Recent performance benchmarks indicate that using an OCulink connection may lead to a reduction in GPU performance for Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4090, yet it still presents a more favorable outcome compared to Thunderbolt 3 and USB4.
OCulink technology, with its bidirectional 32 Gbps (64 Gbps total) PCIe connection, boasts significant advantages over connections like Thunderbolt 4. However, it is not without its limitations. Performance benchmarks shared on Weibo by a tech reviewer from China show that the RTX 4090 GPU experiences a performance dip of almost 23% when run via OCulink and connected to a laptop’s internal display.
Results from the tests showed varying degrees of performance loss depending on the eGPU setup and whether an internal or external screen was used. In a more specific breakdown, the RTX 4090 on OCulink suffered a 22.6% performance loss when used with the laptop’s internal screen, while the drop was narrowed down to 16.6% with an external screen. Interestingly, when the resolution increased in the Time Spy Extreme test, the bottleneck was eliminated entirely with no performance penalty.
The tests looked at other GPUs as well. For instance, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super experienced a smaller performance decrease, losing only 9.8% of its GPU performance when utilized with an internal screen through the OCulink connection.
While benchmark results can’t always precisely predict real-world gaming performance, the findings give a helpful point of comparison. The 3DMark results provide separate scores for graphics and CPU, which assists in isolating performance factors.
For context, previous reviews of similar technology like the Thunderbolt 3 connection have reported even more considerable performance losses, going as high as 36%. This puts OCulink in a better light, signaling a relatively lesser impact on GPU performance.
External GPU enclosures serve as viable options for those looking to boost the graphical power of less robust devices, including slim laptops or handheld gaming PCs. They can convert a modest system into one capable of handling more demanding graphics tasks by coupling it with high-performance GPUs like the RTX 4090 through an eGPU dock.
The potential performance losses linked with OCulink may not be entirely avoidable, but its capability still positions it as a strong alternative to Thunderbolt and USB4 connections, especially for users looking to balance portability with powerful graphics performance.
