner setup. If you don’t, however, you can still use a 12VHPWR connection with the installed PSU, so there’s no limit to the device’s compatibility there, as long as you keep an eye on whether your card needs a higher-spec power supply or not.

Unfortunately, there isn’t any information so far on pricing or a likely release date for the Asus ROG XG Station 3, but I’m excited to get my hands on one. This is a gorgeous, practical device, even if it’s a completely niche one at the moment, that could make gaming on a mini gaming PC almost on-par with the best gaming PC options out there, especially combined with a mini PC such as the new Asus ROG NUC 2025.

Until then, make sure to check out our best mini gaming PC guide for some powerful options for gaming on a much smaller scale than a desktop PC. If you want an all-in-one portable gaming system, our best gaming laptop guide also has a formidable selection, suitable for casual and serious gamers alike.

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