Gigabyte’s long-teased external graphics solution is finally on sale. The Aorus RTX 5060 Ti AI Box, a Thunderbolt 5 eGPU featuring a desktop-class Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti with 16GB of graphics memory, has now reached retail with a $699.99 price tag. For anyone looking to boost graphics performance on a compatible laptop or mini PC without building a full desktop, this is one of the more straightforward “plug-in GPU” options to hit the market.
The Aorus RTX 5060 Ti AI Box first appeared earlier in 2025, with Gigabyte showing the enclosure multiple times and detailing much of what buyers could expect. What was missing until now was the final piece most shoppers care about: real-world availability and pricing. With the current $699.99 listing, the total cost sits only modestly above what the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB typically goes for on its own, which helps the value proposition—especially considering you’re also getting the enclosure hardware and a bundled 330W power adapter.
At the core of this unit is a desktop-class GPU rather than a cut-down mobile chip, which is a key selling point for external GPU buyers. Gigabyte says performance is about 5% slower than running a similar graphics card directly in a PCIe slot. That figure is based on a synthetic benchmark comparison (3DMark Time Spy), and while it’s useful as a quick reference, it doesn’t always reflect what happens in actual games. In practice, gaming performance over an external connection can vary depending on the title, the laptop or mini PC CPU, and how much bandwidth the game needs—so buyers should expect some performance gap versus an internal PCIe setup, even with Thunderbolt 5.
Compatibility and connectivity are where this eGPU enclosure aims to stand out. Alongside Thunderbolt 5, it also supports USB4 v2, which can widen the pool of systems that can take advantage of it—particularly newer laptops and compact desktops designed around modern high-bandwidth USB-C connections.
The AI Box is also designed to act like a docking station, expanding ports for displays, peripherals, and networking. In addition to the Thunderbolt 5 connection used to hook it up to your computer, the enclosure includes a second Thunderbolt 5 port for peripherals with Power Delivery 3.0, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port, two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, an Ethernet port, and multiple display outputs: three DisplayPort 2.1b connections plus one HDMI 2.1b.
For shoppers who want a cleaner desk setup, strong 1440p gaming potential, and a single-cable-style external GPU upgrade path for a Thunderbolt 5 or USB4 v2 machine, the Gigabyte Aorus RTX 5060 Ti AI Box lands as an appealing new option—priced around the point where buying the GPU alone would already make a dent in your budget, but packaged in a ready-to-run eGPU solution. For those who need substantially more graphics horsepower, Gigabyte also offers higher-end AI Box variants in the same lineup.
